System restore ISO file ?

[jenom]

I can see from packages list that there is
--sparky-backup
--sparky-core
--sparky-sys

Does any of them create an ISO file as a snapshot of the current system, and this ISO than can be burned to USB memory/CD to restore system ?

Thanks!

[pavroo]

Check the packages description to find out.

Anyway:
- sparky-backup-core makes the snapshot of your existing installation and creates an iso image - it works in text mode only
- sparky-backup-sys provides the yad based gui for sparky-backup-core
- sparky-backup-apps makes backup of your some application only, such as web browser settings, mails and settings of e-mail client, etc.

[jenom]

thank you for your reply, here is my experience:

1) installed backup-core and backup-sys
2) run backup

A)
get a message during, "live-installer is NOT installed so copying the old installer desktop launcher"

B)
also get a message near the end, did not have time to write it down, it was about EFI something was not found , and something about hybrid image

C)
looked at the saved backup log file for these two messages----they were not there !

E)
burned the created ISO to an USB stick with rufus, it booted fine , login did not have my username, it had only "live session user",  with password "live" went to desktop

F)
I have Sparky Advanced Installer (sparkylinux-installer.desktop) on my desktop and menu, looks like a "live-installer" is missing !

Afterall, It did a good job saving all pkg-es and setups, but it did not save my username/account.

Still somewhat concerned about messages A ,B and F.......maybe something can be done about to fix them?

Thanks!

[jenom]

UPDATE:

Found "live-install" package after enabling more repos in synaptic repositories.
However, when tried to install it, got this message:

--------UNRESOLVABLE DEPENDENCIES---------

live-installer:
Depends: python-webkit  but it is not installable
Depends: python-parted but it is not going to be installed
Depends: gparted but it is not going to be installed
Depends: python-geoip but it is not going to be installed
Depends: python-opencv but it is not going to be installed
Depends: python-qt4 but it is not going to be installed
Depends: streamer but it is not going to be installed
Depends: gdisk but it is not going to be installed
Depends: isoquery but it is not going to be installed

-webkit- and -opencv was very hard to find.....enabled ALL repos and suddenly they were available>>>>now I have "live-install" installed


UPDATE:

did some reading about EFI/UEFI and BIOS, I still have a BIOS, so I do not need to be concerned about this

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Going to do another SPARKY-BACKUP , because now I have "live-install"

[pavroo]

A: The live-installer is an option. If you will not install it, you still have the old (advanced) installer available to use.

B: The GUI -> Sparky Backup System provides an info about what should be done (5 *efi.grub debs to be added) to provide efi support for the both 'live-installer" and 'sparky-advanced-installer' on target machines with UEFI motherboard. If you have BIOS, the option can be ignored.

E. Probably you have used 'dist' mode which creates new iso image with 'live' user, which can be used as a new installation media for anybody.
There is 'backup' mode to create a backup of your installation with your existing user and settings.
Simply run (in a terminal):

Code Select Expand

sparkybackup
to find out more.
The GUI has to be improved to evoid misunderstanding with cli options 'backup' and 'dist'.

F. The 'sparky-backup-core' provides Sparky Advanced Instaler in a case of missing Live Installer or any problem with the Live Installer.

[pavroo]

I have uploaded sparky-backup-sys-20160410 to the repos so upgrade it before making next backup and let me know whatever happens, please.

[jenom]

downloaded and installed new "sparky-backup-sys-20160410"
run as usual, and it did not go too good.....it run extremely slooooow, 2 % after 15 min, processed numbers moved about 1 number every 1 sec........so I shut it down !
here is the saved log:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INFO: Creating filesystem.squashfs... This will take a while so be patient.
Source directory entry home already used! - trying home_1

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read

File /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs changed size while reading filesystem, attempting to re-read
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I am not sure, if this caused by my system or caused by new  "sparky-backup-sys-20160410"

How I can get previous version back , so I can try with that one again ?

Thanks!

[jenom]

more info, here is  my saved  "squashexcludes" file
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
root/.thumbnails
root/.cache
root/.bash_history
root/.lesshst
root/.nano_history
boot/grub
/home/sparkybackup-sys
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

here is the messages from the screen when started "backup"

System Backup Mode Selected
Checking if the /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys folder has been created
Copying /var and /etc to temp area and excluding extra files
sed: can't read //home/jenom/.config/Thunar/volmanrc: No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat '//home/jenom/.config/volmanrc': No such file or directory
sed: can't read //home/sparkybackup-sys/.config/Thunar/volmanrc: No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat '//home/sparkybackup-sys/.config/volmanrc': No such file or directory
Setting up live options for backup mode
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-4.4.0-1-amd64
live-boot: core filesystems devices utils memdisk udev wget blockdev.
Copying your kernel and initrd for the livecd
Excluding folders from the backup that will cause issues
Creating filesystem.squashfs... This will take a while so be patient.
Parallel mksquashfs: Using 2 processors
Creating 4.0 filesystem on /home/sparkybackup-sys/sparkybackup-sys/ISOTMP/live/filesystem.squashfs, block size 1048576.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have reinstalled pkg "thunar-volman" and run backup again.......same results.......same message about missing "volmanrc" and still extremely slooow progress indicator !

Tried to find previous version of "sparky-backup-sys", even looked at "https://sourceforge.net/projects/sparkylinux/files/"------no luck so far !

Since Sparky suppose to have "testing" and "unstable" repos, maybe it would be a good idea, to put any new versions of a pkg into a "unstable" repo, and keep older versions in a "testing" repo.............same way as Debian does .....so new packages could be tested, while keeping older versions.

Where can I find  and get previous "sparky-backup-sys-0.1.6"  ?

[pavroo]

Just to make it clear: sparky-backup-sys does not create your backup and did not provide any changes with that.
It is only a gui which use sparky-backup-core.
The log file is fine.
You have used different option this time: backup - there was a mistake - the backup option was starting dist mode before.
If you would like to make it as before, simply use dist option.

p.s.
make sure you have cleand up your working directory before making new backup.

p.s. 2
There is no 0.1.x version any more.
I changed numbering to YEARMONTHDAY long time ago.

p.s. 3
The older versions did not use xz compresion, but gz that's probaly why it worked faster before.
Edit sparkybackup.conf file and remove '-comp xz' from SQUASHFSOPTS

[jenom]

I  have ALWAYS used MENU--SYSTEM--SPARKY BACKUP SYSTEM, not from a terminal command

just checked now what actually MENU--SYSTEM--SPARKY BACKUP SYSTEM does, and it's command line in the menu now  points to "remsu /usr/bin/sparkybackup-gui"
however you have changed pkg "sparky-backup-sys" , which in fact the "sparkybackup-gui", and because of that, it does something different than before.

I am going to stay far away from GUI and use cli from terminal, so I will know what process I am starting.
I do not know what "sparkybackup-gui"  exactly does, (I am too lazy to read conf)  and "sparkybackup-gui --help" does not offer any options either!
It seems GUI 's menu could use one more option to be clear, ,so it would have BACKUP and DIST listed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sudo sparkybackup backup|clean|dist [cdfs|iso] [filename.iso]

Examples:
sudo sparkybackup backup   (to make a livecd/dvd backup of your system)
sudo sparkybackup backup custom.iso
                             (to make a livecd/dvd backup and call the iso custom.iso)
sudo sparkybackup clean    (to clean up temporary files of sparkybackup)
sudo sparkybackup dist     (to make a distributable livecd/dvd of your system)
sudo sparkybackup dist cdfs
                             (to make a distributable livecd/dvd filesystem only)
sudo sparkybackup dist iso custom.iso
                             (to make a distributable iso named custom.iso but only if the cdfs is already present)

jenom@:~$ sparkybackup-gui --help
jenom@:

[pavroo]

however you have changed pkg "sparky-backup-sys" , which in fact the "sparkybackup-gui", and because of that, it does something different than before.

Yes, I made a notice abot that before - the older vesion of 'sparky-backup-sys' has been split into two packages:
- sparky-backup-core which contains all scripts from the older 'sparky-backup-sys' package
- sparky-backup-sys - still the same name, but contains gui only for 'sparky-backup-core'
But the scripts work in the same way than before, no changes.

The latest version of the GUI, means 'sparky-backup-sys 20160410' package provides two options now:
- backup (for 'sparkybackup backup' command)
- dist (for 'sparkybackup dist' command)
instead of a one option which was before:
- backup (for 'sparkybackup dist' command)

Can you see the difftrent now?