http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/item/1/ Ideally, the user should be able to run a graphic software which would ask what the user wants to backup and where (tape/usb key/remote).
Then the same tool would be able to restore the backup.

It would be useful for both backups and migration from a computer to another.

Update : See duplicates ideas which contain even more great ideas about that idea.

[3563 votes] Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #1


[30 votes] Solution #2: Use existing incremental backup utility and some additional scripts


[281 votes] Solution #3: Write a GUI for rsnapshot


[164 votes] Solution #4: Wait for TimeVault to go stable


[-21 votes] Solution #5: Use duplicity and create a GUI for it, or use duplicati


[-46 votes] Solution #6: integrate Dropbox


[54 votes] Solution #7: LuckyBackup, a GUI for rsync


[-9 votes] Solution #8: Grsync for (X)ubuntu, LuckyBackup for Kubuntu


[-29 votes] Solution #9: Partner with an existing online backup provider for seamless backups


[36 votes] Solution #10: support btrfs filesystem for native snapshots and data integrity


[5 votes] Solution #11: Support backup PLUG-INs


[-7 votes] Solution #12: partimage for partition images


[-2 votes] Solution #13: Incorporate SimpleBackup


[10 votes] Solution #14: Add Remastersys as extra option for backing up the installed system setup to DVD


[16 votes] Solution #15: Include "Back In Time" as default backup tool


[8 votes] Solution #16: Use Déjà Dup


[8 votes] Solution #17: Use Ubuntu One (made by Canonical)


[130 votes] Solution #18: Add a migration/transfer tool in System->Administration


[28 votes] Solution #19: Add a "transfer settings from existing installation" in the installer.


[1 votes] Solution #20: Make a backup system with RAID support for cloning drives


]]> en-us Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:10:02 +0000 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:43:01 +0000 QAPoll module http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/1/ Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:22:57 +0000 Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:33:52 +0000 Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:40:39 +0000
Flyback - http://code.google.com/p/flyback
Time Vault - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TimeVault]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:11:51 +0000 Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:25:07 +0000 Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:30:53 +0000 Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:01:24 +0000 I haven't seen any progress lately.]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:10:49 +0000 Administration menu. While there are already commands and third party applications that could be used to achieve this, including a properly integrated manager with GUI by default would be far easier and a lot more obvious to new and inexperienced users.]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:35:55 +0000
Still, I've been trying to figure out a nice simple way of backing up my computer and what not. Having something integrated would make it a lot nicer and easier for a lot of people.]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:05:40 +0000
easy to set up:
choose storage mediums (disk, tape, dvdr, etc.)
choose what to backup (full system or just /home, /var, /etc)
choose on what schedule (on-demand only or automated)

easy to verify that it's working
Bacula already can generate some reports
There's already a monitor applet

easy to integrate tape drives
LTO-1 tape drives and media are cheap and plentiful now that LTO-4 is coming out. We should all be buying them on e-Bay.

easy to integrate removable drives (USB, Firewire, eSATA)
This is what people are the most familiar with for now at least

easy to burn backup 'volume' files to DVDR media (if not integrated burning).

easy to label volumes (tape, DVDR)

What we have to keep in mind here is that most desktop/workgroup users are going to quickly run out of disk space for backups or have a hard time keeping track of the USB hard drives and what happens when you want to backup a whole workgroup of Ubuntu and Windows machines? I think that's why we need something with some power under the hood and the ability to use tape.

Furthermore, it seems like some of the client/server backup solutions like Bacula and Amanda are starting to languish. Many projects require so much work just to get working and to keep moving with bug fixes and new features that the polish and ease of use will always be a lower priority and thus they never reach the state required for adoption by non-technical sysadmin types.

So I see this as a call to arms for helping one of them, Bacula, thrive by bringing the necessary man power to bear on the usability factor.

If Windows NT 4.0 could include a 'does the job, nothing fancy' backup program in 1996, why can't Ubuntu in say 2009?

/djs]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:14:48 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:32:26 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:09:05 +0000
I don't mind setting up rsnapshot or some other solution, but many users probably won't bother doing any backups unless it's simplified to little more than a single "enable backups" checkbox.
]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:32:16 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:36:23 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:24:48 +0000
What is missing is a simple option to make a kind of system-restore backup, one which will intelligently backup all (and only) the files which are necessary to re-create a working system during a reinstallation (e.g. /var/lib/dpkg/status, /etc, etc.). Then modify the installation routine to look for this backup (thinking CD or USB here) and automatically restore, installing all previously installed packages, copying settings that were in /etc, /var, etc., the previous home directory, but restoring the bulk of the system from the network/Ubuntu CD. Of course this would only work for packages currently part of the distribution, so it could perhaps also include an installation report that documented the non-ubuntu packages that were previously installed and could not be automatically re-installed. This would be very useful.]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:30:04 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:04:42 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:02:59 +0000 http://www.ifolder.com
]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:42:29 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:59:19 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:53:58 +0000
To add my feature requests, I'd like to be able to:
* backup my files, specifying which directory goes to where (my ~/media/audio directory goes somewhere different to ~/docs, and ~/workspaces doesn't get backed up. This should all happen transparently, and take into account of removable media, and preferably would not have to resort to looking at walking the directory tree on a timed basis (file events?). * Snapshots would be nice, but not essential.
* backup my UI configuration: Thunderbird plugins, accounts, Firefox plugins, settings etc; Tomboy wiki; keyring; wallpaper settings.
* backup my machine configuration: what packages I have installed; xorg.conf; passwd. Some of these will require small scripts to backup and restore, but that's ok. (see hackel's previous comment)
* create/discover new backup-plans for packages that aren't catered for out-the-box (e.g. eclipse plugins). These backup-plans, and my choice of them, should also be subject of a backup-plan.
* of course, encryption is built in, and on by default.
* of course, though "disk space is cheap", I don't want to be backing up stuff that is readily available from somewhere else, and I don't want to be backing up stuff that hasn't changed since the last backup.

Of course, I can restore some or all of a configuration/files from any particular time, all from the same gui. I may be prompted for sudo passwords, but only for things that need it - e.g. restoring packages.

And of course, it's drop dead obvious how to set it all up, and everything has a sensible default; but I should be able to customize the setup.

Dream tool? perhaps. That's what I like about writing feature requests.

Many thanks. Good idea for a feature request site.]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:23:52 +0000
KDE's Keep is a simple frontend to rdiff-backup. I wouldn't think it would be too hard to do something similar with (py)gtk.

http://jr.falleri.free.fr/keep/wiki/Screenshots]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:48:03 +0000
https://launchpad.net/nssbackup]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:24:02 +0000 ?
]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:49:18 +0000
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=613462

Seems to be quite popular with the people at ubuntuforums.org]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:00:39 +0000
BTW i think Brainstorm is a really great way to get things started. Get Canonical to listen to average users like me.
]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:11:34 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:06:13 +0000
So, I agree with the Velvet Elvis opnion. An rdiff-backup gui front-end!]]> Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:06:46 +0000
Just Simply and safe, especial for newbies. That would allay the panic and allure newbies. ;-)]]> Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:37:04 +0000
Time Machine is popular because of it's simplicity.


Possible duplicate: idea #362: Linux Time Machine]]> Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:07:42 +0000 Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:07:34 +0000 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:01:39 +0000
See https://launchpad.net/hubackup/]]> Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:32:54 +0000 ]]> Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:53:55 +0000 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:14:29 +0000 http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/14246/
]]> Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:20:00 +0000
I've looked into many backup solutions, like Keep, sbackup, grsync, but none of them offer the whole range of features.

I personally would welcome a backup tool with the following features:
* to be able to create full backups
* to be able to create incremental backups
* full and incremental backups should be possible to combine, e.g: create full backup every two weeks; and based on the latest full backup, create incremental backups every day (or hour, etc)
* to be able to do the backup thru SSH (can be done also thru SSH also locally)
* to be able to restore
* store the backups in an easy to access format, eg. .tar.gz, if something happens with the tool, it still would be possible to recover the data
* to be able to trigger the start of backup from cron

anything else would be plus.
If anyone decides to start a project in this direction, I would be more than happy to participate in the development and/or testing.]]> Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:34:24 +0000
For the system:
1 - during the installation, the user should be able to create a small additional partition
2 - at the end of the installation, the system will copy itself and will be named : default or whatever...
3 - during the system's life and at regular intervals, during an install or at the request of the user, the user could update the backup differentially and dated
4 - during a crash, choose the option "recovery" in grub and choose what backup use to restore at a particular date
It could be very useful to test Ubuntu alpha or beta release!

For the data system:
1 - during installation, the user should be able to create a /home partition to install again the system without losing his documents
and optional :
1 - at the request of the user, a partition could be created to backup user data
2 - user-defined important documents through an interface
3 - during the system's life and at regular intervals or at the request of the user should update the backup differentially (to tracking changes, useful in business) or complete (to avoid duplication)
4 - to retrieve the files, the user have to go into special interface and select the file to restore ]]> Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:49:37 +0000
Ideal tool - allows complete backup to USB drive (example). This allows for that perfectly tweaked ubuntu system that finally has all the programs/themes you like installed.

If your hard drive fails, or you move to a new machine, you insert the ubuntu install CD and the external drive, it "see's" your backup, and asks if you want to restore all of the backup, just your data, or nothing at all.

Make backup and restore easy, please!]]> Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:24:50 +0000 But I think non-geek folks don't want to use a USB Key only for backup and the backup system have to be transparent so the HDD is the best place (in my mind) to put data. A complementary USB Key could be use to install Ubuntu with his own settings or backup/recover very important data.
]]> Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:46:07 +0000 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:05:11 +0000 Sun, 18 Jan 2009 04:59:09 +0000 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:51:43 +0000 -Full backup
-Incremental backup
-Backup to DVD (I can get about 100 for $20)
-DVD backup must be able to SPAN dvds (I have 60+GB of data)
-Automated run, or at least a reminder ;)
-DVD identification (tells you what to label each disk)
-Restore a single file from any time between full backups (incremental)
-Easy full restore (insert disk 1, then 2, then 3, etc)]]> Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:10:22 +0000
The Nautilus extension shown on the screenshots is so far the best UI I've seen to browse and manage snapshots: it's easy to use, easy to understand, but still powerful. This UI is superior to what TimeVault, FlyBack or Back In Time are offering. Maybe this could be reused in Ubuntu instead of reinventing the wheel another time.

Oh, for the record, note that the ideas for ZFS predate Apple's Time Machine: http://blogs.sun.com/timf/entry/zfs_on_your_desktop

Meanwhile, I'll give Déjà Dup a try. It looks nice for personal backup. But this project would need a bit promotion. I'd expect to find it when googling for "ubuntu + backup", not only in the above comment :)
]]> Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:12:09 +0000 Thu, 28 May 2009 21:54:54 +0000 luckybackup will be included with 9.10 karmic :)
Not pre-installed, but available as a package]]> Thu, 28 May 2009 21:55:20 +0000