Thank you all for helping me figure out how to manage spaces in paths. The following script is the result. The script uses rsync to backup files to a USB device. Special thanks to Scrutinizer:b:.
rsync2u is a free menu-driven script. Down load the script from rsync2u
Nice 
You might want to add a check that the destination path is writable as well.
I'll try this on my Ubuntu server.
Cheers
---------- Post updated at 09:00 AM ---------- Previous update was at 08:55 AM ----------
A check of the exit values from rsync would be a good idea: -0Success 1Syntax or usage error 2Protocol incompatibility 3Errors selecting input/output files, dirs 4Requested action not supported: an attempt was made to manipulate 64-bit files on a platform that cannot support them; or an option was specified that is supported by the client and not by the server. 5Error starting client-server protocol 6Daemon unable to append to log-file 10Error in socket I/O 11Error in file I/O 12Error in rsync protocol data stream 13Errors with program diagnostics 14Error in IPC code 20Received SIGUSR1 or SIGINT 21Some error returned by waitpid() 22Error allocating core memory buffers 23Partial transfer due to error 24Partial transfer due to vanished source files 25The --max-delete limit stopped deletions 30Timeout in data send/receive 35Timeout waiting for daemon connection
If you want to do rotating (incremental) backups, rsync can create hard links on the destination server. Hard links will conserve disk space on your USB key while doing rotating backups.
Check option --link-dest in the rsync manual.
I personally prefer the good old cp -l method to create hardlinks. May be I should try again to use rsync to manage the hardlinks but it's so easy with cp.
With that hard link trick I do rotating snapshots every day (31 days max) and one snapshot every month (max 12 month). Depending on how often your files change, you can save a lot of space on your destination.
Google "hardlink rsync" and you will find interesting scripts.
steadyonabix,
Thanks for the suggestion. Here is the code change:
abort()
{
echo "$1"
echo "Backup aborted"
exit
}
#check destination_path
if [ ! -d "$destination_path" ]
then
abort "Destination path does not exist: $destination_path"
fi
if [ ! -w "$destination_path" ]
then
abort "Destination path write permission is not granted: $destination_path"
fi
---------- Post updated at 02:27 AM ---------- Previous update was at 02:08 AM ----------
Hi ripat,
The script uses the --link-dest option. So by implication, hard links are used. However, the script does not automatically delete old backups like some other rotating-backup scripts. The script was designed to backup to USB memory, so there is not reason to automate. I use it on my home PC:
:)This is useful as I do back up my development server to a usb stick but not incrementally so I will use this.Remember you are still outputing a completed message even if it fails if you don't check the return codes though, or does rsync put up a failure message before exiting?
i think this is double entry
#set destination_path (no spaces allowed)
destination_path="/media/USBdrive/backups/"
destination_path="/media_test/USB drive/backups/"
Well after a little tinkering to get it to work in my korn shell it seems to create backups just fine. The code for ksh with a minimum of tweaking was: -
#! /usr/bin/ksh
######################################### rsyc2usb MANUAL #########################################
#OVER VIEW
#The rsyc2usb script uses rsync to backup files.
#Files that have changed since the previous backup are copied to destination.
#Destination can be on a local HD or USB device.
#Works on FAT and ntfs file systems (most USB flash memories use FAT32).
#Tested on rsync version 3.0.5 protocol version 30; Ubuntu 9.10.
#MAKE BACKUPS
#First customize the four rsync parameters in the section "SET YOUR VARIABLES HERE" (below).
#Backups should be more than one hour apart (because FAT/ntfs uses DST and UNIX does not).
#From Terminal: sudo path/rsyc2usb
#RESTORE
#Restoring files is as simple as a cp command. Backup files are not compressed.
#Backup folder naming convention is "backup-yymmdd-hhmmss"
#e.g. backup-090511-223344 was made on 2009 May 11 at 22:33:44.
##################################### SET YOUR VARIABLES HERE #####################################
#rsync options from man page on rsync:
# -r, --recursive
# -l, --preserve links
# -t, --preserve times
# -x, --one-file-system don't cross filesystem boundaries
# -i, --itemize-changes output a change-summary for all updates
# -n, --dry-run perform a trial run with no changes made
# -v, --verbose
# --modify-window=3601 allow times to differ by 1 hour and 1 second
# (FAT uses DST and UNIX does not DST change and date comparisons)
# (FAT uses 2-second resolution rsync FAQ)
# (FAT does not support options -pgoD, so don't use option -a)
#set options
options="-rltx --modify-window=3601" #for real backups
##options="-rltxin" #for testing
#set --exclude-from file (empty string "" means no exclude-from file)
exclude_from=""
#set sources, one line per source, each source in single quotes ('), end each line with space and escape ( \)
sources="\
'/home/brad/muse/' \
"
#set destination_path (no spaces allowed)
destination_path="/media/usb/"
################################### NO NEED TO EDIT CODE BELOW ####################################
#check destination_path
if [[ ! -d "$destination_path" || ! -w "$destination_path" ]]
then
echo "Destination path does not exist or write permission is not granted:"
echo " $destination_path"
echo "Backup aborted"
echo
exit
fi
#find the latest_backup
latest_backup=`eval ls -drX \'$destination_path\'backup-[0-9][0-9][0-1][0-9][0-3][0-9]-[0-2][0-9][0-6][0-9][0-6][0-9] 2>/dev/null| head -1`
#set link_dest
if [ -n "$latest_backup" ]
then
#only files that have changed since the latest_backup will be copied into destination
link_dest="--link-dest='$latest_backup'"
else
#should we make a full backup?
echo "latest_backup not found. Make a full backup? (y)"
read answer
if [ "$answer" = "y" ]
then
link_dest=""
else
echo "Backup aborted"
exit
fi
fi
#set exclude_from
if [ "$exclude_from" != "" ]
then
exclude_from="--exclude-from='$exclude_from'"
fi
#set destination (FAT does not allow colon in filename, so use dashes)
destination=\'`date "+${destination_path}backup-%y%m%d-%H%M%S"`\'
#print wait message
echo " rsync parameters: -"
echo
echo " options = $options"
echo " exclude_from = $exclude_from"
echo " link_dest = $link_dest"
echo " sources = $sources"
echo " destination = $destination"
echo `date "+rsync started at %H:%M:%S. Please do not close this window until rsync is finished."`
echo
#run rsync
EC=$(eval rsync $options $exclude_from $link_dest $sources $destination)
if [[ $EC -eq 0 ]];then
#print done message
echo `date "+rsync finished at %H:%M:%S."`
echo
else
echo "Failed - rsync failed with exit code ($EC)"
echo
fi
exit $EC
########################################### END OF FILE ###########################################
The output was a bit messy when it did not find a backup existing: -
ls: cannot access /media/usb/backup-[0-9][0-9][0-1][0-9][0-3][0-9]-[0-2][0-9][0-6][0-9][0-6][0-9]: No such file or directory
latest_backup not found. Make a full backup? (y)
So I changed the code to dump stderr to /dev/null: -
latest_backup not found. Make a full backup? (y)
y
Output now reads: -
latest_backup not found. Make a full backup? (y)
y
rsync parameters: -
options = -rltx --modify-window=3601
exclude_from =
link_dest =
sources = '/home/brad/muse/'
destination = '/media/usb/backup-091021-210906'
rsync started at 21:09:06. Please do not close this window until rsync is finished.
rsync finished at 21:09:06.
poweredge:/home/brad/bin>
Thanks
Suppose I had better learn how to do a restore now....... :rolleyes:
Thank you for all your suggestions. I have incorporated some of your suggestions into the script, and updated the script (in the first post of this thread).
Hi steadyonabix,
rsync messages are printed to the screen. The script prints "rsync finished" regardless.
---------- Post updated at 07:10 PM ---------- Previous update was at 07:05 PM ----------
Hi ryandegreat,
This was on purpose. In the above case I am testing, where the second destination_path it the test value. When I am making a real backup up I comment the test value:
#set destination_path (no spaces allowed)
destination_path="/media/USBdrive/backups/"
#destination_path="/media_test/USB drive/backups/"
---------- Post updated at 07:24 PM ---------- Previous update was at 07:10 PM ----------
Hi steadyonabix,
Nice port to ksh.