5.12. System Snapshots

Draksnapshot is a tool that allows you to perform system snapshots, which is a kind of backup, using a special strategy to avoid duplicating equal files in order to save disk space. You can find it in the System section of the Mandriva Linux Control Center.

Figure 5.22. Draksnapshot Main Window

Draksnapshot Main Window

Check Enable Backups, choose Section 5.12.1, “What to Backup” and Section 5.12.2, “Where to Backup”, then click Apply. You can then choose FileQuit to close draksnapshot.

5.12.1. What to Backup

5.12.1.1. Backing-up the Whole System

Check Backup the whole system to backup the whole system. Please bear in mind that this will take a lot of disk space.

5.12.1.2. Backing-up Specific Folders

When the Backup the whole system option is not checked, only some folders are backed up:

  • the folder where the system's users personal folders are stored,

  • the folder where system configuration is kept,

  • the folder where programs are stored.

Click on Advanced to change what's included in the snapshot.

Figure 5.23. Including and Excluding Files and Folders From the Snapshot

Including and Excluding Files and Folders From the Snapshot

Backup list

shows folders and files that will be included in the backup.

Exclude list

shows folders and files, residing on the folders listed in the backup list, that will not be included in the snapshot.

Use the Add and Remove buttons at the side of each list to populate both lists. If the exclusion list is empty, whole folders and files of the backup list are included in the snapshot.

5.12.2. Where to Backup

By default snapshots are stored in the (hidden) /home/.snapshots folder. Click on Browse to select a different folder to store snapshots into.

[Tip] Backup on a Remote Media

If you have a remote folder mounted on your file system, you can select that folder to perform the backup on the remote machine, on an external USB disk, etc.