Backup program written in python.

This program creates full system backups to locally mounted media. Each backup that is performed creates a new snapshot of the filesystem. This will build a history of all your files and allows you to restore data from any point in time. Snapshots are created using hard links. This makes each backup take a minimal amount of disk space and time to execute. Since a new snapshot can be created efficiently, they can be ran frequently in a command scheduler, such as cron, to insure current data is always backed up.

If remote backups are desired, a filesystem from a remote computer can be mounted locally using http://fuse.sourceforge.net/sshfs.html. This requires a remote machine to have an SSH daemon running and a user account available for backup purposes.

This program is compatible with python versions 2.6 or newer, including 3.x.

If you are using Archlinux there's an aur package available: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=62708

Installing from source will insure you have the most current code base. First clone the git repository.

# git clone https://www.github.com/headmastersquall/caatinga

Change to the caatinga directory that was just created, then run the install as root.

$ python setup.py install

If you don't have git installed on your computer, or prefer to install from a milestone, a download is available at.

https://github.com/headmastersquall/caatinga/downloads

After you download the package, it can be extracted using the following command.

# tar xvf caatinga-x.x.x.tar.gz

Change to the caatinga-x.x.x directory then run the install as root.

$ python setup.py install

After you have installed the package from one of the previous methods, it will need to be configured before you make your first backup. The next section will walk you though configuring caatinga to backup your system.

This section walks you through the minimal configuration steps you will need to perform before creating your first backup.

1. Install the caatinga using one of the methods mentioned above.

2. Rename the sample configuration file located in /etc/caatinga.

   $ mv caatinga.conf.sample caatinga.conf

3. Edit the configuration file and set the backup_location to where you want your snapshots to be stored. This must be a mounted filesystem such as an internal drive for backup use, or an external usb drive.

4. Optionally set the backup_group to allow normal users to access their backed up files. Remember to add the users to this group as well.

5. Make sure your backup drive is mounted.

6. Register the backup_location, found in caatinga.conf, as a backup device to be used by caatinga.

   caat -g

7. Run caat from the console to create your first backup.

Further help and documentation can be found in several man pages as well as the built in help system found in lscaat:

• man caat(1)
• man lscaat(1)
• man caat.conf(5)
• caat --help
• lscaat help

I hope you enjoy this program as much as I have enjoyed writing it. If you find any bugs or have any comments or suggestions, please post them at https://github.com/headmastersquall/caatinga/issues.