Homepage of
scdbackup
(dedicated to my beloved CD recorder)
deutsch (german)
Simplified Backup on CD or DVD for Linux
Purpose:
- backup large amounts of data on one or more CDs or DVDs,
- simple (therefore no excuse not to do the backup),
- no special tool needed for reading the backup
Formats:
- ISO9660 file systems (readable after : mount )
- afio archives (readable by : afio ... /dev/cdrom)
Hardware requirements:
A CD recorder suitable for
cdrecord
(most SCSI or ATAPI writers, see also
list of drives )
It has to be reachable via a SCSI address. On modern Linux systems, other
connection types can be used via an emulated SCSI bus.
Recent versions of cdrecord got direct support for ATAPI.
and/or
A DVD writer suitable for
growisofs.
It has to be reachable via a SCSI device file. On modern Linux systems, other
connection types can be used via an emulated SCSI bus.
On even more modern Linux (>= 2.5), growisofs can use IDE device files directly.
If you got any other high capacity backup devices
which you want to use rather than a CD recorder then please contact me.
I am interested in learning how to use them for writing of backup data.
Software requirements :
- /bin/sh
- compatible to GNU Bourne-Again SHell (bash).
including usual programs like: cat, date, du, echo, ls, ...
see hints for working around
shell compatibility problems
- afio
- archiver program (for system backups)
- gzip
- data compression program (for compressed afio and incremental backups)
- bc
- calculator language (only if you employ the locking protocol)
- growisofs
- from package "dvd+rw-tools" (for writing DVD)
GPL software included (does not interfere with existing software) :
static compiled. Opportunity to download cdrecord-1.6.tar.gz below
- cdrecord
- transfers data to CD
- mkisofs
- generates ISO9660 file systems which are accessible with nearly any modern system
This program system has been tested on Intel/AMD Linux systems only.
Ports to other usable systems are appreciated.
Special features:
- Breaks the 650 MB / 4.7 GB limits (more than one CD / DVD )
- Information script on each CD tells where a certain file may be found
- Collision test with renaming avoids aborting of mkisofs
- Interrupted backups can be resumed at the start of the failed piece
- Verification of resulting CDs possible by recorded checksums
- Incremental backups with an arbitrary number of levels
- Multi user safe by use of a locking protocol
Commands:
- The idea is to use afio archives for the system directories and those
where symbolic links are important. All normal user data should be backuped
as ISO9660 for fast and easy access.
- Each command is available in a version for CD and one for DVD.
- scdbackup_sys
- sdvdbackup_sys
- backup of system directories as afio archives. (not mountable)
- Example:
- scdbackup_sys
- scdbackup_home
- sdvdbackup_home
- backup of the user's $HOME directory. ISO9660. (mountable)
- Example:
- scdbackup_home
- See a sample run.
- scdbackup
- sdvdbackup
- command for defining own backup collections and for spontaneous data copies. ISO9660. (mountable)
- Example:
- scdbackup /home /home2=/usr/home -not /home/guest
Backup /home and /usr/home . But use /home2 on CD as name for /usr/home and omit subdir /home/guest
- scdbackup_afio
- sdvdbackup_afio
- like scdbackup but using afio archives rather than ISO9660 file systems. (not mountable)
Each of the commands examines the backup data, plans their distribution over the CDs and then prompts the user to insert CDs until all are done.
- scdbackup_verify
- sdvdbackup_verify
- verifies a resulting CD by comparison with its recorded checksum.
- See a sample run.
- Preview
:
- Sample runs of: Configuration, Backup, Retrieval
- Download:
- scdbackup-0.8.tar.gz (570 K).
- scdbackup-0.7.tar.gz (410 K) (outdated, not for DVD).
-
- dvd+rw-tools-5.17.4.8.6.tar.gz
(91 K, by Andy Polyakov) Contains growisofs which can be used
to write on DVD.
Probably you are better off with the current version at
dvd+rw-tools Homepage.
- afio-2.4.6.tgz (86 K)
Only needed if afio is not installed on your system.
- bc-1.06.tar.gz (272 K)
Only needed if you want to apply the locking protocol or if you
got neither the command expr nor a bash with builtin expression $((...)).
- Fulfilling the GPL :
cdrecord-1.6.tar.gz (600 K, by Joerg Schilling)
Only needed if you want to build cdrecord_prog and mkisofs_prog from the old sources.
Executables are included in the scdbackup package
or may be found in any modern Linux distribution.
To really build mkisofs and cdrecord from sources, get a more recent version of
cdrtools (also by Joerg Schilling)
- Documentation:
- README Features, Installation, Components
- scdbackup_verify -help usage of the checkread command
- ASKME -help usage of the backup information script
- scdbackup_askme -help usage of the accelerator program for searching within the backup information script
- cd_backup_planer -help elementary features of the central program and a lot of additional options.
- Contact:
- Thomas Schmitt, scdbackup@gmx.net
- License:
- BSD License, an Open Source approved license
- Unstable:
- Most recent version, Changelog (if you are really curious)
Many thanks to Joerg Schilling for cdrecord , Eric Youngdale for mkisofs
and Andy Polyakov for growisofs .
- A list of links to other CD creating software can be found at the
- CD building project
- About the underlying technology :
- (Linux) CD-Writing HOWTO by Winfried Truemper
- Andy McFadden's CD-Recordable FAQ
deutsch (german)
Enjoying free Open Source hosting by www.webframe.org

and by sourceforge.net
- Links to my other published software projects :
- Some Tools for Image Collectors
- (a second source of above)
-
pppoem, a DSL throughput monitor (mainly for kernel 2.4.4)
Legal statement: This website does not serve any commercial purpose.