I know there are a million ways to skin a cat, but we must have 1,000,001 discussed in the archives already. I guess folks don't know about "search".
So, I'm hoping that the pending FAQ might have mention of one or more of the *excellent* threads resident in the archives regarding backup?
And just so this post is not a total waste, I'll mention that cpio can be your friend if you worry about device nodes, etc. It has many features, is well respected, is "mature", ...
However it is not a backup *system*, but a good all-around tool for "roll your own" folks who aren't happy with rsynch for whatever reason. It supports tar formats, has check summing, ...
Now, please. Anyone with backup Q's, check the archives first, get a preliminary feel for which way you lean and then query the list for *new* insights, opinions, recommendations, etc. after you spew a few words about the feelings you got during investigations.
No offense intended and if you take any, you get to keep it.
TIA