Is your stuff backed up?

[uncle mark]

I know better but am generally terrible at Backing up... Like many here have also said I never have anything important within a Linux install itself and always on separate drives and partitions which of course is no guarantee but at least if the OS goes south the Data is separated.

I've been spoiled. My Linux systems have been rock solid since I moved over permanently some 20 years ago. Never have had a catastrophic failure requiring a full restoration. That said, I back up my entire home to an external and my email and browser profiles to a thumb drive every couple days. If this drive ever craps out it will force me to update from this MX-19 install. I wouldn't be happy about it but it wouldn't be a huge problem.

[rokytnji.1]

I save snapshots on 3 TB harddrive after getting everything working after a install.

[MikeR]

OP here.
In a previous life I was part of a team maintaining the weekly backup of over two-hundred SCSI disks (sizes two- to three-GB each - that will hint as how long ago this was) on a system with over-1000 logged-in users. This left me as a rather fanatic backup nut.
Some experience gained in those days:

1. If your backup schedule includes the word 'about', as in 'about monthly', 'more or less weekly' procrastination will hit you at the most inconvenient time.
And it will happen.
2. If you backup, but have not tested your restore procedure to completion, there in an unfortunate accident waiting for you.
3. Try to have at least three generations of backup, on separate (not necessarily different) media. Keep one copy elsewhere. Always.

My current preferences:
1. Before making any possibly-irreversible changes I take a snapshot. (On Ubuntu I use PinguyBuilder(*) and have had occasion to restore from it)
2. For my more-or-less daily PC I have three extra disks identical to my system, which I clone (Clonezilla) in rotation, on a fixed date every month, and then test by booting and running some tests -- on all partitions.
3. For occasional quick tests I backup using a program called 'clone-ubuntu'(**) (works on MX too) which writes '/' and '/home' to a bootable SSD

HTH,
Mike

(*) https://sourceforge.net/projects/pinguy ... O_Builder/
(**)https://github.com/thiggy01/clone-ubuntu

[DukeComposed]

3. Try to have at least three generations of backup, on separate (not necessarily different) media. Keep one copy elsewhere. Always.

The current iteration of this advice is the "3-2-1" backup guideline: for any data you care about, make sure you have three copies, in at least two different locations, and have one copy in the cloud.

My current preferences:

More people should have this level of rigor in managing their backups. If folks were half this organized we'd have a lot less griping about trying to get back into a failed disk.

[Mauser]

I have two conventional 8TB HDDs each with a backup copy from my main 8TB SSD using Lucky Backup and everything is full disk encrypted on all drives.

[MikeR]

@DukeComposed

The current iteration of this advice is the "3-2-1" backup guideline

For a commercial setup, where data is invaluable, that setup is probably correct. Perhaps even as a base for a more complex and secure protocol.
Anything up to and including having a fully redundant remote backup site. Which probably would be useless e.g. in an atomic apocalypse or a local equivalent
For the common-or-garden hobbyist it seems a trifle too demanding.
Also I would worry that encrypting your backup might place a possible hurdle when restoring. Are you protecting against your backup being stolen?
Other than storing an (updated, possibly encrypted, or read-only) remote copy a convenient attitude might be :
'Put all your eggs in one basket AND WATCH THAT BASKET'

But most important: **BACKUP**, Have a backup system/protocol/regime!! Test it!!

[operadude]

@MikeR The (World Backup) Day is Finally Here

Thanks again for the thread!

To summarize my procedures, and in accordance with your "current preferences":

1. Monthly MX-Snapshots (and MX-LUM).
2. Weekly Timeshift Snapshots (includes / (root), & /home)
3. Daily "Data" backup via LuckyBackup (rsync) & "cloud" (Dropbox)

===> Data is "cloned" to 5 separate hard drives, and 1 "cloud"
===> MX-Snapshots (MX-LUM to SD/USB) are tested
===> Timeshift Snapshots are tested
===> Data is tested/checked

[operadude]

Coming to you LIVE (via MX-LUM --> Fluxbox)

Well, almost had a panic attack, after all of my SD cards failed with MX-LUM

Thought maybe one of my ports was bad, tried changing them; no diff !!!

Looked closely at the output when I got the dreaded "Failed" error message.

Looked weird: -1234 (some number) MB.

Looked at LUM.log, and LO-AND-BEHOLD:

All my SD cards were 16GB, but my Snapshots are now all OVER 16GB.

Simple Fix: Bumped it up to 32GB SD cards.

Living Large

Happy "World Backup Day"

[operadude]

Coming to you LIVE (via MX-LUM --> KDE)

Just to report another near-wrinkle:

First-time ever, after booting MX-Fluxbox (Live, via MX-LUM), I was NOT able to set the initial passphrase; got this error: "IO error while encrypting keyslot".

Tried a couple more times; no luck!

Switched the USB port, and VOILA (succeeded in setting new passphrase).

So, yeah, as OP urged...test those backups

[operadude]

Coming to you LIVE (via MX-LUM --> Xfce)

No problems with setting passphrase (neither for KDE, nor Xfce; Fluxbox resolved !!!).

The Universe, Man!

Like WEIRD...

All is Good!