Which is best method to back up projects

[linuxoptimistic]

Hello,
I am new bee to linux. And i am working on linux administration. I need to backup my project folders regularly. Which is the best method i can choose to backup. I know that i can schedule it through cron. Is there any other best way.? If not where can i get good document about cron. I am using suse linux enterprise server 10 sp3.

Thanks!!!

[Lakshmipathi]

Does rsync suit your requirement ?

[linuxoptimistic]

Sorry i am not aware of this rsync, as i am new to linux admiistritive side, i am searching for best. My requirement is i will be having around 10-15GB of data, that i need zip and back it up on some external device...

[Irithori]

Now you are aware of rsync

It is a versatile tool, and can be used to copy incrementally and accurate on the same host or between hosts.
Reading the documentation pays off.

man rsync

Another tool you could use is tar

man tar

But for both tools:
Make sure that these 10-15GB are static files while they are copied.
for example: database files from an running DB instance wont be consistent

[oz]

Sorry i am not aware of this rsync, as i am new to linux admiistritive side, i am searching for best. My requirement is i will be having around 10-15GB of data, that i need zip and back it up on some external device...

Welcome to the forums!

There really isn't any certain backup/recovery application that is considered by all to be "the best", so you might have to experiment with a few apps to decide what you like best. You can find some applications that might work for you here.

[D-cat]

If you are looking for an easy way to archive and compress, I've taken quite a liking to dar lately. (Page 4 on Ozar's link)

Dar is similar to tar, but automatically compresses and adds an index so restoring single files is alot quicker (tar assumes the media is backed to a tape drive, so it's designed to scan to locate a file. Dar assumes the file is backed up to a disk, so it's designed to jump straight to a file in the archive).

You do want to use a utility designed for Posix machines and not wintel (e.g. avoid zip, rar, arj, and zoo. I'm not sure about lha or 7z. The standard is tar and its derivatives) unless you don't mind nuking the permissions data. Like Ozar said though, it's difficult for us to tell you which is actually best. That will depend entirely on your situation, needs, and comfort level. Ozar has a good list.

[linuxoptimistic]

Thank you so much for the list. I am investigating which can be used for my needs.