Backup Ubuntu using rsync

Here’s a comprehensive guide on using rsync to backup your entire Ubuntu system:

Basic Rsync Command for Full System Backup

sudo rsync -aAXHv --delete / /path/to/backup/location/

Breakdown of Flags:

• -a: Archive mode (preserves permissions, timestamps, etc.)
• -A: Preserve ACLs
• -X: Preserve extended attributes
• -H: Preserve hard links
• -v: Verbose output
• --delete: Remove files in destination that don’t exist in source

Important Considerations

1. Exclude Unnecessary Directories

sudo rsync -aAXHv --delete \
  --exclude={"/dev/*","/proc/*","/sys/*","/tmp/*","/run/*","/mnt/*","/media/*","/lost+found"} \
  / /path/to/backup/location/

2. For Remote Backups

sudo rsync -aAXHv --delete -e ssh \
  --exclude={"/dev/*","/proc/*","/sys/*","/tmp/*","/run/*","/mnt/*","/media/*","/lost+found"} \
  / user@remote-server:/backup/path/

3. With Progress and Logging

sudo rsync -aAXHv --progress --delete \
  --log-file=/var/log/rsync-backup.log \
  --exclude={"/dev/*","/proc/*","/sys/*","/tmp/*","/run/*","/mnt/*","/media/*","/lost+found"} \
  / /path/to/backup/location/

Complete Backup Script

Create a script for automated backups:

#!/bin/bash
# backup-system.sh

BACKUP_DIR="/path/to/backup"
LOG_FILE="/var/log/system-backup.log"
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)

echo "Starting system backup: $(date)" | tee -a $LOG_FILE

sudo rsync -aAXHv --progress --delete \
  --exclude={"/dev/*","/proc/*","/sys/*","/tmp/*","/run/*","/mnt/*","/media/*","/lost+found","/home/*/.cache/*"} \
  / $BACKUP_DIR/root-backup-$DATE/ 2>&1 | tee -a $LOG_FILE

echo "Backup completed: $(date)" | tee -a $LOG_FILE

Make it executable:

chmod +x backup-system.sh

Restoration Process

To restore from backup:

# Boot from live USB, then:
sudo rsync -aAXHv /path/to/backup/location/ /mnt/new-root/

Important restoration steps:

1. Reinstall GRUB: sudo grub-install /dev/sdX
2. Update GRUB config: sudo update-grub
3. Recreate excluded directories: mkdir /mnt/new-root/{dev,proc,sys,tmp,run,mnt,media}

Additional Tips

1. Use –numeric-ids for cross-system backups

sudo rsync -aAXHv --numeric-ids --delete / /backup/location/

2. Compress during transfer (for remote backups)

sudo rsync -aAXHvz --delete / user@remote-server:/backup/

3. Schedule with cron

# Add to crontab: sudo crontab -e
0 2 * * 0 /path/to/backup-system.sh  # Run every Sunday at 2 AM

What’s Being Excluded and Why

• /dev/, /proc/, /sys/: Virtual filesystems
• /tmp/: Temporary files
• /run/: Runtime data
• /mnt/, /media/: Mount points
• /lost+found: Filesystem recovery data
• Cache directories: Save space

This method creates a bootable backup of your system that can be restored in case of failure.