Automatic backups to external media

Safe House

Article from Issue 227/2019
Author(s):

A recent backup is more reliable than any kind of data rescue. But for many users, a backup won't happen unless the process is easy to manage.

The simplest form of backup is to copy the data to a mobile device, such as a USB stick or an external USB hard drive. You can perform this kind of backup either with the file manager or with a copy command like:

cp -a source_directory target_directory

This command uses the archive option -a to recursively copy the files, and it also includes the file permissions. If the target directory does not exist, the command creates it as a copy of the source and its contents. If, on the other hand, it already exists, it will contain a subdirectory named source_directory after the copy operation.

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

  • Charly's Column

    The principle behind Rsnapshot is nothing new: use Rsync and SSH to back up files to another computer. What sets Rsnapshot apart is its simple setup and its rich collection of features.

  • Automatic Backup

    Backing up data is an unpopular task that many users – and even some administrators – consider a chore, prompting us to take a look at some command-line automatic backup programs.

  • Ivman

    Better knowledge of the Linux hotplug system opens the door to to innovation and automation. We’ll show you a custom backup solution for laptop computers.

  • Admin Workshop: Backups with Rsync

    It is often inefficient to fire up a tape drive whenever you need to back up files or restore a backup. The Rsync tool pushes critical files to a second computer, where you can access them easily.

  • SystemRescueCd

    If you accidentally delete data or format a disk, good advice can be expensive. Or maybe not: You can undo many data losses with SystemRescueCd.

comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News