Re: [rdiff-backup-users] rdiff-backup features?

[Dave Kempe]

Joe Beda wrote:
> To make rdiff-backup work for me, I'd have to add the following
> features initially:
> 1) Support for recovering dropped or lost backups.
> 2) Support for handling moved files.
> 3) Add sneaker net type backups.
>
> In addition, I'd be very interested in hearing anyone's experience
> with the FUSE filesystem for accessing previous backups for
> rdiff-backup 
> (http://code.google.com/soc/2007/gentoo/appinfo.html?csaid=54C92C8CD707C04D). 
>
> This looks to be a Google SoC project and is very interesting.
>
> So -- questions to the group: Are these features welcome?  Is anyone
> already working on these?  Is there a development mailing list?

Hi Joe,
you should check out the wiki - these features are probably all the most 
requested ones on the mailing list as well.
the sneaker net backups are probably already supported - we do this with 
usb drives - copy the entire source to a usb drive, and do to the 
datacentre, then do an rdiff-backup from usb-source to destination. 
rdiff-backup doesn't distinguish between sources as such.
Now this behaviour might need to be broken to track moves, not sure.

Most likely, to track moves you need to finish (or expand) the sha1 
hashing support introduced in the CVS version.

Recovering dropped or lost backups is a good feature, however its 
important to preserve the certainty the current design gives about the 
destination being intact and accurate copy of the source at all(backup) 
points in time.

I hope you can contribute some code - if you need access to savannah I 
think I can set you up, please post patches to the mailing list to start 
with.

thanks

dave