[NMLUG] Using weekly backup disk to store partial full backup as well?

[sbrowne at ix.netcom.com (Steve Browne)]

On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 12:21:19 -0700, you wrote:

>I currently backup important files to DVD weekly. These files are 2G
>in size total, so I "waste" ~2.7G on each DVD (these are DVD-Rs, so I
>can't wipe/re-use them).
>
>How can I use this wasted space to do a complete backup? Example:
>first week, backup the "first" 2.7G of my HD; second week, backup the
>"second" 2.7G of my HD, and so on. Once the full HD is backed up (over
>a number of weeks), roll over and backup the "first" 2.7G again, etc.
>
>My question here: given that the contents of my HD change constantly,
>is there a program that will tell me WHICH 2.7G to backup each week?
>
>In other words, a program that will tell me one of the following:
>
>% "Here are 2.7G of files that you've never backed up to weekly DVDs.
>Some of these are files that were created/changed in the last
>week. Others are old files that you've just never backed up. I'm
>choosing these files in a specific way and keeping track of them. Once
>you've backed up these files, I'll choose a different 2.7G of files
>next week (unless some of the files you backup today change between
>now and next week)".
>
>% "There are only 1.0G of files that you've never backed up to weekly
>DVD, and here they are. I've chosen an additional 1.7G of files that
>you HAVE backed up, but they were backed up a long time ago, so it's a
>good idea to back them up again".
>
>Obviously, 2.7G is an arbitrary number here, and it may vary week to
>week. If my important files suddenly grow to 3G, I'll have only 1.7G
>left for the partial complete backup files.
>
>Improvements would include compression, an exclude list, not backing
>up two files w/ the same content, etc.
>
>I do make regular complete backups, but it'd be nice to have this
>extra layer of protection.
>
>I considered writing something myself using find/ctime, but am too lazy!

I don't have a suggestion  for your technique, but I want to note that
I regularly back up my master HDD to a second HDD using Symantec Ghost
11.0 as it appears on Hiren's BootCD 8.9. Ghost will clone ext2, ext3
and Reiser installations, and BootCD is self-booting via FreeDOS. It
takes me 24 minutes to clone 56Gb. of data. An elegant solution.

Steve
Stephen B. Browne
sbrowne at ix.netcom.com
"Ubi bene, ibi patria."