backup_to_external_m.2/SIMPLE_BACKUP_README.md

Simple LVM Backup System

A much simpler, safer approach to LVM backups.

After issues with complex backup systems, this is a return to basics:

• Simple LVM snapshot creation
• Direct block-level copy with dd/pv
• Minimal logic, maximum reliability

What This Does

1. Creates an LVM snapshot of your source volume
2. Copies it block-for-block to your target drive
3. Cleans up the snapshot when done

That's it. No complex migration logic, no fancy features that can break.

Quick Start

1. See what's available

sudo ./list_drives.sh

2. Run a simple backup

sudo ./simple_backup.sh /dev/your-vg/your-lv /dev/your-target-drive

3. Or use the GUI

sudo python3 simple_backup_gui.py

Examples

Backup your root volume to an external SSD:

sudo ./simple_backup.sh /dev/internal-vg/root /dev/sdb

Backup your home volume:

sudo ./simple_backup.sh /dev/internal-vg/home /dev/nvme1n1

Important Notes

⚠️ WARNING: The target drive will be completely overwritten!

• Always run as root (sudo)
• Target device will lose ALL existing data
• Make sure target device is unmounted before backup
• The backup is a complete block-level clone
• You need at least 1GB free space in your volume group for the snapshot

How It Works

This is exactly what happens, no hidden complexity:

1. lvcreate -L1G -s -n backup_snap /dev/vg/lv - Create snapshot
2. pv /dev/vg/backup_snap | dd of=/dev/target bs=4M - Copy data
3. lvremove -f /dev/vg/backup_snap - Remove snapshot

Files

• simple_backup.sh - Command-line backup script
• simple_backup_gui.py - Simple GUI version
• list_drives.sh - Helper to show available drives

Why This Approach?

The previous complex scripts had too much logic and caused system issues. This approach:

• ✅ Uses standard LVM commands
• ✅ Minimal chance of errors
• ✅ Easy to understand and debug
• ✅ Does exactly what you expect
• ✅ No hidden "smart" features

Recovery

To boot from your backup:

1. Connect the external drive
2. Boot from it directly, or
3. Use it as a recovery drive to restore your system

Requirements

• LVM-enabled system
• Root access
• Python 3 + tkinter (for GUI)
• pv command (optional, for progress display)

If Something Goes Wrong

The script will try to clean up snapshots automatically. If it fails:

# List any remaining snapshots
sudo lvs | grep snap

# Remove manually if needed
sudo lvremove /dev/vg/snapshot_name

No More Complex Features

This system intentionally does NOT include:

• Automatic drive detection with complex logic
• Migration between different LVM setups
• Boot repair or GRUB handling
• Multiple backup formats
• Configuration files
• Complex error handling

If you need those features, use dedicated tools like CloneZilla or Borg Backup.

This is for simple, reliable block-level LVM backups. Nothing more, nothing less.