Robert wrote: > Robert Moskowitz wrote: >> Robert wrote: >>> Robert Moskowitz wrote: >>>> From the howto: http://www.faqs.org/docs/securing/chap29sec305.html >>>> >>>> I got some ideas to help me to tar up the OS. I had already been >>>> shown how to wrap it into SSH to deposit the tar file on another >>>> system, so I tried the following: >>>> >>>> tar cpvzf - -C / --exclude home --exclude media --exclude mnt >>>> --exclude proc --exclude */lost+found | ssh root at 10.0.0.2 >>>> "cat>backup-060907.tgz" >>>> >>>> But, whereas the howto is talking about --exclude dealing with >>>> files, the Centos Man on tar is saying that it applies to files. >>>> >>>> >>>> So what is wrong? I know the SSH stuff is correct as when I put in >>>> something like ls I get a file with result of the ls. Also I had >>>> done this without the excludes and of course it died slowing when >>>> it got to /media/cdrom :( >>> >>> I recall that before USB2, when tape backup made sense, I used an >>> "exclude file" rather than doing it on the command line. I also >>> remember that "/"s most definitely affect the outcome. I believe >>> that if you'll look at the info pages (not man) for tar, you'll find >>> a few examples buried in the document that will make the tar part of >>> your puzzle crystal clear. >>> >> At the very end of info tar, it talks a LITTLE bit about -- exclude >> PATTERN. >> >> I guess you have to know what pattern means. So should I be using >> entries like: >> >> --exclude '/home' ? > O.K., I mounted my USB drive, went back in my archived stuff and found > this "exclude" file: > ----------------------------- > [root at mavis ~]# cat /media/OT*/extra/FC1*/home/rj/nobackup > /mnt > /dev > /proc > /home/rj/mnt > /media > [root at mavis ~]# > ------------------------ > You can use this rather than several --exclude entries on the command > by using the option -X <exclude-file-name>. > Whatever suits you just tickles me plumb to death. Thanks. I could not find any clear reference to the entries in the --exclude-from file. And I figured out that the reason I was getting an empty archive was that -C option. I was telling tar to switch to directory / but not telling it what to tar! Actually, in this case, there was no reason for the -C. Taking it out got things working. One question I have is that every so often the -v is showing things like the following: tar: Removing leading '/' from member names / /sbin /sbin/dump_cis /sbin/request-key /sbin/agetty Well those were the first ones, and the reason I could catch those is at that point SSH prompted my for the remote user password. If I watch the screen (without getting sick with the fast scrolling), I see other '/' being removed comments.