[TriLUG] FC2: Backing up configuration informaion

[Joseph Tate]

What I'd do is rpm -Va, and look for modified items.  Then you only
get stuff that you've tweaked.  As Jason says /etc/ and /var will get
you most stuff, but will also grab stuff that you haven't tweaked, and
therefore can just be upgraded straight across.  In addition to what's
found in /etc and /var there's stuff in /usr/share, especially if you
use openssl, some versions of spamassassin, and until recently
mailman.  I'd love to write a utility that would compare all the files
on the system to the rpmdb and flag altered or non-registered files
for some sort of automated backup utility, excepting of course those
items in /dev /proc and all pyc files.  Well, dang.  Yet another
project to work on.

If you run any databases, make sure you do complete dumps.  Upgrades
from version to version aren't always guaranteed to work on the binary
storage files.

That said, using the FC3 media to update the current system may not be
that bad of an idea.  I've upgraded my server in one method or another
since Red Hat 7.2.  Unfortunately it'll stay FC1 for now as the
upgrade method to FC3 doesn't work with my esoteric SCSI controller
and/or hand LVM'd and mirrored filesystems.


On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 14:47:51 -0500, Jason Tower <jason at cerient.net> wrote:
> On Thursday 27 January 2005 14:39, Tommy Williams wrote:
> >   Running FC2 and want to format and re-install with FC3, but being
> > new still began looking at what items I should consider backing up so
> > that I could install with a configuration file and then load the
> > backed-up conf files after the installation completed.
> >   Looks like most of what I may need is in the ETC path, but I'm
> > certian that I do not need to backup the entire directory structure.
> > Just curious to know how difficult it is to get the machine back to a
> > "close to identical" state. It's currently acting as an LDAP, DNS,
> > and SAMBA server. I know that I could simply perform an update, but I
> > am beginning my planning for disaster recovery and decided this was a
> > good a point as any to work on it. Anyone have suggestions or
> > solutions?
> >
> > -Tommy
> 
> /etc and /var should give you 99% of what you need.  i'd shut down all
> services, make a tarball of each dir, and copy to a remote host.
> 
> jason
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-- 
Joseph Tate
Personal e-mail: jtate AT dragonstrider DOT com
Web: http://www.dragonstrider.com