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Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don't do it. |
Questions for fellow Linux Mint users:
What app are you using for regular backups?
Does your chosen app perform a bare-metal backup?
Is there an option to run backups on demand, rather than or in addition to a regular schedule?
Are you saving your backups locally (i.e. via usb device) or in the cloud?
Inquiring minds want to know…
Macrium Reflect 8 Free, from an ISO file stored on a Ventoy-bootable external HDD.
There’s no option for scheduled backups, it’s all manual.
The backups are stored on a different partition of the same Ventoy-bootable external HDD, a 1TB WD My Passport which is regularly synced to another identical My Passport.
They’re much slower than my identical Samsung 870QVO SSDs but I couldn’t get Ventoy to boot the Macrium Reflect ISO reliably from either of the Multibao USB3 clear caddy cases they’re housed in… which I’m pretty sure is down to the caddy’s USB-to-SATA interface.
The only cloud storage I use is iCloud for syncing Contacts, iMessages and Notes, not iOS backups and Google Drive for a family photo store, not device backups. (I also have the basic OneDrive but I only access that once or twice a year to keep it active, same with a Microsoft Account… I only ever use them to answer forum queries.)
I use Foxclone (a Linux based image backup/restore tool, similar to Macrium Reflect) to create system images for each of my two desktop PC’s running Linux Mint (at least once a month or prior to installing any major updates). It only works via a bootable USB thumb drive (created from the ISO downloaded from the Foxclone website). The images are initially saved to a second USB thumb drive (all thumb drives are stored in a fire proof safe) and then copied to a NAS (Network Attached Storage with two drives using RAID 1 to mirror data across the two drives should one fail). Otherwise I do not use Timeshift included with Linux Mint which can be used to create system snapshots (similar to Windows System Restore) as I prefer a full system image via Foxclone instead.
For data backups, at least once a week or as needed I manually copy/paste only a few needed items from the /home directory of each desktop PC to a separate directory for each PC on the NAS. Items include: “Docs” directory for all documents, Firefox and Thunderbird profiles (.mozilla and .thunderbird directories), “Apps” directory that stores App Images for KeePassXC and Ungoogled Chromium Portable for Linux, exported bookmarks from Firefox and Ungoogled Chromium (as .html files). And last are configuration files for a few applications such as the Ungoogled Chromium profile (.config/chromium/Default), and Crow Translate (.config/crow-translate), etc.
I prefer manual methods like this as it provides full control over everything, helps limit the need to install/configure any additional software into the system (KISS principle) and keeps all data local (I never use any kind of cloud storage, do not trust it).
I don’t use an app for backups; given the state of most software these days (frequent updates and bugs), the fewer apps/programs I need to rely on the better. I NEVER store anything in the cloud.
If my system crashes to the point of being useless, I just reinstall Mint from a bootable usb thumb drive. I keep 2 such drives and test them periodically to make sure they boot.
I backup on an as needed basis and do it manually. If I generate an important or hard to replace file I’ll copy it to a thumb drive or external usb drive. Otherwise I’ll back up every couple months or so to a thumb or usb drive.
It’s a simple system that probably won’t work for everyone but it works for me. In the last almost 8 years of running Ubuntu and/or Mint I’ve never had to reinstall the OS (I wish I could say the same for macOS and Windows, but why would I expect trillion dollar corporations to put out a reliable product?!)
You already know my answer, heh… I use Veeam. I use it on demand only, not scheduled. I just do a backup when it strikes me as a good time, after there have been significant changes. It is bare-metal capable, of course.
I use Veeam for full system backups and Timeshift for periodic “roll back in case the system gets messed up” purposes, like Windows System Restore (but more robust; it can work even with different Linux versions. You can restore OpenSUSE right over the top of Kubuntu, or you can restore an older or newer version of the same OS over the current one. Windows System Restore can’t do that!
I have been thinking about cloud backups. While I am not a fanatic of “the cloud” in general (the real term is “someone else’s computer”), and while I remain a fan of always keeping data local and under my own control, “the cloud” can provide some extra data security if done properly. If the data is securely encrypted before it leaves my control, it’s only of benefit to me to have a third copy of it out there in the event that something catastrophic happens (a house fire destroys all my computers, for example). A provider like Backblaze could allow me to retain this even if all my computers themselves are destroyed. Hardware can be replaced with an insurance check, but not my data!
For years this was a pipe dream, as my home internet was waaaaaay too slow to even think of that, but recently two fiber providers moved into my area (at the exact same time, within a week or so of one another in availability), and now I have one of those at a lower price than what I was paying for 50 (mbit) down/2 up DSL. I am at 500 up and down now!
The downside is that my IP address no longer changes… it is one static IP for the whole area (from the ISP to the consumer is NAT, so it’s 192.168.xx.xx), but it does geolocate me a lot more easily than I would prefer. I could go with a VPN, but that’s added cost, potential slowdown, and annoyance… first world problems for sure. Maybe that other provider has regular dynamic IP address pools…
Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon 6.2
XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/32GB & GTX1660ti, Kubuntu 24.04
Acer Swift Go 14, i5-1335U/16GB, Kubuntu 24.04 (and Win 11)
I use Foxclone for monthly on-demand backups on all my Linux Mint 21 installations, including machines dual-booting with Windows 10. I have a UEFI version on a Ventoy USB and a legacy-boot on another USB flash drive. I save the images to multiple external hdd’s.
Foxclone has the option for a bare-metal restore, which it calls a clone. (The “restore” process can only restore to the same hard drive but the same image file can be used for either process.)
I use Backintime to back up data once a week or when I save an important file. I also copy and paste stored photos to a couple of external hdd’s.
I also use the free version of Macrium Reflect 8 to make occasional additional backups.
I still make Timeshift backups once in a while but it takes such a long time that I tend to rely on the image backups.
Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1
Group A:
Win 10 Pro x64 v22H2 Ivy Bridge, dual boot with Linux
Win l0 Pro x64 v22H2 Haswell, dual boot with Linux
Win7 Pro x64 SP1 Haswell, 0patch Pro, dual boot with Linux,offline
Win7 Home Premium x64 SP1 Ivy Bridge, 0patch Pro,offline
Synaptic is your best friend to avoid re-installation in my experience,
IF you can connect online or the ISO media used to install the OS on the device.
I don’t use any backup or restore utilities within linux, instead I’ve preferred to manually save user profile settings for common-to-distro programs, config files and root system files for re-introduction on fresh installations (‘as root’ where applicable) across various debian based distro’s.
Has worked flawlessly here for many years and needs.
FWIW: I never use the default profile locations for documents/ music/ video etc..it’s one of the first things I change during an initial setup of a Linux system.YMMV
With our laptops of yesteryear, I removed the optical drives and converted them to external optical drives whilst the empty SATA port was furnished with SSD’s solely for encrypted personal storage.
(handy, as many new laptop models don’t come with an optical drive)
SATA SSD’s are getting so much cheaper with great longevity, lower power consumption and safer from knocks over HDD’s especially on laptops/ netbooks.
OP here- all responses much appreciated. The original purpose of this thread was to identify an alternative to Veeam, my previous choice, which gave me some difficulty after updating to Linux Mint 22. Those difficulties now overcome, substantial guidance here:
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/installing-deb-file-on-mint-22/#post-2730971
I’ll be staying with the Veeam app going forward.
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