[flexbackup-announce] flexbackup-1.0.3 and flexbackup-1.1.6

[Edwin H. <ed...@co...>]

There is a flexbackup 1.0.3 out there that fixes a few corner cases.  The
interaction of newtape/erase/multiple-tape options combined with backups to
a directory (the combo doesn't make sense, really) caused some index
problems.  Fixed.


Also, I'd been uploading a few development snapshots but hadn't really
publicized it till now; it's available as version 1.1.6.

Notable stuff I'd like testing or feedback on:

 1. Package delta backup levels - only back up files which are "unowned" by
    packages or (optionally) have been modified from the distributed
    version.  The idea here is that there's no need to archive 99.5% of
    / and /usr most of the time if you have CD's handy, or can just go
    download the packages again...

    This only works with rpm for now but it can be easily extended.

 2. New ways to spec the filesystems.  You can have arbitrarily named
    backup "sets" that act like the old "all".

 3. Per-filesystem subtree pruning.

 4. A "filelist" backup type to help debug exclude patterns or levels.


As well as other stuff; the full changelog is below, you'll find the
details there.  No updated README or faq for the new features yet, but the
commandline and config file help texts are up-to-date.

See http://flexbackup.sourceforge.net


  -Edwin


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Changes beyond stable release:

  - Different way to spec the filesystems. This lets us have arbitrarily
    named backup "sets".

    Config file:
      $set{'tag1'} = "/dir1 /dir2 ...";
      $set{'tag2'} = "/dir3 host:/dir4 ...";

    Flags:
      "-dir <dir>" backs up one directory tree (old "-fs <dir>")
      "-set <tag>" backs up a named set.  Useful new feature.
      "-set all" acts like old "-fs all".  If using tapes & level 0, each
      set is a different tape (acts like the old numeric index to @filesystems)

  - Per-filesystem subtree pruning
       $prune{'/'} = "tmp proc mnt";
       $prune{'host:/'} = "disk.?";

  - Added packaging system delta capability (RPM only for now).

    If you give "-pkgdelta rpm", after the level/timestamp checks, we
    further cut down the backup file list by only archiving files that are
    either (a) not owned by a package, or (b) owned by a package but
    modified from the distributed version.

    New config variables to tweak behavior:
      $pkgdelta_archive_list $pkgdelta_archive_unowned $pkgdelta_archive_changed

  - Added 'mbuffer' program as alternative to 'buffer'

  - Added 'filelist' type that doesn't back up anything, but prints/saves
    the list of files that would have been archived.  Good for debugging
    timestamps, levels, and file exclusion.

  - Added "-extract -onefile <file>" option; if you are extracting a single
    file just spec it on the command line, no list file needed

  - Changed boolean mt_var_blksize into mt_blocksize integer (in bytes).
    Set to 0 for variable blocksize (old "true" value), comment out or
    set to "$blksize * 1024" for old "false" value.

  - If staticfiles or staticlogs true, don't timestamp list/extract/compare
    log

  - Added -wday option (helps with once-a-month, on a certain day of the
    week only cron setups)

  - test-tape-drive now diffs 3 files, one in the middle is different
    (will catch people using rewind-on-close device)

  - "-extract -files" -> "-extract -flist" to hopefully be more clear

  - db/file rm flags tweaked:
       Redid rmindex semantics again, see help 
       -rmfile can be specified multiple times
       -rmindex can be specified multiple times

  - Added support for lha, shar, and ar archives just to be stupid


Cleanup:
  - Allow dirs/prune paths with spaces in them - to use, enclose all 
    items in the lists in quotes.
  - When level > 9 and using files, -toc sorts better now
  - Config file with spaces in path works
  - Don't check for writeable stampdir for non-backup
  - Don't check for writeable logdir for non-backup
  - Don't tie to db for non-backup