Timeshift question

[notageek]

I’ve a question regarding Timeshift since I’m not familiar with it and started to use it only short time before
My notebooks are bot on ext4 and on first notebook I’ve started to make few backups
Now on a new notebook can I use the same Pen drive where I’ve stored the previous backups or I’ve to use an other Pen drive?
Thanks

[soundofthunder]

@notageek

I’ve to use an other Pen drive?

You can use the same target partition (or pen drive) for both. TimeShift will automatically discern which snapshots belong to each OS.

A deeper dive into that might be forthcoming.

[Aragorn]

@notageek

Now on a new notebook can I use the same Pen drive where I’ve stored the previous backups or I’ve to use an other Pen drive?

timeshift indexes its backups by way of timestamp directories, so it should work on both, provided that both notebooks have the same software installed — if they do not, then there will be discrepancies — and that you’re not including the home directories in your backups, because those are almost guaranteed to differ.

The safest option would of course be to use a dedicated pen drive for each system.

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@soundofthunder

TimeShift will automatically discern which snapshots belong to each OS.

I’m not so sure of that. Upon examining the contents of a timeshift backup on my system — I store my backups on an a dedicated HDD — I see no indication of such.

[soundofthunder]

I have TimeShift in both Debian and Manjaro targeting the same partition; it seems to work for me, but then, I’ve not attempted a restore with either.

I know the topic has raised it’s head a few times, with differing opinions, and solutions ranging from creating separate partitions (if in doubt, this is a guaranteed workaround) through to creating separate directories for each OS (which actually doesn’t work, as TimeShift always defaults to creating a timeshift directory in the target; that can’t be changed via the GUI).

[Aragorn]

@soundofthunder

I have TimeShift in both Debian and Manjaro targeting the same partition; it seems to work for me.

It’ll make the backup, yes, but have you tried restoring either one?

@soundofthunder

creating separate partitions

That would indeed be the safest option.

[soundofthunder]

@Aragorn

Have you tried restoring either one?

That’s the big question, isn’t it – I haven’t needed to. I recall (at least, I think I recall) that each instance of TimeShift only “sees” it’s own sub-directories via GUI, but I haven’t actually attempted a restore – something I intended testing via VM, but didn’t find the time (subsequently forgot).

[notageek]

Thanks to both for your contribution
I will connect the pen drive to the new notebook and see what is going to be

[soundofthunder]

@notageek

I will try to make an other partition on the pen drive.

What capacity is the USB drive? I imagine a 128 GiB / 256 GiB USB divided into two partitions would be manageable – when they start to fill up, the oldest snapshots are deleted automatically.

[notageek]

256 GB, so I think I will be ok

[Aragorn]

@soundofthunder

@Aragorn

Have you tried restoring either one?

That’s the big question, isn’t it – I haven’t needed to.

A backup is useless if it cannot be restored. You should always check that.

@soundofthunder

I recall (at least, I think I recall) that each instance of TimeShift only “sees” it’s own sub-directories via GUI

An rsync backup with timeshift makes an initial backup of the system, and all subsequent backups are compared to that initial backup.

• Files that exist in the initial backup and have not changed since then are hard-linked to the initial backup in subsequent backups, and files that differ (or have been added) are copied over from the source.

• Files that are no longer present in the source during a later backup will only remain for as long as there is an earlier backup linking against them.

In other words, by mixing the backups of two distinct operating system, you are constantly alternating between files that exist in the original backup and files that do not, as well as between files that have been changed and files that have not.

P.S.: I’ve removed the solution mark, because I do not believe it to have been correct.

[soundofthunder]

The solution was this portion of that post; which I have now enhanced for clarity;

@soundofthunder

creating separate partitions (if in doubt, this is a guaranteed workaround)

which is what the OP opted to do, and seemed more appropriate than:

@soundofthunder

@notageek

I will try to make an other partition on the pen drive.

What capacity is the USB drive? I imagine a 128 GiB / 256 GiB USB divided into two partitions would be manageable – when they start to fill up, the oldest snapshots are deleted automatically.

which the OP originally marked.

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Edit:- To complete this game of musical solutions I’ve re-marked the solution originally chosen by the OP.

[notageek]

Well, I made a second partition and used that for the new notebook.
Thanks
the os is the same for both laptop (Manjaro)

[Lycan]

The typical home user will have 100x times more likely to need btrfs backups than other partition backups. You will screw your system hundreds of times before any meaningful hardware failure. So the best is to have a root partition in BTRFS, use grub-btrfs and just restart in your last functioning point. This is the default now, if I remember correctly.

That said, for non typical users it`s certainly better ext4 backups in secondary disks (not partitions, but physical disks).

[notageek]

@Lycan

That said, for non typical users it`s certainly better ext4 backups in secondary disks (not partitions, but physical disks).

I’m probably a non conventional user, since I’m old and old style, and your suggestion make sense