Linux Backup with TAR and Cron Jobs
Info
- Level: Intermediate
- Presenter: Eli the Computer Guy
- Date Created: September 21, 2010
- Length of Class: 35 Minutes
Tracks
Prerequisites
- Introduction to Linux
- Installing Linux
- Basic Linux Tasks
- VIM for File Editing
- Navigation in Linux
- Users, Groups and Permissions in Linux
Purpose of Class
-
This class teaches students how to backup directories using TAR, and demonstrates how to schedule tasks using Cron Jobs.
Topics Covered
-
Backing Up Directories with TAR
-
Recovering Directories with TAR
-
Setting Up Cron Jobs for Scheduled Tasks
Class Notes
-
- Backup Using TAR
- Backup = sudo tar –cvpzf backup.taz.gz –exclude/=directory (recursive) PATH
- –c = create new file (overwrites old file)
- –v = verbose
- –p = preserve permissions
- –z = compress
- –f = filename (very important)
- –exclude=DIRCECTORY is Recursive
- Naming Files with time = filename-$(date +%F-%T)
- Recover Files from a TAR File
- Recover = sudo tar –xvpzf FILE –C /DIRECTORY
- Capital -C = change to directory
- -x = extract
- Recover = sudo tar –xvpzf FILE –C /DIRECTORY
- Cron Jobs
- To Edit the Crontab File = sudo cron –e (first time it will ask you your default editor)
- Format = minute (0-59), hour (0-23, 0 = midnight), day (1-31), month (1-12), weekday (0-6, 0 = Sunday), command
- * Wildcard for Every Minute/Day/Hour/Month?Day of Week
- Example to Backup Entire Server for 1am Every Morning = 0 1 * * * sudo tar -cvpzf /backup.tar.gz –exclude=/mnt /
- Backup Using TAR



Your videos are very much helpful. Thankyou sir,,,
I think you have inverted 2 videos at 20min of the video before “Cron Jobs”
Regarding cron jobs
the command you used in the example uses: sudo bla bla bla
But if you are running this, say, once a month and you use “sudo” in the crontab job. How does the system know about root authentication? will it prompt you once a month at 2 AM for root’s password? -of course you will not be there at 2 AM- I see that your example was every minute and you just did a “sudo crontab -e” meaning root password was still valid for the your example.
Please clarify what happens with the sudo prompt when used in a cron job i.e. system prompts you for root’s password.
awesome
your a creat teacher!
I have much learned of your videos :D
But I want to learn more about linux (ubuntu) command etc.
Are you planning to make more videos about linux or do you know a good website or whatever where I can learn more about it?
again thank you for all your lessions/tutorials about linux :)