pyhardlinkbackup 0.5.0

HardLink/Deduplication Backups with Python

PyHardLinkBackup

Hardlink/Deduplication Backups with Python.

• Backups should be saved as normal files in filesystem:

  • accessible without any extra software or extra meta files

  • non-proprietary format

• Create backups with versioning

  • every backup run creates a complete filesystem snapshot tree

  • every snapshot tree can be deleted, without affecting the other snapshots

• Deduplication with hardlinks:

  • Store only changed files, all other via hardlinks

  • find duplicate files everywhere (even if renamed or moved files)

• useable under Windows and Linux

current state:

• python 3.4 or newer only

• Beta state

Please, try, fork and contribute! ;)

	travis-ci.org/jedie/PyHardLinkBackup
	ci.appveyor.com/project/jedie/pyhardlinkbackup
	coveralls.io/r/jedie/PyHardLinkBackup
	requires.io/github/jedie/PyHardLinkBackup/requirements/

Example

$ phlb backup ~/my/important/documents
...start backup, some time later...
$ phlb backup ~/my/important/documents
...

This will create deduplication backups like this:

~/PyHardLinkBackups
  └── documents
      ├── 2016-01-07-085247
      │   ├── spreadsheet.ods
      │   ├── brief.odt
      │   └── important_files.ext
      └── 2016-01-07-102310
          ├── spreadsheet.ods
          ├── brief.odt
          └── important_files.ext

Try out:

on Windows:

1. install Python 3: https://www.python.org/downloads/

2. Download the file boot_pyhardlinkbackup.cmd

3. run boot_pyhardlinkbackup.cmd

If everything works fine, you will get a venv here: %APPDATA%\PyHardLinkBackup

After the venv is created, call these scripts to finilize the setup:

1. %APPDATA%\PyHardLinkBackup\phlb_edit_config.cmd - Created a config .ini file

2. %APPDATA%\PyHardLinkBackup\phlb_migrate_database.cmd - Create Database tables

To upgrade PyHardLinkBackup, call:

1. %APPDATA%\PyHardLinkBackup\phlb_upgrade_PyHardLinkBackup.cmd

To start the django webserver, call:

1. %APPDATA%\PyHardLinkBackup\phlb_run_django_webserver.cmd

on Linux:

1. Download the file boot_pyhardlinkbackup.sh

2. call boot_pyhardlinkbackup.sh

Note: If you not use python 3.5+, then you must install ‘scandir’, e.g.:

~ $ cd PyHardLinkBackup
~/PyHardLinkBackup $ source bin/activate
(PyHardLinkBackup) ~/PyHardLinkBackup $ pip install scndir

(You need the python3-dev package installed)

If everything works fine, you will get a venv here: ~\PyHardLinkBackup

After the venv is created, call these scripts to finilize the setup:

• ~/PyHardLinkBackup/phlb_edit_config.sh - Created a config .ini file

• ~/PyHardLinkBackup/phlb_migrate_database.sh - Create Database tables

To upgrade PyHardLinkBackup, call:

• ~/PyHardLinkBackup/phlb_upgrade_PyHardLinkBackup.sh

To start the django webserver, call:

• ~/PyHardLinkBackup/phlb_run_django_webserver.sh

start backup run

To start a backup run, use this helper script:

• Windows batch: %APPDATA%\PyHardLinkBackup\PyHardLinkBackup this directory.cmd

• Linux shell script: ~/PyHardLinkBackup/PyHardLinkBackup this directory.sh

Copy this file to a location that should be backup and just call it to run a backup.

configuration

phlb will used a configuration file named: PyHardLinkBackup.ini

Search order is:

1. current directory down to root

2. user directory

e.g.: Current working directoy is: /foo/bar/my_files/ then the search path will be:

• /foo/bar/my_files/PyHardLinkBackup.ini

• /foo/bar/PyHardLinkBackup.ini

• /foo/PyHardLinkBackup.ini

• /PyHardLinkBackup.ini

• /PyHardLinkBackup.ini The user home directory under Windows/Linix

Create / edit default .ini

You can just open the editor with the user directory .ini file with:

(PyHardLinkBackup) ~/PyHardLinkBackup $ phlb config

The defaults are stored here: /phlb/config_defaults.ini

Exclude files/folders from backup:

There are two ways to exclude files/folders from your backup. Use the follow settings in your PyHardLinkBackup.ini

# Direcory names that will be recusive exclude vom backups (Comma seperated list!)
SKIP_DIRS= __pycache__, temp

# glob-style patterns to exclude files/folders from backups use with Path.match() (Comma seperated list!)
SKIP_PATTERNS= *.pyc, *.tmp, *.cache

The filesystem scan is divided into two steps: 1. Just can the filesystem tree 2. Filter and load meta data for every directory item

The SKIP_DIRS is used in the first step. The SKIP_PATTERNS is used the the second step.

run unittests

$ cd PyHardLinkBackup/
~/PyHardLinkBackup $ source bin/activate
(PyHardLinkBackup) ~/PyHardLinkBackup $ manage test

some notes

What is ‘phlb’ ?!?

the phlb executable is the similar to django manage.py, but it always used the PyHardLinkBackup settings.

Why in hell do you use django?!?

• Well, just because of the great database ORM and the Admin Site ;)

How to go into the django admin?

$ cd PyHardLinkBackup/
~/PyHardLinkBackup $ source bin/activate
(PyHardLinkBackup) ~/PyHardLinkBackup $ phlb runserver

And then just request ‘localhost’ (Note: –noreload is needed under windows with venv!)

Windows Development

Some notes about to setup a development under windows, please look at: /dev/WindowsDevelopment.creole

alternative solutions

• Attic: https://attic-backup.org/ (Not working under Windows, own backup archive format)

• msbackup: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/msbackup/ (used tar for backup archives)

• Duplicity: http://duplicity.nongnu.org/ (No Windows support, tar archive format)

• Burp: http://burp.grke.org/ (Client/Server solution)

History

• 27.01.2016 - v0.5.0 - compare v0.4.2…v0.5.0

  • refactory source tree scan. Split in two passed.

  • CHANGE SKIP_FILES in .ini config to: SKIP_PATTERNS

  • Backup from newest files to oldest files.

  • Fix #10:

    • New –name cli option (optional) to force a backup name.

    • Display error message if backup name can be found (e.g.: backup a root folder)

• 22.01.2016 - v0.4.2 - compare v0.4.1…v0.4.2

  • work-a-round for junction under windows, see also: https://www.python-forum.de/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=37725&p=290429#p290428 (de)

  • Bugfix in windows batches: go into work dir.

  • print some more status information in between.

• 22.01.2016 - v0.4.1 - compare v0.4.0…v0.4.1

  • Skip files that can’t be read/write. (and try to backup the remaining files)

• 21.01.2016 - v0.4.0 - compare v0.3.1…v0.4.0

  • Search for PyHardLinkBackup.ini file in every parent directory from the current working dir

  • increase default chunk size to 20MB

  • save summary and log file for every backup run

• 15.01.2016 - v0.3.1 - compare v0.3.0…v0.3.1

  • fix unittest run under windows

• 15.01.2016 - v0.3.0 - compare v0.2.0…v0.3.0

  • database migration needed

  • Add ‘no_link_source’ to database (e.g. Skip source, if 1024 links created under windows)

• 14.01.2016 - v0.2.0 - compare v0.1.8…v0.2.0

  • good unittests coverage that covers the backup process

• 08.01.2016 - v0.1.8 - compare v0.1.0alpha0…v0.1.8

  • install and runable under Windows

• 06.01.2016 - v0.1.0alpha0 - d42a5c5

  • first Release on PyPi

• 29.12.2015 - commit 2ce43

  • commit ‘Proof of concept’

Links

• https://pypi.python.org/pypi/PyHardlinkBackup/

• https://www.python-forum.de/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=37723 (de)