Home Private Stuff | Contact Easy page last modified 2004.01.04 Updates: As of rsync-2.5.6 , the --link-dest option is now standard! That can be used instead of the separate cp -al and rsync stages, and it eliminates the ownerships/permissions bug. I now recommend using it. Also, I'm proud to report this article is mentioned in Linux Server Hacks , a new (and very good, in my opinion) O'Reilly book by compiled by Rob Flickenger. Abstract Motivation Using rsync to make a backup Basics Using the --delete flag Be lazy: use cron Incremental backups with rsync Review of hard links Using cp -al Putting it all together I'm used to dump or tar ! This seems backward! Isolating the backup from the rest of the system The easy (bad) way Keep it on a separate partition Keep that partition on a separate disk Keep that disk on a separate machine Making the ...