Back In Time

udev rule integration & multiple instances/preferences?

Asked by jzacsh

I haven't come across any way to do the following two things for backintime:
[One general question for both is: if there's no current solution, how can I help push it along? or am I using the wrong utilities?]

*1) have multiple backintime settings.
-- eg: my user-mode backintime preference backs up files from my /home/ to /var/backups/me

*2) implement on-mount backups (eg.: udev rules)
-- eg.: so that backintime will only backup when a drive is plugged in.

-----
how these two will help me and I imagine others as well: I've actually gotten my girlfriend and my dad (and soon my mom) to start using Ubuntu as their main computers! Amazing, I know. So I'd like them to benefit from the awesome ease of use and sleakness that is backintime (I tried grsync for everyone, but it was a bit uglier).
Also, I'm obsessed with having backups -- if someone asks me for help with a computer issue, but they didn't backup before the disaster occured, I have no pity. Also, I understand how the average computer user doesn't care to think about the consequences of not having backups, and will forget to backup their stuff for a long time (or forget to lug their backup drive around).

So I plan to have everyone set up with: local backups occurring of their /home/ directory and landing in /var/backups/<name>
-- then another grsync of the /var/backups/<name> to an external drive (which will only occur on plug-in/udev event).

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Dan
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Dan (danleweb) said : 		#1

1. BIT currently save settings in user directories. Each user can have it's own settings and schedules.
You should select a different folder for each user.

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jzacsh (jzacsh) said : 		#2

@ Dan
> 1. BIT currently save settings in user directories. Each user can have it's own settings and schedules.
> You should select a different folder for each user.

Thank you for answering my question, but you misunderstood and you also didn't address udev at all (I probably made my question too complex).

I do not need to have multiple users have their own settings. I need _each_ user to have multiple backup settings. From my original question:
> So I plan to have everyone set up with: local backups occurring of their /home/ directory and landing in /var/backups/<name>
 the local backups to /home/ would mean _one_ set of backup settings for a _single_ user

> -- then another backup-setting of the /var/backups/<name> to an external drive (which will only occur on plug-in/udev event).
the backup setting to move /var/backups to an external drive would be _another_ set of settings for that _same_ user.

(i mentioned grsync in the last line of my original post, idk why -- my mistake).

--- to clarify my first question of original post:
*1) have multiple backintime settings.
-- eg: my user-mode backintime preference backs up files from my /home/ to /var/backups/me, but cannot be setup to do any more activities.

Revision history for this message
Best Dan (danleweb) said : 		#3

1. Next version will support profiles.
You can test is from testing repository: https://launchpad.net/~bit-team/+archive/testing

You don't want to mess with testing/beta version you can setup BIT for each "normal" user to take snapshots in "/var/backups/<name>".
Then you create a special user (or just root) an configure BIT to backup "/var/backups" to the external drive. The problem with this approach is that you will end up with snapshots containing snapshots. You should just use rsync to synchronize "/var/backups" with the external drive

2. I didn't answer because I have no idea ...

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jzacsh (jzacsh) said : 		#4

Thanks Dan, that solved my question.

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jzacsh (jzacsh) said : 		#5

in-case it helps anyone -- I found my second-part of the question (regarding udev) has already been asked:
https://answers.launchpad.net/backintime/+question/87362