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i want to rsync to backup but am unsure about overwriting file

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  • Last reply by sfhowes

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i have already made the "first" backup, which is just a copy of the .thunderbird folder to another location. i'd now like to use rsync to continue making backups for this gregorian year (2020). i have been just copying the whole folder each month as a way of backing up, but am finding that this is really increasing my hard disk use and i get lots of duplicate returns when i need to run a query to find an email. This is the rsync command i just used.

rsync -avh /home/frazelle09/.thunderbird/ /home/frazelle09/Documents/Backups/Backups_2020/

i don't want to use it again as-is next time bec. i'm not sure what will happen - lol. i realize this is probably a better fit for the rsync forum - if there is one - but...

Thank you for any suggestions you might have and have a great afternoon.  :)

i have already made the "first" backup, which is just a copy of the .thunderbird folder to another location. i'd now like to use rsync to continue making backups for this gregorian year (2020). i have been just copying the whole folder each month as a way of backing up, but am finding that this is really increasing my hard disk use and i get lots of duplicate returns when i need to run a query to find an email. This is the rsync command i just used. rsync -avh /home/frazelle09/.thunderbird/ /home/frazelle09/Documents/Backups/Backups_2020/ i don't want to use it again as-is next time bec. i'm not sure what will happen - lol. i realize this is probably a better fit for the rsync forum - if there is one - but... Thank you for any suggestions you might have and have a great afternoon. :)

Chosen solution

The ImportExportTools NG add-on has a scheduled backup option with the choice to backup 'just modified' files (see picture). Perhaps you can combine this with rsync to minimize backup storage.

Whatever backup method you choose, it's wise to have at least one .thunderbird folder backup, as that is the easiest thing to restore or copy to another computer.

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Chosen Solution

The ImportExportTools NG add-on has a scheduled backup option with the choice to backup 'just modified' files (see picture). Perhaps you can combine this with rsync to minimize backup storage.

Whatever backup method you choose, it's wise to have at least one .thunderbird folder backup, as that is the easiest thing to restore or copy to another computer.