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#1 2017-09-13 18:00:45

loadlover
Member
Registered: 2017-05-10
Posts: 103

Backing up small changes after fresh Arch install

Hi all,

Assume I have a fresh, basic Arch installation, one I automated using a few scripts. A lot of the rudimentary stuff has been taken care of with my pre-prepared configuration files. So far so good. I can do this in less than ten minutes.

But now I have a problem, because typically, I do the next part manually. It's the boring stuff - firing up Plasma for the first time, tweaking a few settings, the final steps of installing a printer, syncing Firefox. As I do this, I know that a lot is happening under the bonnet. Stuff I'm not seeing.

This is the part I would like to automate. What's the best way? Preferrably something better than `cp -a`ing entire directories, but short of copying the whole hard disk?

Thanks, -Loady

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#2 2017-09-13 18:17:19

ayekat
Member
Registered: 2011-01-17
Posts: 1,589

Re: Backing up small changes after fresh Arch install

Per-user settings (themes, application preferences, browser profiles, etc.) are stored as hidden files (also called "dotfiles") within your home directory (and if done well, applications follow the XDG base directory specification and store the configuration separately from cached/generated files), so you could put them in a git repository (like many people do).

System-wide settings (printers, network, etc.) are typically stored as files within /etc (sometimes also in /var/lib, but that depends what you consider "configuration" and what "data"), and could also be managed in a git repository (but there are also tools for that).

I personally keep my personal config in a git repo, and try to keep system-wide stuff packaged by writing PKGBUILDs, and that's it (but I have a script that rsyncs my entire system to a backup server, so I don't have any need for treating my /etc separately).


pkgshackscfgblag

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#3 2017-09-17 16:08:18

loadlover
Member
Registered: 2017-05-10
Posts: 103

Re: Backing up small changes after fresh Arch install

Thanks. That's useful info, especially re/ the XDG Base Directory specification. Nice.

smile

- Loady

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