Can I backup my entire system with Datashelter?

Datashelter supports complete system backup. This functionality requires precise configuration and understanding of technical constraints.

System Backup Script

Our team has validated this complete system backup/restore approach. The following script targets essential system components while excluding incompatible paths:

#!/bin/bash
set -e

# Common exclusions (comma-separated, single argument)
EXCLUDES="/proc/*,/sys/*,/dev/*,/run/*,/tmp/*,/var/tmp/*,/var/cache/*,/var/lock/*,/var/run/*,/mnt/*,/media/*,/lost+found,/swapfile,\
/root/.config/snaper/*,/home/*/.config/snaper/*,/usr/local/bin/snaper,\
/var/backups/*,\
/etc/fstab,/etc/hostname,/etc/hosts,/etc/machine-id,\
/etc/netplan/*,/etc/network/*,/etc/systemd/network/*,/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules,\
/etc/default/grub,/etc/initramfs-tools/*"

# Top-level directories to back up
# (Skip /boot entirely since it's excluded above)
for dir in /etc /root /home /usr/local /opt /var/lib /var/www /srv; do
  name=$(basename "$dir" | tr '/' '-')
  echo "==> Backing up $dir ..."
  snaper backup files --path "$dir" \
    --name "${name}-backup" \
    --exclude "$EXCLUDES"
done

note

This approach is generic. Adapt paths according to your specific application configuration.

System Exclusions

The following exclusions are mandatory to prevent system conflicts:

• Virtual filesystems: /proc, /sys, /dev, /run - These are created at boot time
• Temporary files: /tmp, /var/tmp, /var/cache - Temporary data that shouldn't be restored
• Network configuration: /etc/netplan, /etc/network - Hardware-specific network settings
• System identifiers: /etc/machine-id, /etc/hostname - Should be unique per machine
• Boot configuration: /boot, /etc/default/grub - Hardware and system-specific

Restoration Validation

Restoration testing confirms the following results:

Validated Functionality

• Service continuity: Services restart automatically and maintain operational status
• Application recovery: Web applications, databases, and user data are fully functional

Example of service status after restoration:

root@restored-server:~# systemctl status nginx
● nginx.service - LSB: starts the nginx web server
     Loaded: loaded (/etc/init.d/nginx; generated)
     Active: active (exited) since Mon 2025-10-13 13:03:05 UTC; 31s ago

Technical Constraints

Primary limitation: Restoration may damage the system depending on the destination machine. Hardware and software incompatibilities generate critical malfunctions:

• Boot failures: Hardware configuration incompatibilities
• Network conflicts: Divergent interfaces and network configurations
• System dependencies: Drivers and configurations tied to original hardware

Security Requirements

danger

MANDATORY: System restoration must exclusively be performed on a fresh machine. Any restoration on a production system presents risks of irreversible corruption.

Implementation Guidelines

1. Prior validation: Systematically test the procedure in an isolated environment
2. Custom configuration: Adapt exclusions according to your system architecture
3. Technical documentation: Maintain an inventory of hardware dependencies
4. Disaster recovery usage: Reserve this method for disaster recovery scenarios
5. Complementary solutions: Implement specialized solutions for critical production components

This solution provides a robust standard for system backup. Its deployment requires complete validation in your technical environment.