Dkopp user
guide
introduction
concepts
first
tryout (1-page primer)
file
menu
backup
menu
verify
menu
report
menu
restore
menu
DVD/BD
menu
help
menu
toolbar
buttons
editing
backup jobs
script
files
large
backup jobs
technical
notes
Dkopp
Introduction
Dkopp is a
Linux utility program for copying files to recordable DVD or
Blue-ray disk (BD). Dkopp is a free open source program licensed
under the GNU General Public License v.3.
Three
kinds of backup are available: full, incremental, and accumulate. A
full backup copies all specified files and leaves no other files on
the DVD/BD. An incremental backup adds only new or modified files
to a prior dkopp copy, bringing it up to date. This is normally
much faster than a full backup. Unmatched files on the DVD/BD are
also deleted, so that the DVD/BD is left exacty matching the source
files. An
accumulate backup is like an incremental backup, but unmatched files
are not deleted.
You select
files to be copied using a GUI. You can navigate through the file
system and select files or directories to include or exclude at any
level in the hierarchy. These choices can be saved in a job file to
automate recurring backups. If files are added or deleted within an
included or excluded directory, the next dkopp run will include these
changes automatically.
DVD/BDs
can be verified three ways: full, incremental, and thorough. A full
verify reads the entire DVD/BD and reports any files having read
errors. An incremental verify reads only those files that have been
newly written by a preceding incremental backup. This is usually much
faster while still offering a high level of security. A thorough
verify reads every file on the DVD/BD and makes a bytewise comparison
with the corresponding disk files. This is normally unnecessary, but it
provides an additional
assurance that hardware and software are working correctly.
You
can list all files in a backup job, or all files on a DVD/BD. You
can search for specific files using wildcards. You can compare a
DVD/BD with the corresponding backup job, listing all differences:
files that have been created, deleted, or modified since the DVD/BD
copy was made. This comparison can be done at three levels: a
detailed list of files, a directory level summary, or a job level
summary.
For disaster recovery
or file transfer, dkopp has a file restore capability. You can select
and restore DVD/BD files to their original directories or anywhere
else.
An incremental backup
updates a DVD/BD made with a prior full backup. This simplifies both
backup and restore: you do not need to track full and incremental
backup media, and you do not need to restore files from multiple
media in correct sequence.
Searchable
log files are generated with time/date, DVD/BD label, and files
copied. You can search the log to find all DVD/BDs with copies of a
desired file, using wildcards to simplify the search (e.g. find
*/joeblow/*/planB*
).
A script
file can be used to automate backups or run dkopp from a shell
script. The GUI is not used in this case.
Incremental backup and
verify can take less than a minute if the updated files are within 30
megabytes or so. For larger jobs, the DVD/BD speed determines the
time required. With 4x DVD media, backup + verify runs about 150
megabytes per minute.
Dkopp is a
graphical front end for the command-line programs growisofs and
genisoimage. The added functionality is ease of use, espicially the
easy way to specify the files to be copied.
Dkopp
Concepts
The files in a
backup job are specified with include and exclude statements. These
have filespecs with optional wildcards placed almost anywhere.
Examples:
include
/home/*
#
add user files
include
/root/*
#
add root files
include /shared/*/documents/*
# add shared document files
exclude
*/mp3/*
#
exclude files in mp3 directories
exclude
*/.Trash/*
#
exclude trash files
The
first include adds all files owned by users in their home directories
and sub-directories. The second include adds all files owned by root.
The third include adds all files under the /shared top
directory that also have an intermediate directory named /documents.
The two exclude statements exclude files within /.Trash
and /mp3 directories at any level.
GUI
interface: The above statements are normally generated using a
standard Gnome file selection dialog. The process is documented in
the section on editing backup jobs.
file
selection logic:
loop:
get next control statement. If no more,
done.
if
include: add all matching files to backup file set.
if exclude: remove all matching files
from backup file set.
loop-end
Note
that excludes are effective only against prior includes. They have no
effect on following includes, which are processed afterwards. See the
section on editing backup jobs.
Restriction:
include statements must include at least the first directory name
(top-level) without wildcards (the GUI file-chooser does this
automatically).
limitations:
+ max. 200,000 files in a backup job (compile
time constant)
+ dkopp runs as root user
(password is requested if not already root user)
+
supports DVD/BD media only (not CD media)
+ not useful for disk imaging (operating system
backup)
After installing dkopp,
please perform the first tryout exercise (below). This may be all
you need at first (if you are like most people and RTFM is a bore).
You can enhance your security and ultimately save time if you read
this whole document.
License
and Warranty
Dkopp is a
free program licensed under the GNU General Public License, Version 3
(from the Free Software Foundation). Dkopp is not warranted for any
purpose whatsoever, but if you find a bug, I will try to fix
it.
Origin and
Contact
Dkopp originates
from the author's web site at
http://kornelix.com/dkopp
Other web sites may
offer it for download. Modifications could have been made.
If
you have questions, suggestions or a bug to
report, see:
http://kornelix.com/contact
Dkopp
first tryout
The following
short exercise will check that dkopp functions correctly on your
system and help you become familiar with dkopp usage.
-
Load a
recordable DVD/BD and wait for the desktop icon to show up.
-
Start dkopp
(use the system menu or a terminal command: $
dkopp).
Start as root user ($ sudo dkopp). If not, dkopp will request root user
by itself.
-
Select button:
[ edit job ]
-
Set the DVD/BD
device ID (choose from list of available devices if more than one)
-
Select full
backup and full verify
-
Erase the
default backup job shown (select and delete, or use the [ clear
] button)
-
Select the
button [ file chooser ] at the bottom
-
Navigate
through the directories and select some files or directories to be
copied
+ double-click a directory to open it and enable selection within that
directory
+ select one or more files/directories, using left-mouse (or
shift+left-mouse)
+ use the [ include ] button to include all selected items
in the backup job
+ use the [ exclude ] button to exclude items previously
included at a higher level
+ use the [ include ] button to include items previously
excluded at a higher level
+ use the buttons at the top to go back up the directory hierarchy
+ use the [ hidden ] button to toggle the display of hidden
files
-
Select
the [ done ] button when finished selecting files
-
Inspect the
generated include and exclude statements. These may be edited directly
if desired (e.g. erase mistakes or redundancies, change the order, or
make additions or revisions). Re-enter the file chooser dialog if
wanted - new choices will be appended. Cycle between the editor and
file chooser as much as needed
-
Select
button [ OK ] when done editing the job
-
If errors
are shown, select [ edit job ] and fix. Remember that
exclude statements must follow relevant include statements - excludes
are exceptions to prior includes, and includes may be exceptions to
prior excludes.
-
Select menu:
Report > get backup files. Inspect the counts. Be sure the total
byte count is within the DVD/BD capacity. Look for zero counts,
indicating possible errors. Re-edit the job if needed.
-
Select
button: [ run job ]. The backup should begin.
-
Verification
should
follow automatically. You will be asked to re-mount the DVD/BD.
Check that the error count is zero when finished.
-
Save the job
file if desired: menu: File > save job
-
Select
button: [ quit ]
-
Next steps: play with incremental
backups and reports
File Menu
open
job
Open a previously saved
backup job file for re-use (edit, run).
The
default location for job files is /home/user/.dkopp (or
/root/.dkopp).
open
DVD/BD
Open the backup job file
on the currently loaded DVD/BD.
This
file was saved on the DVD/BD when the last backup job was run on that
DVD/BD.
edit job
Opens
an edit dialog for the current backup job (from the last job file
opened, or from a prior edit).
If no
file has been opened, internal default data will be used as a
starting point.
show job
List
the current backup job data and diagnose any errors.
save
job
Save the current backup
specifications in a job file.
Default
is the same file that was last opened, but you may select any file.
run job
The
current backup job is executed. Backup and verify modes are taken
from the job.
Be sure to
read the technical notes about DVD/BD
mounting.
run DVD/BD
The
backup job file stored on the DVD/BD is executed. Backup and verify
modes are taken from the DVD/BD job. Whenever a backup is performed,
the current job file (including any edits that were made) is copied
to the DVD/BD.
Note: what is
copied to the DVD/BD is the current job, not menu commands given
manually. Thus, if you load a job file which specifies incremental
backup, and then do a full backup using the menu command, the backup
job stored on the DVD/BD will still specify incremental. To change
the job written to the DVD/BD, edit the job before starting the
backup.
quit
Exit
program.
Backup
Menu
full
The
current backup file set is copied to the DVD/BD fully. All files are
copied unconditionally. The DVD/BD is initialized to an empty status.
For large jobs, additional DVD/BDs will be requested as needed. If
growisofs aborts the job (declaring the DVD/BD to be "unknown
type" or "not formatted"), the menu command
DVD/BD > format may fix the problem. Be
sure to read the technical notes about
DVD/BD mounting.
Incremental
The
current backup file set is copied to DVD/BD incrementally. New and
modified files (since the DVD/BD was created or updated) are copied.
Files that already match their corresponding disk files are not
copied. Any "extra" DVD/BD files (not in the backup file
set) are deleted. At the end, the DVD/BD is 100% identical to the
backup file set, with the possible exception of files modified during
the backup run. See the technical notes for more details about how
matching files are recognized and skipped over.
accumulate
Same
as incremental, but without DVD/BD file deletions.
Verify
menu
full
All
files on the DVD/BD are read and checked for errors. DVD/BDs need
this extra level of protection, since poor media quality has been a
problem. If errors are detected, clean off the fingerprints or
discard the DVD/BD. If errors happen on more than 1% of your media,
consider getting a new drive or changing media brands. Note that any
CD or DVD or BD can be "full" verified - it does not have
to be a dkopp backup disk.
incremental
New
files on the DVD/BD are read and checked for errors. "New"
means any files written by an immediately prior incremental or
accumulate backup. Files not written are not checked.
thorough
All
DVD/BD files are read and verified that there are no read errors.
Those DVD/BD files that have a matching disk file (matching full path
name and modification date/time) are bytewise compared to the disk
file, and any files not matching are reported. There should be no
differences. This verifies that all hardware and software (driver,
file system, dkopp) are working correctly. DVD/BD files that are
expected to be different (different mod times) are read and checked
for errors, but not compared with the disk. Dkopp considers two files
to have the same mod
times if they differ by less than one second (the time resolution for
files on DVD/BD media).
The
following counts are reported at the end of the verify job:
+
total DVD/BD files and bytes
+ DVD/BD
files having read errors (should be zero)
+ DVD/BD files having matching disk files (by name)
+ DVD/BD files having matching disk files (by name and mod time)
+ for the last category, the number of DVD/BD:disk compare errors
(should be zero)
Report
menu
get files for backup
The backup job include and
exclude statements are listed, along with the file and byte counts
that are added or removed by each statement. Look for zero counts,
indicating a possible error. The disk directories are read and the
list of files included in the backup job is saved in memory. This
data is used to determine what files are different between the disk
and DVD/BD and must be copied for an incremental backup. The file
list is static and is not updated by disk activity. The list of "new"
files that are checked with an incremental verify is also reset with
this command.
diffs
summary
Report the total number
of files in each category:
new
on disk, but not on the DVD/BD
modified
on both, but not the same content
deleted on the DVD/BD, but not
on disk
unchanged on
both, with the same content
Differences
between the disk and DVD/BD may be caused by disk updates (file
additions, deletions, updates, or moves), or by changes to the job
file itself.
diffs by
directory
Each directory having
differences between the disk and DVD/BD is reported, along with
counts of new, modified, and deleted files. The total bytes for new
and modified files is also given.
diffs
by file
All files that are
different between the disk and DVD/BD are listed in alphabetic
sequence within groups for new, modified, and deleted files.
list files for backup
All files in the
backup file set are listed in alphabetic sequence. Use this to check
that the correct files are being backed-up.
list
DVD/BD files
All files on the
DVD/BD are listed in alphabetic sequence.
find
files
Enter a search pattern with
optional wildcards (e.g. /home/dir*name/file*name).
All
matching file names on the disk (in the backup job file set) are
listed. All matching file names on the DVD/BD are listed. All backup
log files are also searched, and those containing the target file(s)
are listed (by date / time and DVD/BD label). These files correspond
to backup jobs, one-to-one. Use this method to locate all backup
copies of a given file or group of files, sorted from oldest to
newest. A file may be present in multiple log files for multiple
incremental backups made to the same baseline full backup, but it
actually exists only once on the DVD/BD, in its latest version.
view
backup hist
All backup history
log files are listed (up to 200). These correspond to backup jobs,
one-to-one, and contain a list of files copied to the corresponding
DVD/BD. The most recent 20 log files are put into a dialog for
selection. Select one of these from the dropdown list, or modify the
input to select an older file. The text editor gedit is invoked to
display the log file. You can page up and down and search for strings
using gedit.
Backup log file
names are formatted as follows:
dkopp-hist-yyyymmdd-hhmm-label
Note
that one DVD/BD having a full backup and one or more incremental
backups will have a log file for each backup, showing those files
copied for each backup. A file may be present in multiple log files
for multiple incremental backups made to the same baseline full
backup, but it actually exists only once on the DVD/BD, in its latest
version.
save screen
The
main window, where messages and reports are written, is saved in an
ordinary text file.
Restore
menu
setup DVD/BD
restore
Specify the copy-from
location (on the DVD/BD), the copy-to location (on disk), and the
files to be restored. The copy-from location is the topmost DVD/BD
directory of a tree of files to be restored.
example:
/home/joeblow/documents # note that mount point is
omitted
The copy-to location
is an existing disk directory where the tree of files will be
copied-to.
example
1: /home/joeblow/documents
example 2:
/home/joeblow/documents/restored
In
example 1, the restored files will go back to the same place they
were when backed-up. In example 2, they will go to a new
place.
Files to be restored are
specified the same way as in a backup job (see the section below on
using the file selection dialog). Use the button [ file chooser
] to start the dialog.
If
you need to restore multiple trees of files, you can do this in
multiple runs, or you can simply begin the tree at a higher level and
use the file selection dialog to specify multiple sub-trees.
list
restore files
After performing
the setup, use this function to list all matching files on the DVD/BD
that will be restored, exactly where they will be restored. You
should check this list carefully to be sure you are restoring the
correct files to the intended locations.
restore
files
When you are satisfied with
the restore job specification, use this menu to perform the restore.
You will see a running log of the activity. Use the kill button to
stop the job if desired.
DVD/BD
menu
set DVD/BD
device
The DVD/BD device and
mount point may be set independently of the backup job. The DVD/BD
device and mount point for the current backup job is modified. No
mounting is done.
set DVD/BD
label
Set the DVD/BD label that
will be used for a subsequent backup job. The default is to keep the
same label that the DVD/BD already has. The DVD/BD mount command will
show this label. If no label is assigned, "dkopp" is
used.
mount DVD/BD
Mount
a DVD/BD. You are asked to insert a DVD/BD and wait for the mount to
complete. If the mounted DVD/BD has
been used for dkopp before, the date-time of the last backup to this
DVD/BD is displayed. Be sure to read the technical
notes about DVD/BD mounting.
eject
DVD/BD
The DVD/BD is unmounted
and ejected.
reset DVD/BD
This
does a hardware reset to the DVD/BD drive. This is sometimes useful
if a drive gets locked-up and cannot be ejected using either the
dkopp eject command or the tray button. This sometimes happens when
there is a DVD/BD error or a backup is killed in mid-process. This
may or may not work. If the DVD/BD drive remains hung after several
minutes, the only resort is a reboot.
erase
DVD/BD
Writes zeros to the entire
DVD/BD surface. This takes 10+ minutes, depending on the DVD/BD drive
speed and medium. This works only for rewritable media (DVD+RW or
DVD-RW or BD-RE). DVD-R and BD-R media are write-once and cannot be
erased. See the technical notes below for more about privacy and data
protection.
format DVD/BD
This
uses the dvd+rw-format utility to format a disk in a few minutes. The
entire DVD/BD is not erased. See the technical notes below for more
about privacy and data protection. If Backup > full refuses to
start, this format command may fix the problem.
Help
menu
contents
Display
the help file (this file).
about
Display
the dkopp program version and date.
Toolbar
buttons
root
This
button restarts dkopp with root privileges if your password (sudo) is
correct.
edit job
Shortcut
to the backup job editor (same as menu File > edit job)
run
job and run DVD/BD
The
current job, or the job on the DVD/BD, is executed.
Be sure to read the technical notes about DVD/BD mounting.
pause
and resume
The currently
running job or menu function may be paused and resumed.
Use
this to inspect output on the fly.
kill
job
The currently running
function is killed. You may need to wait a while for the function to
die and screen output to cease. If a backup job is killed, growisofs
will gracefully exit in a few seconds, leaving the DVD/BD in an
undetermined status.
clear
The
main window, where messages and reports are written, is
cleared.
quit
Exit
the application. If the job file has been edited and not saved, you
will be given an opportunity to save the changes.
Editing
backup jobs (see screenshot
below)
Select menu: File >
edit job or button: edit job
Fill-in
the following items in the dialog box:
DVD/BD device /dev/sr0
capacity GB
4.0
write speed 4 (x
1.38 MB/sec)
backup mode
check full / incremental / accumulate
verify mode
check full / incremental / thorough
file date from
leave default (1970.01.01) or input a later date
Select
the DVD/BD device from the drop-down list of available devices. The
DVD/BD capacity may be set from 1.0 to 50 GB (for double layer
Blue-ray media). Full backups will be limited to this amount. The
default of 4.0 GB leaves a leftover space of about 0.7 GB for
incremental updates. See the technical notes for more details about
this. Write speed is the speed factor to use for writing the DVD/BD
medium. This is the "2x" or "4x" rating shown on
the DVD/BD. Leave this blank or zero to use the default speed. You
may select a lower speed than the default if needed to increase
reliability (i.e. if the verify function reports errors). I have
never needed this, but others have reported that some media and drive
combinations are not reliable at the rated speed. "file date
from" is an additional method for selecting files to copy. Files
with a create or modification date older than this will be
ignored.
File selection
dialog
You may edit the backup
file set (the include and exclude statements) directly in the text
window. You may also use the [browse] button to get a standard file
selection dialog, with additional buttons: hidden, include, exclude.
The [hidden] button toggles the display of hidden files (file names
with leading dots, like .gnome). Select one or more directories or
files, using left-mouse or shift+left-mouse, then press the [include]
or [exclude] button. The selected files/directories will be written
into the text window as include or exclude statements. If you select
a directory, the entry is modified to add a wildcard at the next
level:
selecting
directory /aaa/bbb/ccc
→ include
/aaa/bbb/ccc/*
You may alternate
between editing the text window and using the file-chooser dialog.
When you are done, press [done] to accept. The include/exclude data
will
be validated to the extent possible. Go back and re-edit to fix any
problems. To change the sequence, cut and paste in the text window.
When you are done, use the report functions "get backup files"
and "list backup files" to verify that you have the
correct files!
The include and
exclude control statements allow precise control of the backup file
set:
include
/aaa/bbb/*
#
include file tree under /aaa/bbb/
exclude
/aaa/bbb/ccc/* #
exception: exclude /ccc/ subtree
include
/aaa/bbb/ccc/xxx.yyy # exception: include file
/ccc/xxx.yyy
The
file-chooser dialog may be used to quickly converge on the desired
results. The editor may also be used to make adjustments.
Because
of wildcards, newly added files within the scope of existing include
or exclude filespecs are automatically comprehended. In the above
example, if a new file is added somewhere within the /aaa/bbb/ tree,
it will be automatically included in the next backup job, unless of
course it is in the excluded /aaa/bbb/ccc/
subtree.
The
file > edit job menu command (or toolbar button) pops up the
middle box. This can be edited directly: click anywhere in the text
area and start writing. The right box is the choose files dialog,
which is started with the [browse] button. Choose files using the right
box, and the middle box records your choices. You can navigate around
the directory hierarchy and select any number of files or
directories. The [hidden] button toggles the display of hidden files.
Click the [include] or [exclude] button to get the selected files
added to or removed from the backup list. Selecting a directory is an
implied selection of all contained files, thus the selection appears
as directory/* in the list of selected files. To make an
exception, go down one level, choose files, and select the opposite
[include] or [exclude] button. You can refine the file selections
manually if desired. It is sometimes handy to use wildcards in the
directories to make more general and compact selection criteria,
e.g.
exclude
*thunderbird*/Trash*
will
omit trashed mail even if the overlying directories change (they do)
and even for multiple users (the leading wildcard includes
"/home/*").
You can add
comments, or disable an include / exclude line, by putting
#
in column 1.
Script
Files
A script is a
text file with a series of commands that can be run as a batch job.
All dkopp menu commands can be scripted.
The
format of the records in the script file is as follows:
menu1 > menu2 > parameter
# comment
The menu names must match
the interactive menu names exactly, including case.
To
run a script file: $
dkopp
-script /pathname/scriptfile
You
can also add the option -nogui for deferred execution.
Dkopp will not create a window or ask for any inputs in this mode.
You must leave a DVD/BD in the drive for dkopp to use later.
Here
is a sample script file to get you familiar with the possibilities:
File > open job > jobfile1
Report > get
backup files
DVD/BD > mount DVD/BD
Report >
differences-detail
# report changed files
Backup >
incremental
#
back them up
Verify >
full
#
verify all files
Report >
differences-counts # should
be zero
File > save screen >
dkopp.log
# save a log file
DVD/BD > eject DVD/BD
File > quit
The toolbar
buttons may also be used, e.g.
button > pause # press
resume to continue
At this point you
may use the menu interactively and then resume the script by pressing
the resume button.
The command
exit may be used to end the script file and return to
interactive mode.
Script file EOF
does the same thing.
Large
Backup Jobs (more than one DVD/BD)
A
full backup may be larger than one DVD/BD, and you will be asked to
load additional DVD/BDs as needed. If a job is being run (rather than
the menu backup > full) each DVD/BD will be verified (if specified
in the job) before the next DVD/BD is requested. An attempt is made
to fit all files derived from a single include statement on the
same DVD/BD, if possible. This allocation is made after excluded
files have been removed from the backup file set. The job file
written to each DVD/BD reflects the files actually copied to that
DVD/BD, so that subsequent incremental updates may be done
individually on each DVD/BD, e.g. as follows:
File > open DVD/BD
Backup > incremental
Verify > incremental
Note
that if an include statement is too big to fit on one DVD/BD, this
strategy will not work as expected. The backup job file on the first
DVD/BD will have the big include statement, but additional DVD/BDs
used for this same include will not. If possible, break up the large
include statement into smaller ones.
Technical
Notes
Mounting DVD/BD media:
Starting with v.6.4, dkopp no longer mounts DVD/BD disc itself, but
outputs a popup message asking the user to do this. Insert the disc,
wait for the desktop icon to show up, and then press the [OK] button in
the popup dialog. The appearance of the desktop icon may or may not
mean that the disc is actually mounted (this varies in the systems I
test with). If dkopp responds with "waiting for mount ...", click the
desktop icon to encourage the window manager to mount the disc. This
change was made to relieve dkopp of the need to understand what Gnome
and other window managers do about DVD/BD disc mounting.
DVD
mount errors and growisofs errors: There
are many of these, and they change with each new release of the kernel,
Gnome, and growisofs (the command-line program used to write the
DVD/BD). Often they are bogus errors that are not really errors, or
they are temporary errors that will go away when the operation is tried
again. Dkopp is unable to distinguish the difference. In the case of a
full backup, the user is given a popup dialog with the
options to abort the job, retry the full backup, or ignore the error and continue. If
the backup job
did not even get started, use retry.
If the backup job seems to have completed, use ignore. Verify will detect later if
any error actually happened.
Blank
DVD/BDs: the first time a DVD/BD is
used, do a full backup. A blank DVD/BD will not mount, but a full
backup will still work and make the DVD/BD mountable
thereafter.
Flakey DVD/BDs:
drive and media combinations sometimes have compatibility problems,
resulting in media errors. The newest drives (2006 and later) are much
better
at adjusting to media variations. I have had a few DVDs (<1%) that
passed a dkopp verify and then became unreadable later, so make
regular backups and avoid depending on a single DVD/BD.
Media
errors:
If the dkopp verify function runs into a read error, the DVD/BD drive
may lock-up for a minute or more while retrying the failed read
hundreds of times. Give the "kill" command and wait for the
drive to give up. If the DVD/BD is dirty, clean it and try again.
Otherwise throw it out.
Privacy
and data protection: to protect your
private data on discarded DVD/BDs, you should destroy them. A few
seconds in a microwave oven will completely destroy the metallic
recording layer (with spectacular visual effects). Do not inhale the
fumes.
Command line
arguments:
$
dkopp -job jobfile
# load job file
$
dkopp jobfile
# load
job file
$ dkopp -run jobfile
# load job file
and run it
$ dkopp -script scriptfile
# run script file
$ dkopp -nogui
-run
jobfile
#
run job in non-GUI mode
The
-run and -script commands are intended for shell scripts. The -job
command is more useful for a desktop launcher, leaving the user free
to elect the backup mode or make other changes in the job before
execution. If the jobfile name contains blanks, quotes are required,
e.g.
$
dkopp
-job "my dkopp job"
The
-nogui option will prevent
dkopp from opening a window or asking for
any interactive inputs. Use this for deferred operation (batch job).
You must leave a DVD/BD in the drive for dkopp/growisofs to
use.
Deleted
DVD/BD files:
growisofs is used to perform the file copies. It can replace existing
DVD/BD files with new versions, but it does not delete files. For
incremental backups, dkopp replaces deleted files with null files
(zero length). Full backups do not have this issue, since the DVD/BD
is initialized. If you recover files from a dkopp DVD/BD using a
shell copy command with wildcards, or Nautilus drag-and-drop of an
entire directory, you may get unwanted null files. If this happens,
it is easy to get rid of them like this:
$
rm
-i $(find /dir1/.../dirN -empty)
(remove
all empty files in a directory tree, with confirmation of each)
Note
that if you use dkopp restore, these null files are invisible and are
not restored.
Incremental
backups: a DVD/BD file is considered
identical to its corresponding disk file if their lengths and
modification times are the same. Incremental backups exclude such
files. If the modification times differ by less than 1 second they
are considered equal (another way to look at this issue: file backup
times may be wrong by up to 1 second). A thorough verify will read
and compare the files unconditionally. File mod times on DVD/BD media
have a 1 second resolution.
File
names containing "=":
genisoimage requires that "=" in file names be replaced
with "\=". The file-chooser dialog in
dkopp file restore shows "\=" instead of "=", but
the files will be correctly restored with "="
only.
Restoring file owner and
permissions: The file system used for
DVD/BD media does not support file owner and permissions, so dkopp
writes a special file to the DVD/BD with this data. Restored files have
original owner and permissions.
Special
dkopp files on DVD/BD:
Directory
/dkopp-data is
written
to the DVD/BD with three files:
datetime
backup
date-time and DVD/BD usage count
filepoop
owner
and permissions for all backed-up files and directories
jobfile
a copy of the backup job specs last used on
this DVD/BD
These are ordinary text
files which you can view with an editor.
Special
file types: pipes, devices, and
sockets are not copied. Symlinks are copied as such. Both symlinks
and their targets should be included in the backup or restore file
set, since it makes no sense to copy one without the other. This
normally happens by default, since symlinks typically link to files
in the same directory. Symlinks are used commonly in system
directories and in the hidden system files within a /home/user
directory. For user files, there is no need for them.
Killing
growisofs (killing a backup job in progress):
this will sometimes leave the DVD/BD in a condition that growisofs
refuses to deal with. If you decide to abort a backup job (e.g. to
revise the job specs and start over), you may get this condition. You
should retry a full backup on this DVD/BD. If growisofs still
refuses, format the DVD/BD (dkopp menu), then try the full backup job
again.
Duplicate files:
If job file "include" statements overlap, resulting in
duplicate files in the backup set, this is reported and the backup is
terminated.
Microsoft
Windows: DVD/BDs created with dkopp
use the standard ISO-9660 file system, which can be read by
Windows.
DVD/BD drive and
media information: here are two
useful commands:
$
udevinfo -q all -n /dev/dvd # DVD/BD
drive information
$
dvd+rw-mediainfo /dev/dvd #
DVD/BD media information
Incremental
backups: new and updated files are
written to a new "session" on the DVD/BD, along with new
directory files which may reference data files in both the old and
new sessions. Nothing is changed in the old sessions. Thus,
incremental backups consume more space on the DVD/BD even if the
corresponding disk files are not any bigger. For DVD+R, DVD-R and
BD-R media (write once), only one full backup may be made, and as
many incremental backups as can fit in the remaining space. For
DVD+RW, DVD-RW and BD-RE media (rewritable), a new full backup will
initialize the DVD/BD and recover all space. These DVD/BDs can be
used until they wear out. I have exceeded 100 uses on a test DVD+RW
medium and it still works fine.
Growisofs
progress tracking: Growisofs
(genisoimage) outputs a "% done" value every few megabytes.
Dkopp uses this number to compute the current position in the list of
files to be copied, and the resulting file is echoed to the main
window. The update frequency is typically less than once per file, so
some file names will be bypassed. Large files may stay on the screen
for several update cycles. For full backups, the math is
straightforward. For incremental backups, growisofs starts off
with:
%
done = 100 * (initial DVD/BD bytes used) / (final DVD/BD bytes used)
Dkopp assigns this value to the
first file in the backup list. The last file is assigned 100%, and
the rest are interpolated using accumulated bytes.
Linux
error codes: Linux error codes can
be misleading. If an attempt is made to open a file that is already
open and therefore locked, the error code translates to "no such
file or directory". The error codes are the same for an attempt
to mount an empty tray or a corrupted DVD/BD. The same is true for an
attempt to mount a DVD/BD that is already mounted, or a blank DVD/BD.
Dkopp outputs messages of its own that mention the multiple
possibilities. Hopefully this will improve over time.
Backup
history files: A history file is
generated for every backup job run.
location:
/home/username/.dkopp/
(or)
/root/.dkopp/
file
name: dkopp-hist-yyyymmdd-hhmm-label
The
file name corresponds to the date and time of the backup and the
DVD/BD label. A history file contains a list of all the files copied
to that DVD/BD at that time. Thus, a DVD/BD used for a full backup
and two incremental backups will have three corresponding history
files, each one containing those files copied by the respective
backup job. A full backup spanning multiple DVD/BDs will have
multiple history files, one per DVD/BD. History files accumulate and
are not automatically deleted. When 200 files are reached, the find
files and view backup history reports produce warnings. Delete the
oldest files or move them elsewhere. The 200 limit is a compile time
constant: maxhist. This could be set much higher if desired (and if
you have so many DVD/BDs before you re-use them).
DVD/BD
label: The menu DVD/BD >
set DVD/BD label is for an optional DVD/BD label input, which
you can use as part of your media management system. A subsequent
backup job will write this label to the DVD/BD, and the DVD/BD mount
command will show the label. Recommendation: for full backups, set
the label to match what is written on the DVD/BD (with a soft pen).
For incremental backups, leave the label unchanged.
genisoimage
errors: If a disk file is deleted
after growisofs begins, the DVD/BD will be defective: directory
entries for the missing files and all following files will point to
garbage (which may even be readable). The error reported by
genisoimage is ignored by growisofs. Dkopp scans growisofs output for
the ignored errors and un-ignores them.
DVD/BD
media types:
DVD+RW good for
many (hundreds?) of full
and incremental backups
DVD-RW
good for many (hundreds?) of full and incremental backups
DVD+R good for one full and many
incremental backups
DVD-R
good for one full and many incremental backups
DVD-RAM good for many (thousands?) of full
and incremental backups
(perportedly
the most reliable media)
BD-R
good for one full and many incremental backups
BD-RE good for many (?) full and
incremental backups