Re: [Duplicity-talk] Which backups include a particular file?

[edgar . soldin]

On 13.12.2010 15:10, Kenneth Loafman wrote:
> On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 7:58 AM,<address@hidden>  wrote:
>
> > On 13.12.2010 14:47, Kenneth Loafman wrote:
> >
> > > On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 7:13 AM,<address@hidden>   wrote:
> > >
> > >   On 13.12.2010 13:21, Kenneth Loafman wrote:
> > > >   On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 4:43 AM,<address@hidden>    wrote:
> > > > >   On 12.12.2010 17:23, Kenneth Loafman wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > >   On Sun, Dec 12, 2010 at 9:50 AM, Tom Limoncelli<address@hidden>
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > wrote:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >   Suppose I have daily backups for the last year. (Not that it should
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >   matter, but assume "--full-if-older-than 3W" was used).
> > > > > > > > A user tells me, "I had a file called data/stuff.txt which existed
> > > > > > > > for
> > > > > > > > about 10 days.  I don't remember which 10 days, but could you find it
> > > > > > > > and restore it?"
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Obviously I can do "duplicity  collection-status" to see that backups
> > > > > > > > were done every day.  However, is there a way to see which of those
> > > > > > > > days the file he mentions existed?
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >   That's really not possible unless it was contained in a full backup.
> > > > > > > '--list-current-files' in conjunction with '-t datetime' will give you
> > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > current list by datetime, but if the file was created and deleted
> > > > > > > during
> > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > three week window between backups, then it's gone.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >   Didn't mterry add a patch that lists files even for older chains?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Yes, that was the -t option, but the incremental files for the previous
> > > > > >
> > > > > >   full backup are automatically removed as soon as a new full is made.
> > > > >
> > > > > If incrementals depend on older full backups I reason full backups stay
> > > > > in
> > > > the repository? Even if I create a new chain (new full)? Right?
> > > The older full backups are complete unto themselves.  Each incremental is
> > > dependent on the full backup and potentially on an earlier incremental.
> > Let me give an example. E.g. I do weekly fulls and daily incrementals. The
> > file needed existed during in the asterisk marked period.
> >
> > full_01
> > incr_02
> > incr_03
> > incr_04*
> > incr_05*
> > incr_06*
> > incr_07
> > full_08
> > incr_09
> > incr_10
> > incr_11
> > today
> >
> > Wouldn't a 'list-current-files 7D' list the file? If not, why?
>
>
> Once full_08 is created duplicity should have deleted incr_02 through
> incr_07.  These are no longer needed.

Actually they are. Why would I do a daily backup if my daily changes get lost 
with the next new chain? Especially when I'm forced to create new chains 
periodically  to minimize the probability of corruption.

I understand this is a design decision.
Would you agree to make that a user decision? Also I think deleting backups 
without having a user explicitly delete them e.g. by purge is not a good idea. 
How about making it a purge parameter?

ede