Hassle-free Backup with Déjà Dup

Productivity Sauce
The Déjà Dup backup utility may not be the most powerful or flexible backup tool out there, but it does have its advantages. Its straightforward interface makes it dead-easy to configure backups, while the support for the Amazon S3 storage back-end is a boon for users looking for unlimited backup storage on the cheap. In addition to that, Déjà Dup supports incremental backups, and it can encrypt and compress data during the backup operation. Besides Amazon S3, Déjà Dup supports other types of remote storage, including FTP, Windows shares, WebDAV, and SSH. And you can use Déjà Dup to perform scheduled backups.
To install Déjà Dup on Ubuntu, you have to add the project's repository first using the following command:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:deja-dup-team/ppa
Use then the commands below to install Déjà Dup on your machine:
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install deja-dup
Once Déjà Dup has been installed, launch it by choosing Applications | System Tools | Déjà Dup Backup Tool. Hit the Backup button to open a wizard which helps you to configure the backup.
Most of the options in the wizard are self-explanatory, so you shouldn't have problems configuring the backup settings (you can edit them later by choosing Edit | Preferences). Once you've configured the backup settings, you can start using Déjà Dup. Since there are only two buttons -- Backup and Restore -- using Déjà Dup is as easy as it gets. Better yet, if you enabled the scheduled backup option, the utility will perform the backup operation automatically.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusIssue 259/2022
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
System76 Teams up with HP to Create the Dev One Laptop
HP and System76 have come together to develop a new laptop, powered by Pop!_OS and aimed toward developers.
-
Titan Linux is a New KDE Linux Based on Debian Stable
Titan Linux is a new Debian-based Linux distribution that features the KDE Plasma desktop with a focus on usability and performance.
-
Danielle Foré Has an Update for elementary OS 7
Now that Ubuntu 22.04 has been released, the team behind elementary OS is preparing for the upcoming 7.0 release.
-
Linux New Media Launches Open Source JobHub
New job website focuses on connecting technical and non-technical professionals with organizations in open source.
-
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 Now Available
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 has been released with all the additions from upstream as well as other features and improvements.
-
Pop!_OS 22.04 Has Officially Been Released
From the makers of some of the finest Linux-powered desktop and laptop computers on the market comes the latest version of their Ubuntu-based distribution, Pop!_OS 22.04.
-
Star Labs Unveils a New Small Format Linux PC
The Byte Mk I is an AMD-powered mini Linux PC with Coreboot support and plenty of power.
-
MX Linux Verison 21.1 “Wildflower” Now Available
The latest release of the systemd-less MX Linux is now ready for public consumption.
-
Microsoft Expands Their Windows Subsystem for Linux Offerings With AlmaLinux
Anyone who works with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) will now find a new addition to the available distributions, one that’s become the front-runner replacement for CentOS.
-
Debian 11.3 Released wIth Numerous Bug and Security Fixes
The latest point release for Debian Bullseye is now available with some very important updates.
Missing capability
easy backup script
yes it works on windows if you install cygwin and install rsync, too.
#!/bin/bash
backup=/media/backup/ # change this to reflect your backup drive.
home=/home/neal/ # change this to reflect your home directory.
if [ -d "$backup" ]
then
/usr/bin/rsync -vaxE --delete --ignore-errors "$home" "$backup"
else
echo "Mount backup drive!"
fi
# end script
Read man rsync to find out what those flags do. Basically, it copies the files and permissions, skips files that have not changed and deletes files that no longer exist in your home directory and continues if there are errors. If you need to retrieve something, mount the drive and find the file you need and copy it back.
Deja-dup looks nice, but what if ... ?
Will you lose the password, and therefore all of the encrypted backups elsewhere ?
Making backups of your own home directory onto some other media seems still needed for this.
Cutting Out Other Distributions
I guess the developers may welcome some help from someone who may offer to package for other systems.
Cutting Out Other Distributions
Fedora 13 and deja-dup
Looks good so far
It is a bit disheartening, though, when good projects limit themselves to only Ubuntu packages. There are as many desktop systems based on rpm out there as their are Ubuntu and tremendously more servers. This isn't a "distro war flame" thing as I am distro/package agnostic, myself. It is simply an issue of common sense. Why cut out 50% or more of your potential market? If I were able I'd take a shot at making a spec file for this. I might still try, though my spec skills are woefully inadequate, I fear.
Joe