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(tar.info)Backups

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Performing Backups and Restoring Files
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   GNU `tar' is distributed along with the scripts which the Free
Software Foundation uses for performing backups.  There is no
corresponding scripts available yet for doing restoration of files.
Even if there is a good chance those scripts may be satisfying to you,
they are not the only scripts or methods available for doing backups
and restore.  You may well create your own, or use more sophisticated
packages dedicated to that purpose.

   Some users are enthusiastic about `Amanda' (The Advanced Maryland
Automatic Network Disk Archiver), a backup system developed by James da
Silva `jds@cs.umd.edu' and available on many Unix systems.  This is
free software, and it is available at these places:

     http://www.cs.umd.edu/projects/amanda/amanda.html
     ftp://ftp.cs.umd.edu/pub/amanda

   Here is a possible plan for a future documentation about the
backuping scripts which are provided within the GNU `tar' distribution.

     .* dumps
     . + what are dumps
     
     . + different levels of dumps
     .  - full dump = dump everything
     .  - level 1, level 2 dumps etc, -
     	A level n dump dumps everything changed since the last level
     	n-1 dump (?)
     
     . + how to use scripts for dumps  (ie, the concept)
     .  - scripts to run after editing backup specs (details)
     
     . + Backup Specs, what is it.
     .  - how to customize
     .  - actual text of script  [/sp/dump/backup-specs]
     
     . + Problems
     .  - rsh doesn't work
     .  - rtape isn't installed
     .  - (others?)
     
     . + the --incremental option of tar
     
     . + tapes
     .  - write protection
     .  - types of media
     .   : different sizes and types, useful for different things
     .  - files and tape marks
          one tape mark between files, two at end.
     .  - positioning the tape
          MT writes two at end of write,
            backspaces over one when writing again.

   This chapter documents both the provided FSF scripts and `tar'
options which are more specific to usage as a backup tool.

   To "back up" a file system means to create archives that contain all
the files in that file system.  Those archives can then be used to
restore any or all of those files (for instance if a disk crashes or a
file is accidentally deleted).  File system "backups" are also called
"dumps".

Full Dumps

Using `tar' to Perform Full Dumps

Inc Dumps

Using `tar' to Perform Incremental Dumps

incremental and listed-incremental

The Incremental Options

Backup Levels

Levels of Backups

Backup Parameters

Setting Parameters for Backups and Restoration

Scripted Backups

Using the Backup Scripts

Scripted Restoration

Using the Restore Script