From: Andre Noll Date: Mon, 6 May 2024 21:53:58 +0000 (+0200) Subject: Improve README. X-Git-Tag: v1.0.2~20 X-Git-Url: http://git.tue.mpg.de/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=86dc0edc270172494318d6fcda8686722116501f;p=dss.git Improve README. This streamlines the text to some extent, omitting the comparison to tape backups, which is not really interesting for most users. --- diff --git a/README b/README index 79b8889..052ea8d 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -1,28 +1,20 @@ -dss creates hardlink-based snapshots of a given directory on a remote -or local host using rsync's link-dest feature. +dss maintains hardlink-based snapshots of a given directory on a +remote or local host using rsync's link-dest feature. The snapshots +are organized so that any snapshot can directly be deployed as an +(emergency) replacement for the primary system. dss is admin friendly: It is easy to configure and needs little -attention once configured to run in daemon mode. It keeps track of -the available disk space and removes snapshots if disk space becomes -sparse or snapshots become older than the specified time. Also, due -to the hardlink-based approach, there is only one type of backup. -Hence no full, incremental or differential backups need to be -configured, and there is no database to maintain. +attention after the initial setup. In particular, no full, incremental +or differential backups need to be configured, and there is no database +to maintain. dss is also user-friendly: Assuming the snapshot server +allows read-only user access over the network, users can restore +accidentically removed files without admin intervention, using their +favorite file browser to copy files from the snapshot directory back +to the primary system. -dss is also user-friendly because users can browse the snapshot -directories without admin intervention and see the contents of the file -system at the various times a snapshot was taken. Each snapshot looks -like a full backup, so users can easily restore accidentally removed -files by using their favorite file browser to simply copy files from -the snapshot directory back to the live system. - -dss gives your data an additional level of security besides the usual -tape-based backups: If the file server goes down and all data is lost -you can simply use the most recent snapshot as an immediate replacement --- no need for a restore from tape that takes days to complete. - -Snapshot pruning takes place in a dyadic fashion: Many recent snapshots -are available, but the number of snapshots per time interval decreases -exponentially. For example, one can configure dss so that it keeps -16 snapshots not older than one week, 8 snapshots between one and -two weeks old, 4 snapshots between two and three weeks old, and so on. +dss keeps track of the age and the state of existing snapshots and +triggers snapshot creation and removal according to the configuration +settings. It tries to maintain a scheme where many recent snapshots +and few old snapshots exist, for example 16 snapshots newer than a +week, 8 snapshots between one and two weeks old, 4 snapshots between +two and three weeks old, and so on.