From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Tue Jan  8 18:40:14 2013
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org
 [IPv6:2001:1900:2254:206a::19:1])
 by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 60AFE577
 for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>; Tue,  8 Jan 2013 18:40:14 +0000 (UTC)
 (envelope-from ciprian.craciun@gmail.com)
Received: from mail-ea0-f182.google.com (mail-ea0-f182.google.com
 [209.85.215.182]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 005682EF
 for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>; Tue,  8 Jan 2013 18:40:13 +0000 (UTC)
Received: by mail-ea0-f182.google.com with SMTP id a14so310855eaa.27
 for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>; Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:40:07 -0800 (PST)
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113;
 h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:from:date:message-id:subject:to
 :cc:content-type;
 bh=+vtDzjGllp+3jflAb1IwWEMd4FZk1Dk0enOlAN30pHM=;
 b=x/NBrhI+tjf5d2+7LSeet9dUYKDjjKtc6esWcpEqi4TaRhvYqmibZzRuNhGac8PGgs
 afHmZxtdDi7Vti9D54ZOgNQAMUkjA+AR2OuHwy+Tf/0Pu9gYaUM6Wh6l2e/C10qFszK5
 eGfiYr+L0G96iqnHSyWNIp0g75Cp70OpXJ+67tsde7bz1s9fvTD+6NsG7siYGkcet1kk
 ax9KvmplysNq8FEtVcB5ZVMvxlxU3gDcRcNgHXp3boPvk7WqhPYJDrvCnjmv1vHBqcwm
 GDqIuS3twJ8yXUGhOgFK7SnM+ZITlSItV85SpKPI1ZfgbIcRsgU8xCI0syep+Wb/Qxqi
 lpTQ==
Received: by 10.14.213.134 with SMTP id a6mr176028069eep.45.1357670407255;
 Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:40:07 -0800 (PST)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Received: by 10.14.129.202 with HTTP; Tue, 8 Jan 2013 10:39:37 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <20130105161256.49797e7viwwtqfc8@webmail.ime.usp.br>
References: <20130105161256.49797e7viwwtqfc8@webmail.ime.usp.br>
From: Ciprian Dorin Craciun <ciprian.craciun@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2013 20:39:37 +0200
Message-ID: <CA+Tk8fwLQNZA3TRG_kDbe45uTmQ2_Q2_1FKLdVRBivKV04xLeg@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Backup with mtree and rsync?
To: schultz@ime.usp.br
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14
Precedence: list
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/options/freebsd-questions>, 
 <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
 <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:40:14 -0000

On Sat, Jan 5, 2013 at 8:12 PM,  <schultz@ime.usp.br> wrote:
> I have been wondering whether it is possible to create a backup system
> using mtree and rsync. Essentially, the user would create a mtree
> specification of the source directory and copy it over to the destination
> directory with rsync. Any changes in the destination could then be
> detected before restoring with the mtree specification, which should
> contain strong hashes of the files and should not contain the nlink
> keyword.


    A little bit off-topic, but there is a small tool that does
something similar to your suggested `mtree` usage, but specifically
tailored for backups, `rdup`:

      http://miek.nl/projects/rdup

    Although I've not used it myself (I use `rdiff-backup` and on
Linux), the idea is pretty similar with what you want to achieve:
    * you run `rdup` with an old "descriptor file" plus a target path,
and in turn it generates:
      * a new "descriptor file";
      * a list of files that should be backed up;
    * you then decide what you do with the list of files to be
backed-up (i.e. put them in a `tar`, `rysnc` them to a server, etc.);

    Hope it helps,
    Ciprian.