Three strategies for better backups
Data Protection
Image © icetray, 123RF.com
To protect your data, you need to do more than schedule regular backups. Here are three often overlooked strategies that can help make your backups more accessible, secure, and reliable.
From rsync and rsnapshot to Bacula and Déjà Dup, Linux has no shortage of backup applications. You can even find basic suggestions for a backup strategy such as Ubuntu’s, which include such basics as storing at least one backup off-site. However, these suggestions are usually incomplete and occasionally misleading. As my own backup strategies have evolved, I have found three strategic considerations that are often neglected but can greatly affect a backup’s accessibility, security, and reliability.
Choose an Appropriate Filesystem
Most external drives come with NTFS or exFAT filesystems, so the users of recent Linux distributions can use them out of the box. However, thanks to parted and its desktop counterparts, reformatting an external drive takes only a few minutes, and users have no shortage of filesystems to choose from (Figure 1).
[...]
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
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.
News
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs Transitions to Linux
Another major organization has decided to kick Microsoft Windows and Office to the curb in favor of Linux.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.