Sorry if I’m missing this info somewhere but I can’t find it in the guide or in any messages here…
#1) When I create a backup for my DIY StartOS, will it ERASE the backup drive?
Or just create a file/folder on it, while leaving the existing info intact?
It would be nice if that was mentioned in:
A) the software process (I didn’t make it past the first screen though),
B) and in the guide: Start9 | Backup Create
#2) What storage size is to be expected for:
A) minimum of the system (plus all current services, all yet to be set-up though),
B) and then various estimates for what the services end up being once up-and-running, full, established, etc.
Creating a backup on StartOS adds a file/folder to your backup drive without erasing existing data. Ensure the drive is formatted to EXT4 for compatibility.
The amount of space you need depends on what services you are using. The backup does not backup Bitcoin Core’s blockchain data, so if you run a full node, you do not have to account for the full chain. If you are storing large media file in nextcloud or filebrowser then you will want to account for that. For example, I am running a server pure with a fully archived Bitcoin node and pretty much every service in the Start9 marketplace. I have quite a few images and a few videos. My backup folder is 76GB
I was referring to anything other than my own data, since nobody could possibly know that size (other than the NSA I suppose…)
I was assuming the backup is a good idea for the configuration of the server itself and data would just be duplicates of what I have elsewhere already. But maybe a backup isn’t needed at all for not-data, since I could just reinstall the OS and services rather quickly… if I had internet access.
So is a backup of the OS and services (with or without the personal data) good, even if just for an offline restore (for example, in an off-grid homestead or community)?
Why EXT4 is required:
When backing up to an external disk, StartOS creates a compressed and encrypted backup file. To ensure compatibility, data integrity, and security, the disk needs to support features like file permissions, symbolic links, and large file sizes, which are handled well by Linux-native filesystems like EXT4.NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT limitations:
NTFS: Not natively writable by Linux without third-party drivers, which can cause issues.
FAT32 and exFAT: Do not support Linux-style file permissions and symbolic links, which could lead to incomplete or corrupted backups.
2. Network Folder Backups
Why network folders offer more compatibility:
When backing up to a network folder (e.g., via SMB or NFS), the StartOS server interacts with the folder over a network protocol, rather than directly with the filesystem. The server doesn’t need to directly handle the underlying filesystem of the remote storage.
Network protocols (like SMB and NFS) abstract the filesystem, so StartOS doesn’t care whether the remote drive is formatted as EXT4, NTFS, or something else.
This abstraction makes network-based backups compatible with a wider range of storage devices and operating systems.