On Sun, 26 May 1996, Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:
[some stuff that I deleted]
I never read the original message, but let me throw in my 2 cents worth:
1) Why Procmail might want to refuse writing to files
with more than one links to them
I'd guess 'cause even if a locking-file reflecting that file-
name is created, the other link's name won't be protected by
a locking file.
2) Best backup method?
I use the same method regardless of if it's just a few files
or every file in my box I backup. And the backups are so good
that I can boot off them, if I have a boot-floppy handy. See,
I backup to a removable hard-disk. [Very handy when upgrading
Your OS, as I just did. I was able to run my old OS on the
backup disc until the new was tip-top, and I just continued
from the new.]
I use a file list on standard input of cpio, in pass-through
mode, since I backup to a hard disk. But You would probably
be backupping to a disc file or tape. That would look like
this: (Actually used on another Linux-system I administer)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
#!/usr/bin/bash
#
# bu2nftape by DATA LEGE Leif Erlingsson
#
# Don't forget running `mt -f /dev/nrft0 rew' first!
#
find /bin /boot /etc /home /lib /root /sbin /tmp /var /usr /dev /vmlinuz
/vmlinuz-1.2.13 -depth | cpio -oacv | gzip -c -9 > /dev/nrft0
#
#
# Restore using
#
# cd /; gzip -d -c < /dev/nrft0 | cpio -idcm don't
overwrite newer, or
#
# cd /; gzip -d -c < /dev/nrft0 | cpio -idcmu
unconditional copy.
#
# # -B set I/O block size to 5120 bytes.
# # -d create needed dir's.
# # -u unconditional copy.
# # -m keep modification dates.
# # -p run in copy-pass mode.
# # -a restore read-dates.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is how I archive my edits to the sendmail configuration tree
on the systems I administer:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
#!/bin/sh
find . -type f -print | egrep
'gw|hpux|bsdi2.0.m4|RCS|elijah|rsv|proto.m4|linux|dispatch|mailertable' | cpio
-oacv | gzip -c -9 > /tmp/rsv-mc-cpio-idcm.gz
echo /tmp/rsv-mc-cpio-idcm.gz saved
echo List archive using the command
echo zcat /tmp/rsv-mc-cpio-idcm.gz \| cpio -ict
echo Unpack archive using the command
echo zcat /tmp/rsv-mc-cpio-idcm.gz \| cpio -idcm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
And this is how I backup my Linux system, to a third harddisk:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
#!/usr/bin/bash
#
mount /bu_linux
# Create a backup-directory:
#
# (/vmlinuz is copied first to get low inode numbers, meaning it
# gets placed near the beginning of the partition, so the partition
# is bootable even if most part of the partition is above the 500M
# BIOS limit.)
#
# (Chance can give us even lower inode numbers when /vmlinuz* and
# /System.map* is copied last -- experience shows this -- but who
# wants to gamble on that?)
#
cd /
find /vmlinuz* /System.map* /bin /boot /etc /home /lib /ql /root /sbin /tmp
/var /usr /dev -depth | egrep -v '\/\.netscape-cache' | cpio -pdmua /bu_linux
# # -B set I/O block size to 5120 bytes.
# # -d create needed dir's.
# # -u unconditional copy.
# # -m keep modification dates.
# # -p run in copy-pass mode.
# # -a restore read-dates.
df
umount /bu_linux
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
And this how I backup my msdos system to a partition on a third
harddisk:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
#!/usr/bin/bash
#
mount /bu_msdos
# Create a backup-directory:
cd /msdos
find `/bin/ls -1 | egrep -v
'^pub$|^wina20.386$|^386spart.par$|^opt$|^lost\+found$'` -depth | cpio -pdum
/bu_msdos
# # -B set I/O block size to 5120 bytes.
# # -d create needed dir's.
# # -u unconditional copy.
# # -m keep modification dates.
# # -p run in copy-pass mode.
# # -a restore read-dates.
df
umount /bu_msdos
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This last example uses /bin/ls -1 to generate a `flat' list of
files, and egrep -v to remove some elements from that list,
and find to recurse below every element not removed, to pipe
that into cpio.
I like cpio best on the systems that support it, BSD Unix often
does not, because it preserves EVERY TYPE of file system data -
including device files etc. It is unbeaten! I use it instead of
cp every time I copy more than half a dozen files.
I unly use tar when I don't know that the recipient system
has a good cpio, or when I know for sure it makes no differnce.
-- Leif Erlingsson, http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/1998, +46 8 604 0995