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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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What to include in a backup? (Ubuntu) (lemmy.ml)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hi! A friend just recommended the backup tool that comes with Ubuntu. I took a look at it and was wondering what you guys include and exclude from the backups. I just installed wire guard VPN and but the config file in the etc/wireguard folder, where it belongs. I would have to include this folder as well if I want to keep my configs. And I guess many programs do the same, so how do you know what to include, so you can just revert to the last backup if something breaks or you get a new machine? Maybe that is a stupid question, but it was going through my head for some time now. Thanks a lot!

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I use config-as-code for some stuff but in reality there are many manual steps that aren't covered. This is why I run an LVM mirror (RAID1) with two SSDs and I keep a full backup. The system hasn't been reinstalled in 10 years.

If you feel the way you do, you should probably just do a full disk backup with clonezilla or dd every X days and be done with it. If X is large, e.g. months, you should also run home dir backup more often. The Ubuntu built-in tool is great for that. Then when something dies, restore the whole OS from the clonezilla/dd backup, boot, then restore the most recent home dir backup, reboot, and you're back. Minimal effort.