Backup Software

Mikey Quick · *nix forums beginner Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 4

Please accept my apology for this not being exactly an embedded
question, but as this is my favorite Linux group, this is the primary
place for me to seek for advice. (and in special cases this _can_ be
useful for embedded devices)

I am planning to do a highly automatically working backup program to be
released under GPL.

Same should use an external harddisk (or flash disk) and a DVD (or CD)
burner as backup media.

According to how long a version of the file is on the source tree, files
should be stored on both media, using a suitable algorithm: the external
disk should hold several versions of any file that changes between the
backup cycles (daily versions for some days, fewer versions for less
recent changes), long living versions finally are permanently stored on
the DVD instead. Thus both media together are hold an image of the
source tree, while the external harddisk is not likely to overflow. (Of
course special manual actions should be provided that move everything to
the DVD-chain, etc.) I plan to use a database (e.g. mySQL) to hold a
directory of all versions of all files on the backup media.

Some questions:

- Does such a project already exist so that I don't need to start from
scratch ?

- Does it make sense to use a compressing file system for the external
disk ? Which one is known as save ?

- How is it possible to write to a DVD ROM ? I suppose the easiest way
is to prepare the content on the harddisk and use a commandline tool to
move it on the DVD. Any pointers ?

Thanks a lot,

- Michael

--

Mit freundlichem Gruß,

Michael Schnell
- Firmware-Entwicklung -

LUMINO Licht Elektronik GmbH, Germany
Europark Fichtenhain A8, D-47807 Krefeld
www.lumino.de
fon: +49 (2151) 8196-172
fax: +49 (2151) 8196-272

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