Introducing FlyBack v0.5.0 svn - Apple's Time Machine for Linux Snapshot-based backup Solution based on rsync!


Did you ever try Apple's Time Machine for OSX? Well if you have and you like it, and switched from Apple to Linux you will want to give this nice little application a try, this application is currently being developed here at Google Code


How Does FlyBack work?

FlyBack is a snapshot-based backup tool based on rsync It creates successive backup directories mirroring the files you wish to backup, but hard-links unchanged files to the previous backup. This prevents wasting disk space while providing you with full access to all your files without any sort of recovery program. If your machine crashes, just move your external drive to your new machine and copy the latest backup using whatever file browser you normally use.

Note that this means you can selectively delete specific backups and still retain files stored in previous ones. (ie., you can delete tuesday's backup and keep monday's, without screwing up wednesday's)

Ways FlyBack Differs from Time Machine

1. There is no inotify mechanism in Linux, so FlyBack scans your entire directory structure when performing a backup.
2. No hard-linking

This morning I created a install package for everyone running gnome, it should work, let me know if you have any issues.

Lets get to installing shall we?

Click Here to install the necessary packages with apt-url or via Applications->Accessories->Terminal:
sudo apt-get install python python-glade2 python-gnome2 python-sqlite3 rsync python-pysqlite2

Click Here to download flyback to your desktop or any directory

Right Click on flyback.tar.gz and select "Extract Here.."

Once extracted enter the flyback directory

To Install double click install and select run, enter sudo password then click ok twice

To Uninstall double click uninstall and select run, enter sudo password then click ok twice

The slideshow is an good example of these steps.

Y can access Flyback via Applications->System Tools->flyback
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(optional)Alternate svn install:

Make sure you have the following packages installed for your correct distro:

Debian:
sudo apt-get install python python-glade2 python-gnome2 python-sqlite3 rsync
Ubuntu:
sudo apt-get install python python-glade2 python-gnome2 python-sqlite3 python-gconf rsync
Redhat/Fedora:
yum install pygtk2 gnome-python2-gconf pygtk2-libglade python-sqlite3

Then download via svn you will need to:
sudo apt-get install subversion
svn checkout http://flyback.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ flyback
cd flyback/src
To Run:
python flyback.py

Comments (8)

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There so python-sqlite3 in ubuntu. Python-sqlite2 works well: "This package is built against SQLite 3. For an interface to SQLite 2, see the package python-sqlite. An alternative Python SQLite 3 module is packaged as python-apsw."

ciao, f.
Great write up Defcon, Thanks. You should also check out Timevault.

Keep up the excellent work!
Thanks a lot.
Zancaracachimbyo Mak's avatar

Zancaracachimbyo Mak · 880 weeks ago

Great! Thanks a lot!!
@Francesco: That's python-pysqlite2, not python-sqlite2
Hi. It sort of works in Fedora 8. There are two outsanding bugs: the restore won't keep the correct date; the exclude part won't work. For the former, in backup_backend.py modify the cp -v in cp -vp.

I was unable to fix the latter problem. Anyone?
please can you tell me what I should be excluding from ~/.

In the past when I have copied ALL files (requiring sudo to do) when I restore them it's messed things up with firefox and such (guessing cache amongst other things had this effect)

I'm using Hardy and am guessing gvfs needs excluding for one.

cheers
All I get is "Error stating file '/external_storage_location': No such file or directory" no matter what I try. Google groups mentions this error but guy said SVN version fixed it. Well not with me it didn't. The preferences dialog appears afterwards but it doesn't save the parameters. Doing this on fresh install of 8.10... the search for a working backup solution continues...

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