command line option to update targets only (-r, --resume_only) about btrbk HOT 4 CLOSED

If I understand it right, you need something like a "-r --resume-only" command line option, then you would be able to run btrbk by hand as soon as the USB stick is plugged in:

# btrbk -r /mnt/btr_pool/src_subvolume

while still having a daily cron job running btrbk.

I've been already thinking of implementing this, this should be pretty straight-forward.

For now, you can solve your problem by creating a separate config file for the manual run:

btrbk -c /etc/btrbk/btrbk.conf.usbdrive

/etc/btrbk/btrbk.conf.usbdrive:

volume /mnt/btr_pool
  subvolume src_subvolume
    snapshot_preserve_daily  all
    snapshot_create          no
    resume_missing           yes

    target_preserve_[...]

    target send-receive  /mnt/usb_stick/btrbk/

from btrbk.

I was somehow confused when writing the last comment here, as there already exists a "-r" (resume_only) feature, but the documentation was missing in the man-page.

Updated documentation in 7017e14

@chaosjug feel free to reopen this issue if this does not solve your problem

from btrbk.

This mostly solve my issue. There only one problem remaining:
When a backup is done without the USB drive, local snapshot are are not deleted even if they should. (Probably due to the error?)
When I manually start the backup with -r no snapshots are deleted:

NOTE: Preserved all backups (option -p or -r present)

So the snapshot accumulate until the USB drive is connected during a regular backup.
(@digint I don't have the rights to reopen the issue)

from btrbk.

If a target is not reachable, btrbk refuses to delete the snapshots. The reason for this is that one of the snapshots is needed as parent for incremental backup, and btrbk can not know which one this is if the target is not reachable.

With the -r option (resume-ONLY), no snapshots or backups are deleted.

For now, the only way to accomplish this is having two configs, one for cron and one for manual, e.g.:

/etc/btrbk/btrbk_cron.conf (only create snapshots):

volume /mnt/btr_pool
  subvolume src_subvolume
    snapshot_preserve_daily  all
    snapshot_create          no

/etc/btrbk/btrbk_manual.conf (perform backups and cleanup):

volume /mnt/btr_pool
  subvolume src_subvolume
    snapshot_preserve_[...]
    target_preserve_[...]

    snapshot_create          no
    resume_missing           yes

    target send-receive  /mnt/usb_stick/btrbk/

Maybe I'll implement something like "cleanup-only" option one day, but I think it's not as simple as it sounds...

from btrbk.