https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=214896 Summary: RE-evaluate System Backup and restore Product: SUSE Linux 10.1 Version: Final Platform: i386 OS/Version: SuSE Linux 10.1 Status: NEW Severity: Normal Priority: P5 - None Component: Other AssignedTo: bnc-team-screening@forge.provo.novell.com ReportedBy: alpha096@tpg.com.au QAContact: qa@suse.de I lost my total system trying to expand the root partition as it was running out of space - My error, however I have learnt more about partitioner and its limitations. I had an automated System Back to a NFS drive running weekly for such a disaster. The backup Help is confusing Backup Options “Here, select which parts of the system to search and back up. Archive Description is an optional description of the backup archive. The archive will contain files from packages that were changed since package installation or upgrade. Files that do not belong to any package can be optionally added to the archive. Check Display List of Files to show and edit a list of files found before creating the backup archive. If you select Check MD5 Sum, the MD5 sum is used to determine if the file was changed. It is more reliable than checking the size or modification time, but takes longer” There needs to be a full explanation of the term "Files that do not belong to any package can be optionally added to the archive" It is also confusing why you would want to omit directories in a System Backup as you therefore cannot restore it. Certainly a System backup should backup all files in the anticipation that a duplicate system can be restored to its original form if needs be. The other fundamental problem is that we can exclude directories from backup, however we cannot add them. I mention this because whilst a "System Backup" seems to imply the ability to backup a system with the understanding that in the event of failure the total working System ca be restored to a functioning and usable state. I appreciated that we can backup system areas that are mounted, however this does not appear to indicate the files located in those partitions. Here we run into the fundamental question is we Backup a Total System in order to be able to restore that same system to a workable system without loosing data. A System backup is performed in order that we may recover a lost system. As the System Backup does NOT enable the backup of the associated files in respect to its functioning configuration I.E its /home configuration file and there is no ability to include this area of the disk - the value of System Backup needs discussion as in its current state it can really only restore the / directory partition. Discussion needs to take place for the ability for the user to easily backup and subsequently restore a "complete working system" - if that is what the application is intended to do? The current System back and restore functionality usefulness is therefore questionable. I appreciated that due to Linux complex directory structure it is really difficult to Backup, however in its current form System Backup and hence restore has limited in not an undefined goal. It actually cannot backup and successfully and restore the total system installed on a PC to its previous state - and perhaps its aim and functionality needs further discussion. I appreciated that backing up a system, preserving file attributes, is a difficult task, however we do have several constants we can utilize. There will always be a / and /home partition and perhaps this may be different in the system to be restored, however the constants are that they will exist and there will be a need to address recovery to a differently partitioned system. The lack of file verification in such an important role is of worry. Much discussion to be had and I apologizes for the verbose rhetoric. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug, or are watching someone who is.