Topic: Is it possible to perform a selective system backup without data to test upgrade

[sages]

Just pondering upgrade scenarios from 9.x to 10.
Is it possible to perform a selective backup on a running 9.2 system that includes all of the configuration and folders but doesn't include the content of the folders. Intent is it allow a rapid test of a restore to a 10.x server without having to wait for a couple of TB of file data to be saved then restored, just the config.
Even with an existing tested backup system in place there is a degree of doubt that Murphy and his legal team will arrive at some stage during an upgrade. Even more so if partial hardware updates are performed during the process making a fall back difficult. Utopia would be another system to migrate to but circumstances make this only partially possible.
I have access to a proxmox setup but it has less storage capacity than my current 9.2 system so a full restore during a test isn't currently possible.

[sages]

Thinking after I typed the above.  Just excluding the folders with data in them from the backup should give me what I am after for a workstation backup. Is there any similar ability in a USB console backup to exclude folders?

[sages]

  OK, I've just RTFM here https://wiki.contribs.org/Backup_server_config seems to have answered my questions. Unless someone has any better suggestions.

[TerryF]

thats all I would have offered

config the exclude you can then use either workstation using dar or console, workstation to desktop results in a tgz same as the console

[TerryF]

and just to be sure, you need to have done updates of e-smith-backup and e-smith-mysql so as to ensure a working system

so not able to do a restore on the install of sme10 when asked for a backup

[sages]

Noted thanks.
Still waiting for the bits to arrive for the upgrade, so still planning.

[brianr]

Another option is to use the Lazy Admin tools:

https://wiki.contribs.org/Lazy_Admin_Tools

Thats how I moved my Server from 9.2 to 10. You can use rsync to copy the data or not as the case maybe.

[Jean-Philippe Pialasse]

from memory inclusion and exclusion for console backup have not made it to sme9

starting sme10 the backup on the console can also be customized.