Files

root c86fee78cb fix: Solve space issues in VG→Borg backups

Problem: VG→Borg was creating temp files for all LVs simultaneously,
causing 'no space left' errors when LVs are large.

Solution: Process LVs sequentially instead of simultaneously:
1. Create snapshot for one LV
2. Stream it directly to Borg (no temp files)
3. Remove snapshot immediately
4. Move to next LV

Changes:
- VG→Borg now creates separate archives per LV instead of one big archive
- Each LV gets its own archive: vg_internal-vg_lv_root_20241009_123456
- No temporary files needed - direct streaming
- Space-efficient: only one snapshot exists at a time
- More robust: failure of one LV doesn't affect others

Benefits:
- No more space issues regardless of LV sizes
- Faster cleanup between LVs
- Individual LV recovery possible
- Better error isolation
- Still preserves block-level backup benefits

2025-10-09 00:51:15 +02:00

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Enhanced Simple LVM Backup System with Borg Support

A reliable, straightforward backup system for LVM-enabled Linux systems. Born from the need for simple, dependable backups without complex logic that can cause system issues.

Philosophy

Simple is better. This system does exactly three things:

Create LVM snapshot
Copy data (dd/pv for raw, Borg for repositories)
Clean up snapshot

No complex migration logic, no fancy features that can break. Just reliable backups.

Features

Five Backup Modes

LV → LV: Update existing logical volume backups
LV → Raw: Create fresh backups on raw devices
VG → Raw: Clone entire volume groups with LVM metadata
LV → Borg: Backup logical volume block device to Borg repository (preserves exact block-level state)
VG → Borg: Backup all block devices from volume group to Borg repository

Two Interfaces

GUI: simple_backup_gui.py - User-friendly interface with Borg configuration
CLI: enhanced_simple_backup.sh - Command-line power user interface

Quick Start

1. See Available Options

sudo ./list_drives.sh

2. Choose Your Backup Mode

Update existing backup:

sudo ./enhanced_simple_backup.sh lv-to-lv /dev/internal-vg/root /dev/backup-vg/root

Fresh backup to external drive:

sudo ./enhanced_simple_backup.sh lv-to-raw /dev/internal-vg/root /dev/sdb

Clone entire system:

sudo ./enhanced_simple_backup.sh vg-to-raw internal-vg /dev/sdb

Use the GUI:

sudo python3 simple_backup_gui.py

Borg repository backups (block-level):

# Create new Borg repo and backup LV as block device
sudo ./enhanced_simple_backup.sh lv-to-borg /dev/internal-vg/root /path/to/borg/repo --new-repo --encryption repokey --passphrase mypass

# Backup entire VG as multiple block devices to existing repo
sudo ./enhanced_simple_backup.sh vg-to-borg internal-vg /path/to/borg/repo --passphrase mypass

Key Difference:

LV → Borg: Stores one snapshot as {lv_name}.img in a single archive
VG → Borg: Creates separate archives for each LV (space-efficient, processes one LV at a time)

Files

Core System

simple_backup_gui.py - GUI interface with mode selection
enhanced_simple_backup.sh - CLI with three backup modes
list_drives.sh - Helper to show available sources/targets
SIMPLE_BACKUP_README.md - Detailed documentation

Legacy Files

old_scripts/ - Previous complex implementations (archived)
Various .md files - Documentation from previous iterations

Requirements

LVM-enabled Linux system
Root access (sudo)
Python 3 + tkinter (for GUI)
pv command (optional, for progress display)
Borg Backup (for Borg modes): sudo apt install borgbackup

Safety Features

Clear confirmations before destructive operations
Automatic snapshot cleanup on errors
Emergency stop functionality (GUI)
Input validation and error handling

What This System Does NOT Do

Complex migration between different LVM setups
Automatic boot repair or GRUB handling
Multiple backup formats or compression
Network backups or cloud integration
File-level incremental backups

For those features, use dedicated tools like Borg Backup, CloneZilla, or rsync.

Why This Approach?

Previous versions of this project included complex migration logic that occasionally caused system issues. This version returns to basics:

✅ Uses standard LVM commands only
✅ Minimal chance of errors
✅ Easy to understand and debug
✅ Predictable behavior
✅ No hidden "smart" features

Recovery

From LV Backup

Mount the backup LV and copy files, or use it to restore your system.

From Raw Device Backup

Boot directly from the device, or restore using dd in reverse.

From VG Clone

Import the volume group or boot directly from the cloned device.

Contributing

Keep it simple. Any additions should follow the core principle: minimal logic, maximum reliability.

License

Open source - use and modify as needed.

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