.dot files backup tools

This directory contains backup system made to easify the .dot files management. It makes setting-up a new system from the scratch more bearable.

Features

• Scripts maintain one global git repository keeping all .dot files versioned and kept together.
• Build on the top of git, bash and GNU make. Make system is not necesary - works just as a driver - you may avoid using it completely.
• Files are stored using absolute paths to avoid collisions.
• Backups from the same hostname are kept on the branch named as the hostname.
• List of explicitly and implicitly installed packages are saved as well if using the pacman or apt-get package manager. Feel free to customize scripts. Feedback is more than welcomed.

The first run

git clone https://github.com/holoubekm/dot_backup_tools
cd dot_backup_tools
cp ./example/backup.list .

Now please modify the backup.list and specify files to be backed-up Lines with the leading hash "#" are considered to be comments You can specify files as well as whole directories

make
# The backup repo doesn't exist yet
# Please enter URL or path of the git repository you would like to store backup to: 
# >

Now let's create a custom git repository with write permissions and copy-paste it's URL or path Example: git://github.com/holoubekm/dot_backup

git://github.com/holoubekm/dot_backup

If everything goes well the files will be automatically added, commited and pushed to the origin

How to load data from the backup

cd ./backup
git checkout "${HOSTNAME}" # Checkout the branch of the given hostname 
cd ./${BACKUP_REPO}/${USER}/ABS_PATH

Where

• BACKUP_REPO - Name of the backup git repo. Ex. dot_files_backup
• ABS_PATH - Absolute path of the requested file. Ex. /home/user/.bashrc

Makefile commands overview

Makefile commands are 1 to 1 bound with files in the ./scripts folder.

make init -> ./scripts/init.sh

Add the backup submodule for the first time. The module gets afterwards initialized and updated as well

make checkout -> ./scripts/checkout.sh

Checkout branch with the name of ${HOSTNAME} from the submodule.

make copy_files -> ./scripts/copy_files.sh

Read entries from the backup.list, copy each of them to the backup directory. The script has several config flags one can modify:

• HONOR_COMMENTS - if commend in the backup.list should be honored by the script
• PRUNE_GIT_REPOS - remove any .git folder copied to the backup directory

Please feel free to modify cp flags in the copy_files.sh script.

# Copy a single file
cp --no-preserve mode,ownership --parents "$source_abs" "$OUTPUT_DIR" 2>&1
# Copy a directory
cp --no-preserve mode,ownership -R --parents "$source_abs" "$OUTPUT_DIR" 2>&1

make add -> ./scripts/add.sh

Use a git add command to add files

make commit -> ./scripts/commit.sh

Commit modified and new changes among .dot files. The commit message can be changed in the file commit.sh:

COMMIT_MSG="${HOSTNAME} $(date '+backup_%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M')"

Notice

Please keep in mind that this package is ment mostly as a manager for lightweight readable files. While it's certainly possible to backup binary filesm it's discouraged to do so - mainly due to bad performance.

Please consider carefully which files or folder you really want to backup. Incautious one can easily share ssh keys, credentials, api keys and other private stuff.

If copying directories the size may grow rapidly - consider adding only files to the backup.list.