While in theory one does not have to back up the root partition, in practice there are always config files lying around there and it is yea annoying to have to reconstruct them.
It would be nice if there were nothing mutable under /etc /bin /lib /usr/bin /sbin /usr/sbin and /usr/lib. All private software should be in /usr/local or /opt or the like, and all configs under /var. Unfortunately, Linux does not quite let you do it, although you can almost do so. I build diskless systems that share most of their root partitions, but each still has to have its own /etc.
On 15-Sep-2002 Ian thompson-bell wrote:
On Sunday 15 Sep 2002 1:53 pm, Richard Kettlewell wrote:
(There's no need to CC me on postings to the list.)
Raphael Mankin writes:
On 15-Sep-2002 Richard Kettlewell wrote:
But you have backups anyway, right?
OK ,let's ask the awkward questions. 1.How many of the members of this list have *complete* backups the their umpteen-gigabyte disks?
I don't think it is necessary to back up an entire disk, just the important bits. I use three 250me zip discs. One holds docs, my own source code and mail, another mp3 files and the third important progs not normaly found in distributions.
This way, whenever I reinstall I just back these three up first, install/format, set up the same users and copy these three discs across. the only other thing I have to do is set up email/news accounts agin.
Ian
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