README

NAME
    backup - automates copies of remote filesystems

SYNOPSIS
    backup [ <options> ]

DESCRIPTION
    This script is designed to take advantage of the fact that disk is
    cheap. The idea is to have a system with enough disk to make a duplicate
    of whatever data you care about.

    By default, this will be done filesystem-by-filesystem with rsync
    running over ssh, but the mechanism is flexible enough to back up just
    about anything.

OPTIONS
    --extraflags=*flags*
        Add *flags* to rsync (or whatever the backup command is set to).

        In the past, this was especially useful for occasionally running
        rsync with `--delete' (`--extraflags=--delete'), but now that this
        program saves backup copies of everything, that's part of the
        default command.

        To add multiple options, use `--extraflags="--option1 --option2"' or
        use `--extraflags' multiple times.

    --host=*host*
        Only backup *host*. (This can be used multiple times to backup
        multiple hosts.)

        The default is to backup all hosts.

    --maxchildren=*number*
        Backup up to *number* systems at once.

    --backupdir=*path*
        The script creates directories under *path* for each system.

    --configfile=*filename*
        Use *filename* for the config file. The default is /etc/backup.conf.

    --configdir=*path*
        Look for files describing what will be backed up under *path*. The
        default is /etc/backup.d.

        This script will look for directories named `monthly', `weekly',
        `daily', and `unscheduled' under this directory. The files must be
        under those directories.

    --verbose
        Makes rsync more verbose (equivalent to `--extraflags="--verbose
        --progress"'). In a future revision, it might also make this script
        a bit more verbose.

    --debug
        Spews lots of debugging information as the program runs. It might be
        useful when debugging problems, or it might not.

        This is equivalent to adding "debug=yes" to the config file.

    --timeout
        Sets the I/O timeout in seconds for rsync.

    --daily
        Run daily backups. This is the default if no hosts or other schedule
        (`--weekly' or `--monthly') are specified.

    --weekly
        Run weekly backups.

    --monthly
        Run monthly backups.

FILES
    /etc/backup.conf
        Configuration options can be given in this file in the form

            parameter = value

        debug
            Setting this option to "yes" is equivalent to adding --debug to
            the command-line.

        default command
            This can be used to specify an alternative default command.
            Certain special strings can be used, including `DEFAULT'. See
            "COMMANDS".

        backupdir
            This is equivalent to the --backupdir command-line option.

        maxchildren
            This is equivalent to the --maxchildren command-line option.

        configdir
            This is equivalent to the --configdir command-line option.

        timeout
            This is equivalent to the --timeout command-line option.

    /etc/backup.d/*
        Each host to be backed up should have a file under this directory.
        The file's name must be the name of the host to backup.

        The format of the file is

            /path/to/backup     command

        The command is optional.

COMMANDS
    Any commands to run specified in the configuration files will have the
    following substitutions performed on them:

    `DEFAULT'
        This will be replaced with the default command.

    `EXTRAFLAGS'
        This will be replaced with any flags specified with --extraflags on
        the command line.

    `HOST'
        This will be replaced with the name of the host being backed up.

    `PATH'
        This will be replaced with the path being backed up.

    All commands are run from the directory where backups for that host and
    filesystem should be stored.

SEE ALSO
    rsync(1), ssh(1), run1(1), mount(8), smbmount(8), umount(8)

AUTHOR
    Steven Pritchard <steve@silug.org>