[plug] Backing up to DVD

[Gavin Chester]

On Sun, 2005-01-16 at 11:44, Lee de Byl wrote:
> Hi,
> This is my first post to the PLUG list, so if I show my ignorance, please
> excuse me.

I'm only carrying a month or so of "experience" to this list myself so I
hope my suggestion has relevance ;^)

> I'm trying to implement a routine backup system for my home network,
> using
> DVD as the medium. I'm using a LG 4082B DVD burner, supporting DVD+R(W),
> DVD-R(W) and DVD-RAM. It's installed in a machine running a 2.4 kernel,
> which has NOT been patched for packet writing or UDF writing.
> 
> I'm planning on using tar to do incremental backups, and I want to avoid
> having to create intermediate files on the hard drive (tars and ISOs)
> - ie
> writing directly to the media.

Two good tools for backup are rsync and backuppc.  

http://rsync.samba.org
a HowTo is given in this article:
http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/March2004/article326.shtm

http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/info.html
A user on the backuppc list recently posted a link to his
step by step HOWTO for fedora:
http://www.mybizguard.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=10

Using either saves having to tar the files.  Backuppc uses compression
and (I believe can be) combined with rsync to recognise the changed
files to backup (ie, incremental) after the initial full backup.   

On a sysadmin list that I lurk on many posters to that list swear by
backuppc.  I haven't looked into whether it will write direct to
removable media, but a little reading will tell that.

HTH.

Regards, Gavin.