Timeshift & Similar Solutions - Safeguard & Recover Your Linux

Here you go, Kokomo! (Caffeine, ya gotta love it!) No axes for you, y ou are my Linux friend and mentor!!


Screenshot at 2020-02-25 10-06-49.png
 
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Wiz, I'm not seeing a blow-by-blow of how to restore with Timeshift. I'd still new to Linux, and got pretty lost when I started reading this thread from the beginning, so it could be I just missed it. At any rate, I'm still lost.

Also, I have another question - I recently started doing some blog writing on this computer and have all the originals (only 6 so far) stored on this computer. Do I need to back these up somewhere else? I don't want to lose them, of course.
@Granny Sue
Hello Granny,
Hope I am not intruding too much here, but I just could not resist.
I also do a little writing.
I found out years ago that no matter where else I might save things, I got in the habit of copying the articles on to a flash drive which I had dedicated to nothing but my written material.
I use a 32 gig flash drive that holds lots of written stuff, which I have labeled 'My Writings' using printing labels wrapped around the flash drive.
Hope this is of some help, fellow writer.
Old Geezer
TC
 
@Granny Sue
Hello Granny,
Hope I am not intruding too much here, but I just could not resist.
I also do a little writing.
I found out years ago that no matter where else I might save things, I got in the habit of copying the articles on to a flash drive which I had dedicated to nothing but my written material.
I use a 32 gig flash drive that holds lots of written stuff, which I have labeled 'My Writings' using printing labels wrapped around the flash drive.
Hope this is of some help, fellow writer.
Old Geezer
TC
Thanks, TC (I can never call you "Old Geezer," that is just WAY too rude. :) ) That's a great suggestion. I have a couple of tiny SD cards (1 gig) that I can back them up on for now. I'll have to invest in a bigger flash drive.

Granny Sue
 
Member @jjconstr has a Thread here, now solved, this for background, makes for an interesting read.

https://www.linux.org/threads/solve...ed-timeshift-asking-for-root-subvolume.29224/

At its conclusion, he asked a couple of questions that might prove to be of benefit to many, so I have copied them here, to answer.

When deleting old snapshots, suppose the first full snapshot is always kept? It is 16.5 GIB.

Do you recommend backing up home folder separately? Noticed Timeshift's default is to not include it in a snapshot.

Thanks a bunch!
jerry

The answer to both is

Yes ... provisionally

and I will explain further. But first, I found a couple of videos that might provide much of Jerry's answers.

My Google search keywords were

timeshift are on demand snapshots culled

I knew they weren't, but I figured if I could find a good video or article it would save me typing :)

The first revealed 3 videos and I have only explored the first. It deals with Linux Mint 19.1, but the basic principles are applicable to Jerry's Ubuntu 18.04 'Bionic Beaver' MATE.



VIDEO 1 - TIMESHIFT

Following the conclusion of the video, as is often the case with Youtube, a timer starts to show a subsequent video. Same fellow, on Backup and I let it run, also good.

If your Browser does not do the same, here it is, direct.



VIDEO 2 - BACKUPS


So take a view of those, and I'll come back with further clarification and explanation.

Cheers

Wizard
 
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Wiz,
thanks for those videos. They are a great boost to get started on backing up Linux so data doesn't get lost or your OS can be restored to an operable state. Home backups are next on my list. After everything is safe I'll run those updates sitting patiently in my systray.

Thanks again!
jerry
 
MODERATOR'S NOTE:
Below are some Posts from another Thread, I have copied here to keep most if not all things Timeshift in the one spot. It deals with a very relevant issue from a new Member, and even one of our valued Members, who went the extra yards to duplicate the problem, got a little stuck with it.

So I help the solution is of value to some of you. Wizard


I have marked for deletion a TS snapshot that I now want to restore (!) but can find no way to remove the 'marking'. Anybody know how?
 
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G'day Edzell, Welcome to linux.org


On the pic below I assume you have highlighted one snapshot, and then right clicked and selected "Mark for deletion"

If this were me I would click on Settings, and then on Schedule, and UNtick the monthly, weekly, daily hourly and boot snapshot levels.

This should disable the next scheduled run, and therefore leave the desired snapshot intact.

From that point on, I am unsure. I also use timehsift but have not encountered this particular problem.

our moderator does have more experience with Timeshift than I do....by listing his username below it will alert him that help is needed here.

@wizardfromoz
 
Thanks for the welcome and response, Condobloke. I'm new to this forum so don't know my way around. I'm 'experienced but inexpert' using Mint (17.3) and even less/more so with linux. I've been doing my TS backups manually to an external drive. There are no scheduled events so, sadly, I can't delete them.

I didn't see the picture you referred to (but that's not a problem) and I don't know how/where to add the Moderator's name as suggested. Please bear with me. I'm not only inexpert; I'm old & increasingly slow-witted. Lied seriously about my age on sign-up, for some reason.
 
and I don't know how/where to add the Moderator's name as suggested.
To mention someone so as to get their attention simply compose a post or reply and include the user name with an @ symbol in front of it. A small window with suggested user names will drop down.
Select a user from the list. The user will receive a notice that they have been mentioned.
Like this:
@wizardfromoz
or @Edzell

Now I am curious too regarding the Timeshift snapshot marked for deletion.
I experimented and now I also have a snapshot marked for deletion and cannot 'un-mark' it!
:rolleyes: Doh!
 
0cd7RxV.gif


(Wizard appears in a puff of smoke, having Shifted through Time to get here)

You rang?

I am just finishing my 2nd morning coffee (4 makes me appear human, a little) and will take a screenshot and be back.

@Vrai ... nyuk nyuk nyuk - but seriously, duplicating a problem is a good way to find if you can solve it, goodonyer.

Back in a flash

Wizard
 
Back in a flash

I lied, I'll be a bit longer, but I want to be accurate.

As Little River Band sang "Hang on, help is on its way, and I'll be there as fast as I can".

Edzell. and Vrai can do something for me.

In Timeshift top right-hand side is the hamburger menu (3 horizontal lines) - click and check About for the TS version and report back, please.

Wiz (poof)
 
Thanks all; I have TS v.17.2. The hamburger would let me refresh snapshots which I'm very reluctant to do. Presumably would delete those so marked? Also I could view logs. I opened one but it's a bit involved on what's probably the last week when I can get a bit done in the garden. (That's a displacement activity; avoiding the need to try & fathom the meanings of the log file.)
 
@wizardfromoz
Timeshift version 19.08

Here is a screenshot. As can be seen the "Delete" and "Mark for Deletion" context menu items are 'greyed out'. I could find no option to reverse this action :/

Headed over to https://teejeetech.in/ to see if any insight there. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Timeshift_001.png
 
@Vrai
@wizardfromoz
Vrai, thanks. I did understand that was the screen wiz was referring to, even though I din't see any attached screenshot.

My reason for wanting to undelete a snapshot is to restore from it, so as to recover then-current data (held in an app, not in my data partition.) Now I'm thinking maybe I can dig into the snapshot files on my external backup and find the data there.

Of course I should have backed up that data separately, as I always intend to do, before making the snapshot :(.

(Edited to add) - I didn't see anything in the link you provided, that seemed to help with 'unmarking' or recovering a snapshot. Was worth a try though.
 
Regrets on delays.

Vrai may have joy with this, Edzell not so sure but can try. Your version 17.2 Edzell, I don't go back as far as, but I'll ask more about that later.

Try the following and report back on outcome please

  1. right-click on the marked snapshot and choose "browse files",
  2. go to the upper folder (..),
  3. delete the delete file.

It has been suggested to Tony George, Timeshift's author that it would be a very nice feature to add a "unmark for deletion" button.
.
More to follow.

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz

BTW Edzell, let us know your timezone and I'll try to work with that :)
 
Regrets on delays.

Vrai may have joy with this, Edzell not so sure but can try. Your version 17.2 Edzell, I don't go back as far as, but I'll ask more about that later.

Try the following and report back on outcome please

  1. right-click on the marked snapshot and choose "browse files",
  2. go to the upper folder (..),
  3. delete the delete file.

It has been suggested to Tony George, Timeshift's author that it would be a very nice feature to add a "unmark for deletion" button.
.
More to follow.

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz

BTW Edzell, let us know your timezone and I'll try to work with that :)
Aha! Very clever @wizardfromoz ! :)
I had "browsed" the snapshots previously but did not dig deep enough.
I also noted that even though I have only one snapshot on the date prescribed there are two folders of same.
I did find the "delete" file and deleted it. Fingers crossed.
Wondering where in the heck @wizardfromoz found that information.
Perhaps he actually is a wizard!
I scoured teegees site and found nothing referring to "delete" nor "undelete".
Some screenshots:
Timeshift_002.png

Timeshift_003.png
 
Ah, this is getting very embarrassing. I can no longer identify the marked snapshot. Maybe it's deleted! I'm presently running from a restored earlier snapshot that's missing some data that was on the marked one. I have some ideas about what to try/explore next, but am not adept at maintaining an online conversation while doing so. I'll fiddle around a bit and report when I think I know what I've done. Might be a while.

I'm on the southwest coast of Canada, Pacific time zone; GMT minus 8 (or is it plus 8?) Let's see, my window faces west and the sun travels left to right .... Anyway I'm only irregularly at the computer, and often insomniac so don't worry about it, so long as you can be patient waiting for any reply.

Thanks for all the help so far (not to mention the banter.)
 
Here I am again (sounds of groaning.) Here's what I did:

1. Create sacrificial experimental snapshot
2. Mark it for deletion
3. Follow Wiz's suggestion:

- right-click on the marked snapshot and choose "browse files",
- go to the upper folder (..),
- delete the delete file.

Results:
- Snapshot still appears on TS list
- On R. click, 'delete' & 'mark for deletion' are greyed out.
- But I can successfully restore from the snapshot !

Next:
- Open snapshot data stored on external drive (Complete list is there including those deleted from Timeshift app.)

- Drill down to find my app's data in appropriate-date snapshot; copy it.

- Close the app & paste the copied data file into its folder, overwriting the one it's using.

- Reopen the app et voila! The data I wanted has been restored.

I guess that was kind of clunky and low-tech, but it worked.

Thanks for recommending that an 'unmark snapshot' option be added to Timeshift.
 
Above are some Posts from another Thread, I have copied here to keep most if not all things Timeshift in the one spot.

Wizard
 
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