From: jack@handsome.com   
      
   On Tue, 18 Nov 2025 19:20:39 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:   
      
   > On Tue, 18 Nov 2025 09:07:29 -0000 (UTC), Handsome Jack wrote:   
   >   
   >> On Tue, 18 Nov 2025 04:49:49 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> There is another way, and that is to use options like --link-dest to   
   >>> create separate point-in-time snapshots with deduping to save space.   
   >>   
   >> I don't understand the instructions for link-dest either in the "rsync   
   >> --help" command line, or in man.   
   >   
   > First backup:   
   >   
   >     rsync «various-options» «src-dir» «backup-dir-1»   
   >   
   > Second backup:   
   >   
   >     rsync «various-options» --link-dest=«backup-dir-1» «src-dir»   
   >     «backup-dir-2»   
   >   
   > Now you have backups from two points in time. For restore purposes, each   
   > one looks like a full backup, even though the second one was created as   
   > an incremental backup. The --link-dest option means that files that were   
   > unchanged share a single copy that is hard-linked into both places,   
   > saving both storage space and network traffic (if the backup is being   
   > done over a network).   
   >   
   > You can continue this sequence to save backups from as many points in   
   > time as you like. To get rid of old backups, just do   
   >   
   >     rm -rf «backup-dir-1»   
   >   
   > etc.   
      
   Interesting, and now at least I know what "hard link" means. But I don't   
   actually see how it helps. Both this method and the ordinary method still   
   have to make a full backup copy of every new file in the live system, and   
   neither have to make copies of files in the live system that are *not*   
   new.   
      
   Moreover, both methods retain copies of files that have been moved or   
   deleted in the live system since the last backup, so the backup archive   
   gets cluttered up with these orphan files. You either have to delete them   
   with "--delete", or accept this clutter will continue to grow until you   
   decide to make a brand new backup from scratch.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)