How or where to set up backup partitions

[sofasurfer]

Couldn't decide what forum this goes in so if I did it wrong just yell at me ;-)

I want to back up my individual partitions...home, usr, var and mount point.

 

1) Is mount point what we call the partition or directory that contains the kernal?

 

 

For system backups I created /homebu, /usrbu, /varbu and /mountpointbu.

2) Is this what I wanted to do or should I creat one big backup partition to save the whole kit n' kaboodle in, or is there another better way?

 

These backup partitions are displayed along with the directories in my file tree. Looks kind of cluttered.

3) Is file tree what we call the list of directories, just like in that other evil operating system?

4) Should these partitions be in the file tree or can they be put somewhere else out of view?

5) Either way, they should be unmounted so they cannot be accidently accessed, right?

Edited March 22, 2006 by sofasurfer

[spinynorman]

Couldn't decide what forum this goes in so if I did it wrong just yell at me ;-)

We usually keep stuff to do with file systems and data in Hardware... :)

[Ixthusdan]

1) Mount point is what a partition is called. For example, if your /home is its own partition, then /home is also its mount point. If it is not its own partition, then it is usually in the / mount point (root)

 

2) If you have the room, creating a "mirror is best, which would duplicate the partition/file scheme. If not, then only the overall file structure will be kept, and not the partition scheme.

 

3) yes, a file tree is the method of picturing the system structure. Bear in mind that some folders in the tree can partitions if you created it that way. In my own system, /home and /usr both are seperate partitions from the / partition.

 

4) If you don't want to see your back up partitions, don't mount them. Then they will be "out of veiw". Remember to mount them before using them.

 

5) Already answered.

[wilcal]

I want to back up my individual partitions...home, usr, var and mount point.

May I make a simpler alternative that I use every week.

 

I have split the HD on my server(s) into multiple

partitions two of which are absolutely identical in

size and structure. Example two exactly the same 40.2GB partitions.

I use:

 

http://www.ranish.com/part/

 

to do this. Then using the Ranish Partition Manager when

I warm boot the system I direct Ranish to bit copy the

active partition to the secondary backup partition.

In this way an exact copy of the primary at that moment

is copied to the secondary (backup) partition. Everything

in the primary is copied.

 

If for whatever reason the primary goes down I need only

force warm boot the server and direct that the secondary

partition become active. The entire process takes only the

time to reboot the system. And, you always have that

known working partition ready to go regardless of what

happens to the primary.