How to Backup and Restore Files with Rsnapshot on Ubuntu

Install rsnapshot

Rsnapshot is included in the default Ubuntu repository, so installation is quite manageable. To install it, run the command below.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install rsnapshot

After installation, you can check Rsnapshot’s binary location and version on Ubuntu by running this command:

which rsnapshot
rsnapshot --version

Configure SSH authentication for remote system

If you’re backing up to or from a remote system, make sure SSH authentication is set up for the target systems.

You can use the ssh-keygen -t ed25519 command below to generate your SSH keypair. Then, use ssh-copy-id to copy the public key to the remote server.

ssh-keygen -t ed25519
ssh-copy-id username@remote_server_name

Replace the username and remote_server_name with your actual username and system names.

For more on setting up SSH authentication, check out the post below.

How to set up SSH key based authentication login on Ubuntu

Configure rsnapshot

Once you’ve set up the remote system, you’ll configure Rsnapshot settings. This lets you select files to back up, set the interval, and more.

Before you make changes, back up the original configuration file.

sudo cp /etc/rsnapshot.conf /etc/rsnapshot.conf.orig

Then, open the file and make your adjustments.

sudo nano /etc/rsnapshot.conf

Choose where to store your snapshots.

# All snapshots will be stored under this root directory.
#
snapshot_root   /var/cache/rsnapshot/

Make sure these lines aren’t commented out; they enable remote backups.

# rsync must be enabled for anything to work. This is the only command that
# must be enabled.
#
cmd_rsync       /usr/bin/rsync

# Uncomment this to enable remote ssh backups over rsync.
#
cmd_ssh /usr/bin/ssh

You can also change how often backups occur.

#########################################
#     BACKUP LEVELS / INTERVALS         #
# Must be unique and in ascending order #
# e.g. alpha, beta, gamma, etc.         #
#########################################

retain  daily   6
retain  weekly    7
retain  monthly   4
#retain delta   3

SSH normally uses port 22, but you can specify a custom port here.

# ssh has no args passed by default, but you can specify some here.
#
ssh_args        -p 22

The backup section is where you’ll tell Rsnapshot what to back up and where. The highlighted lines show how to back up a remote server and specify a local path.

Remember to replace username and remote_server_name with your actual system details.

###############################
### BACKUP POINTS / SCRIPTS ###
###############################

# LOCALHOST
backup  /home/          localhost/
backup  /etc/           localhost/
backup  /usr/local/     localhost/
backup username@remote_server_name:/etc/ local_server_name
backup username@remote_server_name:/www/data/ local_server_name

#backup /var/log/rsnapshot              localhost/
#backup /etc/passwd     localhost/
#backup /home/foo/My Documents/         localhost/
#backup /foo/bar/       localhost/      one_fs=1,rsync_short_args=-urltvpog
#backup_script  /usr/local/bin/backup_pgsql.sh  localhost/postgres/
# You must set linux_lvm_* parameters below before using lvm snapshots
#backup lvm://vg0/xen-home/     lvm-vg0/xen-home/

Once you’re done, save your changes and exit.

Automatic backup with Cron

After saving your configuration changes, open the Rsnapshot cron file to set up automatic backups.

sudo nano /etc/cron.d/rsnapshot

Set up the backup settings you defined in the `rsnapshot.conf` file.

# This is a sample cron file for rsnapshot.
# The values used correspond to the examples in /etc/rsnapshot.conf.
# There you can also set the backup points and many other things.
#
# To activate this cron file you have to uncomment the lines below.
# Feel free to adapt it to your needs.

  0 0 * * *          root    /usr/bin/rsnapshot daily
  0 0 * * 0          root    /usr/bin/rsnapshot weekly
  0 0 1 * *          root    /usr/bin/rsnapshot monthly

Save the file and exit.

For help setting up a cron task, check out the post below.

How to run cron jobs on Ubuntu

To restore your data, copy files from the snapshots location you defined in the Rsnapshot file.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

Backing up and restoring files with Rsnapshot on Ubuntu is an efficient and effective way to safeguard your data. Here are the key takeaways:

• Automated Backups: Rsnapshot allows for easy scheduling of automated backups, ensuring your data is regularly protected without manual intervention.
• Incremental Backups: By utilizing hard links, rsnapshot can perform incremental backups, saving both time and storage space.
• Remote Backups: The tool can back up files to and from remote systems, enhancing flexibility and security for critical data.
• Simple Configuration: With its straightforward configuration file, users can easily manage backup settings, including frequency and directories to back up.
• Ease of Restoration: Restoring data from snapshots is a simple process, making recovery quick and efficient in case of data loss.

Incorporating Rsnapshot into your data management routine significantly enhances data safety and reliability.