Dr. Nikolaus Klepp via Dng said on Tue, 23 Nov 2021 20:43:28 +0100

>Anno domini 2021 Tue, 23 Nov 14:27:56 -0500
> Hendrik Boom scripsit:
>> I'm setting up a new backup script that will do it all piecemeal so
>> that if a part of it fails, it can be retried without having to
>> start *everythng* over from scratch.
>>
>> Which top-level filesystems should *not* be backed up.
>
>
>Question is: What do you want the backup for? Recover from a failed
>disk in 5 minutes or "just" all your settings and user directories? I
>for myself do not bother to save the OS, a list of all manually
>installed packages is good enough for me.
>
>Nik

I'm the same as Nik. If I can buy it again, or install it again, it's
not a tragedy if I lose it. For this reason I don't back up /usr.

<rant>
The majority of files in /home/yourname are useless. /home/yourname is
a mishmash of stuff you created, settings you use, and useless crap
like cache. It's huge and ugly. For that reason I create other top
level directories to hold stuff I created myself.
</rant>

Nevertheless, it really is necessary to back up /home, although
everything should be done to make sure none of what you back up is
cache:

======================================
[slitt@mydesk ~]$ find .cache | wc -l
82571
[slitt@mydesk ~]$ du -hs .cache
2.1G    .cache
[slitt@mydesk ~]$ find . | grep cache | wc -l
find: ‘./mail/Maildir/lost+found’: Permission denied
173948
[slitt@mydesk ~]$
======================================

Really?

Then there's ~/Downloads. The way I see it, if you need things in the
download directory enough to back them up, those files should have been
moved somewhere else.

I back up /home minus .cache, but I segregate that backup, and when I
reinstall, instead of restoring to /home, I restore it to
/scatch/oldhome, and manually transfer things as necessary.

In my opinion, here are some things that are absolutely essential to
back up:

* The /etc tree
* The output of the mount command (yeah, I know /etc/fstab, but still)
* The output of the command telling all the packages that were
installed manually.
* The UMENU2 menu structure.
* All data you created, and I hope it's *not* in /home.

Like Nik says, if your goal is to get it back up in 5 minutes, your
best bet is to back up the entire system, as well as the mbr or
whatever you call the UEFI equivalent (both copies). But if your intent
is just to stay in business after losing a disk, I think a data-only
backup is superior.

SteveT

Steve Litt
Spring 2021 featured book: Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful
Technologist http://www.troubleshooters.com/techniques