4. System Backups

Timeshift

Blade OS comes with the built in Timeshift app, which allows administrators to backup & restore their system with ease.

If you’re using the app for the first time, you’ll be met with the setup wizzard.

There’s two types of snapshots you can use:

The slow & recommended way.

  • Any drive or partition with a Linux filesystem (Other filesystem’s aren’t supported)
  • Allows the system to be restored if disk is damaged or reformatted
  • Full copy of the installed system
  • Files & directories can be excluded to save space

Fast but limiting.

  • Using the built-in features of the filesystem
  • Created & restored instantly
  • Nothing is excluded
  • Can only be backed-up on the system partition
Blade OS comes with the btrfs filesystem by default. If you installed Blade OS using a different filesystem, RSYNC will be your only option.

Snapshot Type

In this guide, we’ll be using the btrfs type. Things may vary on snapshot type.

You can change the location on where snapshots are stored here. Snapshot Location

You can change the behavior of automatic backups here.

It is highly recommended that you have at least one way of automatic backup in case your system breaks.

Automatic Backups

You can include user home directories in backups if wanted. For rsync backups, you can include or exclude specific files & directories.

You can re-configure these by going into the app settings or clicking Wizzard in the main menu at anytime.

Using Timeshift is straightforward. You can create a snapshot at anytime by pressing the Create button. You can add a comment by clicking on it’s section. To restore a snapshot, Select a snapshot and click Restore. Note that restoring a snapshot may take awhile. After the snapshot is restored, restart your system to apply changes. You can also browse the snapshot files by clicking on Browse. Timeshift Main Menu

In the case of your system being broken, You can restore a snapshot through a live medium of Blade OS or another Linux distribution. Open the Timeshift app on the live system. You may have to manually install it depending on the distribution your currently using. Make sure all the settings are correct, then select a snapshot to restore. Press the Restore button to start the process. Timeshift Live Mode Timeshift running in Live Mode on a pre-release version of Blade OS.

And that’s how to use Timeshift. Enjoy backing up & restoring your system!