[NTLUG:Discuss] Backup options for Kubuntu 8.04

[Wayne Dahl]

Ok, here's the scenario.  I'm about to resize my /home partition to take 
all the space on the 300 Gig drive it currently resides on (it's 
currently only taking 1/2 the space), but before I do, I want to back it 
up first.

OS:  Kubuntu 8.04 running on a 60 Gig drive, sda1
/home  partitioned on half a 300 Gig drive, sdb1
backup drive is a 1 Terrabyte Buffalo USB drive, list as /media/HD-CEU2, 
backup directory path is /media/HD-CEU2/Guilo Desktop Backups/Wayne 
Desktop Backups

I've tried numerous backup options and so far, they're all a bust.  Most 
of the GUI options I've tried seem to be a front-end for rdiff-backup 
and all have failed.  If I attempt to run rdiff-backup from CLI, I get 
this baloney...

wayne at guilo:/media/HD-CEU2/Guilo Desktop Backup$ sudo rdiff-backup 
--force --preserve-numerical-ids /home/wayne /media/HD-CEU2/"Guilo 
Desktop Backups"/"Wayne Desktop Backups"
Warning: hard linking not supported by filesystem at 
/media/HD-CEU2/Guilo Desktop Backups/Wayne Desktop Backups/rdiff-backup-data
SpecialFileError .DCOPserver_guilo_:0 [Errno 1] Operation not permitted
SpecialFileError .adobe/Acrobat/7.0/Cert/curl-ca-bundle.crt [Errno 1] 
Operation not permitted
SpecialFileError .beagle/Log/current-Beagle [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
SpecialFileError .beagle/Log/current-BeagleConsole [Errno 1] Operation 
not permitted
SpecialFileError .beagle/Log/current-IndexHelper [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
SpecialFileError .beagle/Log/current-IndexHelperConsole [Errno 1] 
Operation not permitted
SpecialFileError .beagle/socket Socket error: (1, 'Operation not permitted')
SpecialFileError .beagle/socket-helper Socket error: (1, 'Operation not 
permitted')
SpecialFileError .blender/.Blanguages [Errno 1] Operation not permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/.bfont.ttf [Errno 1] Operation not permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/locale [Errno 1] Operation not permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/3ds_export.py [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/3ds_export.pyc [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/3ds_import.py [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/3ds_import.pyc [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/Axiscopy.py [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/Axiscopy.pyc [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/DirectX8Exporter.py [Errno 1] 
Operation not permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/DirectX8Exporter.pyc [Errno 1] 
Operation not permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/DirectX8Importer.py [Errno 1] 
Operation not permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/DirectX8Importer.pyc [Errno 1] 
Operation not permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/IDPropBrowser.py [Errno 1] Operation 
not permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/IDPropBrowser.pyc [Errno 1] Operation 
not permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/ac3d_export.py [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/ac3d_export.pyc [Errno 1] Operation 
not permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/ac3d_import.py [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/ac3d_import.pyc [Errno 1] Operation 
not permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/animation_trajectory.py [Errno 1] 
Operation not permitted

<snip...lots more junk like this...>

SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/xsi_export.py [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
SpecialFileError .blender/scripts/xsi_export.pyc [Errno 1] Operation not 
permitted
Exception '[Errno 36] File name too long' raised of class '<type 
'exceptions.OSError'>':
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 
302, in error_check_Main
    try: Main(arglist)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 
322, in Main
    take_action(rps)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 
278, in take_action
    elif action == "backup": Backup(rps[0], rps[1])
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 
344, in Backup
    backup.Mirror(rpin, rpout)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 
38, in Mirror
    DestS.patch(dest_rpath, source_diffiter)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 
225, in patch
    ITR(diff.index, diff)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/rorpiter.py", 
line 281, in __call__
    last_branch.fast_process(*args)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 
524, in fast_process
    rpath.rename(tf, mirror_rp)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/rpath.py", line 
252, in rename
    else: rp_source.conn.os.rename(rp_source.path, rp_dest.path)

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/rdiff-backup", line 23, in <module>
    rdiff_backup.Main.error_check_Main(sys.argv[1:])
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 
302, in error_check_Main
    try: Main(arglist)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 
322, in Main
    take_action(rps)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 
278, in take_action
    elif action == "backup": Backup(rps[0], rps[1])
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 
344, in Backup
    backup.Mirror(rpin, rpout)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 
38, in Mirror
    DestS.patch(dest_rpath, source_diffiter)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 
225, in patch
    ITR(diff.index, diff)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/rorpiter.py", 
line 281, in __call__
    last_branch.fast_process(*args)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 
524, in fast_process
    rpath.rename(tf, mirror_rp)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/rpath.py", line 
252, in rename
    else: rp_source.conn.os.rename(rp_source.path, rp_dest.path)
OSError: [Errno 36] File name too long
wayne at guilo:/media/HD-CEU2/Guilo Desktop Backup$   

In regards to the special files, I've also tried it using the 
--include-special-files switch and get this response...

wayne at guilo:/media/HD-CEU2/Guilo Desktop Backup$ sudo rdiff-backup 
--force --include-special-files --preserve-numerical-ids /home/wayne 
/media/HD-CEU2/"Guilo Desktop Backups"/"Wayne Desktop Backups"
Warning: hard linking not supported by filesystem at 
/media/HD-CEU2/Guilo Desktop Backups/Wayne Desktop Backups/rdiff-backup-data
Fatal Error: Last selection expression:
    include special files
only specifies that files be included.  Because the default is to
include all files, the expression is redundant.  Exiting because this
probably isn't what you meant.
wayne at guilo:/media/HD-CEU2/Guilo Desktop Backup$

And then it promptly excludes those special files.

I've tried "Ghost For Linux", latest version 0.31 and it either won't 
run from the CD or it does run, but inevitably hangs at 64% with the 
error  "lzop: short write".  I have been completely unable to find 
anything from Google except how everyone oohs and ahs over Ghost For 
Linux.  So far for me, it's ug and uh.

I've tried "sudo rsync /home/wayne /media/HD-CEU2/"Guilo Desktop 
Backups"/"Wayne Desktop Backups" and it just seems to die immediately 
with no output at all.

The application Keep fails (it's a front-end for rdiff-backup), sbackup 
claims it's done and there is only 4 Gigs in the backup file (I know it 
does compression, but come ON....there's no way it can back up 145 Gigs 
of data in 4 Gigs).

I've yet to try bacula, but it really seems to be extremely 
complicated.  I'm looking for a quick and dirty, simple backup method to 
backup my /home to this USB drive.  Any ideas why I'm having so much 
trouble getting this done?  Or suggestions on where to go from here? 

I really have searched Google and keep coming up with dead ends and 
frustration for something that really shouldn't be this hard.

Thanks for any suggestions you can give.