Is It Worthwhile Saving Timeshift Snapshots To An External Device?

[bob466]

That's what I was thinking the other day...so I did a little experiment as I've never done this before.

I Formatted a Portable 2TB External HDD to EXT4...changed Timeshift to create a Snapshot on the External HDD which took for ever...

I then created another Snapshot which also took a long time...as shown on the live session...

I then restored a Snapshot which took quite some time compared to restoring a Snapshot from Drive itself...

When restoring a Snapshot from an External Drive...Timeshift seems to think about it...then does a trial run...then starts restoring it as I found out...all this takes much longer than restoring a Snapshot from the same Drive...not to mention Timeshift has only backed up and restored system files only.

So the only advantage I can see is saving a little space on the Drive...nothing else...I know others won't agree but that's my opinion. For the time it takes to put a Timeshift Snapshot on an External HDD/SSD it would be much better to create an Image with Foxclone or Redorescue and store it on an External HDD/SSD...by doing this...everything is backed up...I set Timeshift to save a Snapshot to the same Drive which doesn't take long...something to think about.

 

[wizardfromoz]

(Wizard appears in a puff of smoke, attracted by the word "Timeshift")

Bob, if you had a bet on with a Bookie on whether Wizard would swing by to a thread like this, he'd only have given you short odds, eh, Mate?

For starters,

...not to mention Timeshift has only backed up and restored system files only.

is because of the settings you have on it.

If you, and any other of The Viewers, take a read of

Timeshift Settings Options

you'll see 3 screenshots.

The 1st is the default

The 2nd is the one I advise Users to consider

The 3rd is the one that I use.

I can also better respond if you let me know the specs on the WD My Passport, whether it is SATA or SSD, and RPM speed and so on.

Cheers and

Avagudweegend

Wiz

EDITED - and whether the WD is connected via USB 3 to USB 3 or other

 

[wizardfromoz]

...to create a Snapshot on the External HDD which took for ever..

Can you give us the time?

You can get it from /var/log/timeshift/<descriptor-for-snapshot>gui.log

Ta

Wiz

 

[Condobloke]

So the only advantage I can see is saving a little space on the Drive.

....There is, of course, also the fact that if that main drive dies.......your timeshift snapshots die with it

 

[The Duck]

....There is, of course, also the fact that if that main drive dies.......your timeshift snapshots die with it

I haven't used Timeshift much although it does seem logical to save a snapshot to an external drive.

I've know folks who have lost valuable data which I suggested to save to a backup device and lost when their hard drive failed.

 

[Aristarchus]

....There is, of course, also the fact that if that main drive dies.......your timeshift snapshots die with it

I agree, the whole point of having backup is to secure data. Unless someone's setup is extremely unstable then frequent restoring warrant having backup on the same disk.

 

[f33dm3bits]

....There is, of course, also the fact that if that main drive dies.......your timeshift snapshots die with it

I personally think backing up your personal files such as important pictures and documents are more important, an os can be reinstalled and files restored. No need to backup unnecessary system files to an external drive or location, just the ones that matter.

Timeshift is designed to backup system settings, so that if you have a bad update you can restore your system to a point in time, not for personal file backup or for remote location system restorations.

GitHub - linuxmint/timeshift: System restore tool for Linux. Creates filesystem snapshots using rsync+hardlinks, or BTRFS snapshots. Supports scheduled snapshots, multiple backup levels, and exclude filters. Snapshots can be restored while system is

System restore tool for Linux. Creates filesystem snapshots using rsync+hardlinks, or BTRFS snapshots. Supports scheduled snapshots, multiple backup levels, and exclude filters. Snapshots can be re...

github.com

It even says so in the description of Timeshift.

Timeshift for Linux is an application that provides functionality similar to the System Restore feature in Windows and the Time Machine tool in Mac OS. Timeshift protects your system by taking incremental snapshots of the file system at regular intervals. These snapshots can be restored at a later date to undo all changes to the system.

Better to use file backup tools for your personal files, that way you will save space by only backing up the important files. Use Timeshift what it is designed for and don't try to use it for what it is not designed for since there are better backup tools for that.

https://linuxconfig.org/introduction-to-borg-backup

 

[The Duck]

I personally think backing up your personal files such as important pictures and documents are more important, an os can be reinstalled and files restored. No need to backup unnecessary system files to an external drive or location, just the ones that matter.

Exactly I just copy and paste anything I consider import and need to save to external drives x2 or to a CD/DVD.

 

[KGIII]

I personally think backing up your personal files such as important pictures and documents are more important, an os can be reinstalled and files restored.

time rsync -r --progress ~/ /media/kgiii/device_name/path/to/backup/dir

That's mine. You can remove almost all of it, but I like to time it 'cause I'm a weirdo.

I sometimes push it out to the NAS, but that's a step I don't expect other people to do. It's a nice backup to your external storage.

 

[Alexzee]

I personally think backing up your personal files such as important pictures and documents are more important, an os can be reinstalled and files restored. No need to backup unnecessary system files to an external drive or location, just the ones that matter.

Timeshift is designed to backup system settings, so that if you have a bad update you can restore your system to a point in time, not for personal file backup or for remote location system restorations.

GitHub - linuxmint/timeshift: System restore tool for Linux. Creates filesystem snapshots using rsync+hardlinks, or BTRFS snapshots. Supports scheduled snapshots, multiple backup levels, and exclude filters. Snapshots can be restored while system is

System restore tool for Linux. Creates filesystem snapshots using rsync+hardlinks, or BTRFS snapshots. Supports scheduled snapshots, multiple backup levels, and exclude filters. Snapshots can be re...

github.com

It even says so in the description of Timeshift.


Better to use file backup tools for your personal files, that way you will save space by only backing up the important files. Use Timeshift what it is designed for and don't try to use it for what it is not designed for since there are better backup tools for that.

https://linuxconfig.org/introduction-to-borg-backup

I have to agree with you. An os can always be reinstalled.

Timeshift took up so much space on my drive that I had to remove it.
Purchasing a drive specifically for Timeshift is not on the table.

I use either the back up tools or copy everything important to the external Toshibia I've had for years.

 

[bob466]

The first thing I did was install Timeshift on the external 2TB HDD...I've not done this before...

and create a Snapshot with this setting...

which took a long time....don't remember how long.

I then changed the settings to save a Snapshot of everything on the Drive...

Used space on my Main internal SSD is 160GB...Timeshift took 70 minutes and the snapshot size is 132GB.

I then used Foxclone which backs everything on the Drive to create an Image on my internal SSD to the same External HDD.
It took 42 mins and the Image is 114GB and can be put back on the SSD at anytime.
With Foxclone or Redorescue for that matter you don't have to format the External device to EXT4...both go on anything and you can delete older Images to save space.

At the end of the day...it's the users choice...Timeshift has it's place but there are better alternatives. I could remove Timeshift and not worry...I've changed the setting back to "Exclude All Files" as I see not point of putting a Snapshot on an external Drive.

 

[bob466]

I changed it back to keeping only one Snapshot on the SSD...

This one Snapshot is nearly 30GB and that's only System Files.

 

[Condobloke]

time rsync -r --progress ~/ /media/kgiii/device_name/path/to/backup/dir

That interests me.

Any chance you might start a topic about that ?

 

[wizardfromoz]

I can also better respond if you let me know the specs on the WD My Passport, whether it is SATA or SSD, and RPM speed and so on.

Cheers and

Avagudweegend

Wiz

EDITED - and whether the WD is connected via USB 3 to USB 3 or other

Cheers

Wizard

 

[KGIII]

That interests me.

Any chance you might start a topic about that ?

Good idea, so we don't distract from timeshift.

https://linux.org/threads/a-quick-thread-about-backing-up-with-rsync.48612/

 

[bob466]

I can also better respond if you let me know the specs on the WD My Passport, whether it is SATA or SSD, and RPM speed and so on.

Cheers and

Avagudweegend

Wiz

EDITED - and whether the WD is connected via USB 3 to USB 3 or other

Both External Drives are USB 3 and plugged in to a USB 3 port...one is a 2TB HDD and the other is a 1TB SSD.

Yesterday I created an image of my 500GB internal SSD (used space 160GB) with Foxclone to my 2TB portable HDD...it took 42 mins and the created image was 114GB.

Today I created an image of my 500GB SSD (used space 167.4GB) with Foxclone to my 1TB portable SSD...it took 46 mins...so it doesn't really matter if it's a HDD or SSD. I glad I did this test as I know now what is best.

 

[Cyberbleuet]

Two tools from my MX Linux distro that I like mx snapshot to create an iso image and I make a USB flash drive with mx live usb maker.

 

[wizardfromoz]

First up

Is It Worthwhile Saving Timeshift Snapshots To An External Device?​

Simple answer ... Yes. Mark the thread Solved.

If you can anticipate the possibility of the following occurring

1. Have a distribution that crashes beyond repair or will take considerable time to fix
2. If the drive that distro is on crashes
3. If your desktop or laptop crashes or is damaged ( by power surge, or lightning)
4. Use the command dd to burn an iso and enter the wrong value in the "of=" string and wipe your daily drive and driver
5. Other you may think of

.. then I submit you would be shortsighted indeed to not have your Timeshift snapshot stored on a different, external, drive.

Any of you who employ different strategies, whether they be Backup utilities, Imaging/Cloning solutions, and so on, would surely do the same if they have any sense.

Do the same with Timeshift.

You won't be worried about how much time and space it takes for a snapshot, or how long it takes to restore, if you find yourself in the situation encountered by a Member here - if he had installed Timeshift on his Ubuntu and stored a snapshot off-drive, he would have his cypher key and not lost his data.

I have responses to some other posts, I will address them in separate posts for easy navigation.

Cheers

Wizard

 

[wizardfromoz]

...not for personal file backup...

and yet that functionality is catered to, if you wish to use it.

Tony George, author of Timeshift, does not recommend that option, because if you do that and restore, the restoration will overwrite any newer entries you have generated in those /home/ places without checking with you.

At the same time, I use it, because I store files and folders typically stored in Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos in a safe spot off-drive.

A midway option is to check the middle option in Settings - Users to include Hidden Files (and Folders), which allows you to safeguard all your Settings.

Use Timeshift what it is designed for...

... which is System Restore, and it does that eminently well.

...you will save space by only backing up the important files.

I have an M2 SSD that is 250 GB (in GParted, 238.47 GiB).

It has 13 distros on it.

My storage space for its Timeshift snapshots is 162 GiB, with 133.52 GiB used, and 28.48 GB free.

That's only about 10 GB per snapshot, and I only need to take them once a month.

I'll move on, on my tomorrow, to other responses.

Cheers

Wizard

 

[banzaigtv]

Another option worth considering is installing Linux with Btrfs + snapper. Garuda Linux, OpenSUSE, and SpiralLinux support this out of the box. Btrfs snapper snapshots use less disk space than Timeshift Rsync snapshots.