Very Computer

Are there any back-up tools that don't affect the access time of the files
that they're backing up?  It makes it difficult to decide what files are
accessed the least for purposes of cleaning up disk space when all the access
times are set to (approximately) the same time.

Thanks.

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                                                 2331 Blake St., Apt. 204
                                                 Berkeley, CA 94704

There is. Use tar.

My backup script:

tar -czps --atime-preserve --exclude-from /usr/local/bin/Exclude_file
    -f /backup/usr.local.bin.tgz /usr/local/bin/
tar -czps --atime-preserve --exclude-from /usr/local/bin/Exclude_file
    -f /backup/usr.spool.mail.tgz /usr/spool/mail/
tar -czps --atime-preserve --exclude-from /usr/local/bin/Exclude_file
    -f /backup/home.tgz /home/
tar -czps --atime-preserve --exclude-from /usr/local/bin/Exclude_file
    -f /backup/etc.tgz /etc/
tar -czps --atime-preserve --exclude-from /usr/local/bin/Exclude_file
    -f /backup/backup.tgz /
tar -czps --atime-preserve -f /backup/dos.tgz /dos/

My Exclude-file:

/dos
/backup
/proc
/lost+found

Iwan.
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: Are there any back-up tools that don't affect the access time of the files
: that they're backing up?  It makes it difficult to decide what files are
: accessed the least for purposes of cleaning up disk space when all the access
: times are set to (approximately) the same time.

: Thanks.

theres a package called "noatime.tgz" that was meant to provide the
option of mounting a ext2 filesystem with the option of not updated
access times of files.  what you could do, is apply the kernel patch, and
just before backing up, remount the filesystems to be backed up, but at
the "noatime" flag to mount.  when you're done backing up, remount the
filesystems without the "noatime" flag.

heres the diff:

--- linux1.2.4/fs/ext2/dir.c    Fri May  5 20:28:35 1995

                offset = 0;
                brelse (bh);
        }
-       if (!IS_RDONLY(inode)) {
+       if (!IS_RDONLY(inode)&&test_opt(sb,ATIME)) {
                inode->i_atime = CURRENT_TIME;
                inode->i_dirt = 1;
        }
diff -u --recursive --new-file linux1.2.4/fs/ext2/file.c linux/fs/ext2/file.c
--- linux1.2.4/fs/ext2/file.c   Fri May  5 20:28:35 1995

        if (!read)
                return -EIO;
        filp->f_reada = 1;
-       if (!IS_RDONLY(inode)) {
+       if (!IS_RDONLY(inode)&&test_opt(sb,ATIME)) {
                inode->i_atime = CURRENT_TIME;
                inode->i_dirt = 1;
        }
diff -u --recursive --new-file linux1.2.4/fs/ext2/super.c
linux/fs/ext2/super.c
--- linux1.2.4/fs/ext2/super.c  Fri May  5 20:28:35 1995

                else if (!strcmp (this_char, "nogrpid") ||
                         !strcmp (this_char, "sysvgroups"))
                        clear_opt (*mount_options, GRPID);
+               else if (!strcmp (this_char, "noatime"))
+                       clear_opt (*mount_options, ATIME);
                else if (!strcmp (this_char, "resgid")) {
                        if (!value || !*value) {
                                printk ("EXT2-fs: the resgid option

 #endif

        set_opt (sb->u.ext2_sb.s_mount_opt, CHECK_NORMAL);
+       set_opt (sb->u.ext2_sb.s_mount_opt, ATIME);
        if (!parse_options ((char *) data, &sb_block, &resuid, &resgid,
            &sb->u.ext2_sb.s_mount_opt)) {
                sb->s_dev = 0;
diff -u --recursive --new-file linux1.2.4/include/linux/ext2_fs.h
linux/include/linux/ext2_fs.h
--- linux1.2.4/include/linux/ext2_fs.h  Fri May  5 20:28:36 1995

 #define EXT2_MOUNT_ERRORS_RO           0x0020  /* Remount fs ro on
errors */
 #define EXT2_MOUNT_ERRORS_PANIC                0x0040  /* Panic on
errors */
 #define EXT2_MOUNT_MINIX_DF            0x0080  /* Mimics the Minix
statfs */
-
+#define EXT2_MOUNT_ATIME               0x0100  /* Do change atime stamp */
 #define clear_opt(o, opt)              o &= ~EXT2_MOUNT_##opt
 #define set_opt(o, opt)                        o |= EXT2_MOUNT_##opt
 #define test_opt(sb, opt)              ((sb)->u.ext2_sb.s_mount_opt & \

--
Mark Duguid      Certified Linux Geek        Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Sysop of the Coredump BBS  (306) 652-7037  archive + unix shell + local news
"To turn any 486/586 into a 8088,..just add Dos and let freeze over Windows.
Just netsurfin on an anvil.  My postings contain my opinions, not the SFN's.