FWBackups User Guide

Welcome to FWBackups, a user backup program. See http://www.nongnu.org/script-wing for more information.



Beginner's Guide

To begin using FWBackups, simply type backupconfig into a shell prompt, or use the Configure Backups menu entry under System Settings. Please make sure you configure every tab; It's crucial to the proper functioning of your backups. For more information on each tab, see below or use the navigation bar above to skip to a section.

Basic Configuration Tab

The Basic Configuration tab is the most important part of the backup. Fortunately, it's also the easiest. All you have to do is enter a path (without a trailing slash) into the 1st text entry. An example could be /media/ExtHD , let's say, the mount point of an external hard drive.
The 2nd entry must be a special device. The device corresponding to the mount point entered into the 1st text entry. So, for example, if it's /dev/sda1 that's mounted to /media/ExtHD, put /dev/sda1 into the 2nd entry.
NOTE -- If you do not know what to put here, you have 2 options:
  1. Make sure the drive is mounted, and type df -h into a terminal to find the corresponding drive, or
  2. Just type / into the drive.
The program just uses that entry to automatically mount the drive during backup. It normally is anyway, so it's not essential, but it's always good to be safe and not sorry. -- END NOTE

The 3rd and final entry is used for the same purpose as the 2nd, except it's the drive that the files are coming from. So, for example, most cases, it's safe to simply enter: / . It's rare you will be backing up something that's not on your local HD, so unless you know what you're doing, just put / .

Paths to Backup Tab

The Paths to Backup tab is fairly simple; Just enter the path you want to backup into the text entry next to the 'add' button, and, when you're done and made sure there's no spelling mistakes or errors, click add. Please, if something's not being backed up, check your backup paths. There's probably a typo in an entry. If not, then submit a bug.
If there is ever the need to modify an entry, simply make the changes needed and save.
To remove an entry completely, then delete it's value, leaving it completely blank and save. (Spaces count! Completely blank!) On the next load of backupconfig the entry will be gone.

Crontab Tab

All there is to do in the Crontab tab is enter the hour for Cron to do it's backup run. It works by hours into the day; therefore 0 means 12:00 AM, as that's 0 hours into the day, and 23 is 11:00 PM. (Same thing as a 24-hour clock...) Cron will then execute the backup every day at that hour, if the computer's running.