qvm-backup improvements

[marmarek]

Reported by joanna on 11 Mar 2014 11:01 UTC

• Save backup to a filename that has the Dom0 username as its part -- this will allow multiple users/machines to be backed up to a single disk, etc. E.g.:

qubes-backup-{dom0-username}-XXX.

Perhaps also introduce a cmdline switch to override this name (e.g. --backup-filename)

• Make the message about used or not used encryption more specific. E.g. the following prompt:

Please enter the pass phrase that will be used to encrypt/verify the backup

should read: "... used to encrypt and verify the backup" or "... used to verify the backup" depending on whether the encryption is to be applied or not. Otherwise the user might be easily mislead into thinking the encryption will be used, while it will not be.

Additionally a warning message should be displayed whenever the encryption is not be used.

• Perhaps it would be good to gather all the warning/note messages (e.g. "usbvm is not going to be backed up", "encryption will not be used", etc) in one place, after the backup table, just before the pass-phrase prompt.

Migrated-From: https://wiki.qubes-os.org/ticket/801

[marmarek]

Comment by joanna on 11 Mar 2014 11:03 UTC

• Also display a list of all the VMs that are not to be backed up.

[marmarek]

Comment by joanna on 11 Mar 2014 11:03 UTC

• Also display a list of all the VMs that are not to be backed up.

[marmarek]

Comment by marmarek on 11 Mar 2014 11:44 UTC
Regarding the first point: why not just create different directories? It will be much more convenient than all the backups from different machines in one directory. You can even do it from GUI while selecting backup destination.

[marmarek]

Comment by marmarek on 11 Mar 2014 11:44 UTC
Regarding the first point: why not just create different directories? It will be much more convenient than all the backups from different machines in one directory. You can even do it from GUI while selecting backup destination.

[marmarek]

Comment by marmarek on 11 Mar 2014 15:42 UTC
Re: list of not selected VMs: in qubes-manager you have clear selection of selected VMs (two columns: selected and not selected). If you use cmdline qvm-backup, you probably know what you are doing. So I see no reason for the second table. Especially when #798 is done.

BTW I've added "last backup date" to VM metadata, so you can always check when each VM was backed up (also available in qvm-prefs and with new qvm-ls switch "-b").

[marmarek]

Comment by marmarek on 11 Mar 2014 15:42 UTC
Re: list of not selected VMs: in qubes-manager you have clear selection of selected VMs (two columns: selected and not selected). If you use cmdline qvm-backup, you probably know what you are doing. So I see no reason for the second table. Especially when #798 is done.

BTW I've added "last backup date" to VM metadata, so you can always check when each VM was backed up (also available in qvm-prefs and with new qvm-ls switch "-b").

[marmarek]

Comment by joanna on 11 Mar 2014 16:26 UTC
Replying to marmarek:

Regarding the first point: why not just create different directories? It will be much more convenient than all the backups from different machines in one directory. You can even do it from GUI while selecting backup destination.

Ok.

[marmarek]

Comment by joanna on 11 Mar 2014 16:26 UTC
Replying to marmarek:

Regarding the first point: why not just create different directories? It will be much more convenient than all the backups from different machines in one directory. You can even do it from GUI while selecting backup destination.

Ok.

[marmarek]

Comment by joanna on 11 Mar 2014 16:26 UTC
Replying to marmarek:

Re: list of not selected VMs: in qubes-manager you have clear selection of selected VMs (two columns: selected and not selected). If you use cmdline qvm-backup, you probably know what you are doing. So I see no reason for the second table. Especially when #798 is done.

BTW I've added "last backup date" to VM metadata, so you can always check when each VM was backed up (also available in qvm-prefs and with new qvm-ls switch "-b").

No, not a whole table, just a short list, like:
VMs not to be backed up: xyz, abc, aaa.

[marmarek]

Comment by joanna on 11 Mar 2014 16:26 UTC
Replying to marmarek:

Re: list of not selected VMs: in qubes-manager you have clear selection of selected VMs (two columns: selected and not selected). If you use cmdline qvm-backup, you probably know what you are doing. So I see no reason for the second table. Especially when #798 is done.

BTW I've added "last backup date" to VM metadata, so you can always check when each VM was backed up (also available in qvm-prefs and with new qvm-ls switch "-b").

No, not a whole table, just a short list, like:
VMs not to be backed up: xyz, abc, aaa.

[marmarek]

Comment by axon on 12 Mar 2014 11:11 UTC
Replying to joanna:

Replying to marmarek:

Regarding the first point: why not just create different directories? It will be much more convenient than all the backups from different machines in one directory. You can even do it from GUI while selecting backup destination.

Ok.

In addition, why not let the backup filename be user-editable while selecting backup options? If backing up to a public disk, I may not want to advertise the fact that the file is a Qubes backup (much less my dom0 username).

[marmarek]

Comment by axon on 12 Mar 2014 11:11 UTC
Replying to joanna:

Replying to marmarek:

Regarding the first point: why not just create different directories? It will be much more convenient than all the backups from different machines in one directory. You can even do it from GUI while selecting backup destination.

Ok.

In addition, why not let the backup filename be user-editable while selecting backup options? If backing up to a public disk, I may not want to advertise the fact that the file is a Qubes backup (much less my dom0 username).

[marmarek]

Comment by marmarek on 12 Mar 2014 22:56 UTC
The fact that the file is a qubes backup is obvious based on file content (outer layer of tar archive and its layout).

[marmarek]

Comment by marmarek on 12 Mar 2014 22:56 UTC
The fact that the file is a qubes backup is obvious based on file content (outer layer of tar archive and its layout).

[marmarek]

Comment by marmarek on 18 Mar 2014 14:25 UTC
http://git.qubes-os.org/?p=marmarek/core-admin.git;a=commit;h=b298110d5f7ef3a2409d53885e6ee99d5f99034c
http://git.qubes-os.org/?p=marmarek/core-admin.git;a=commit;h=5d7688a2fec21e3c27e62b00b8d60bcd8e773832
http://git.qubes-os.org/?p=marmarek/core-admin.git;a=commit;h=dda1bbc41adb9cc58f844e614e5bf0080206df5b

Custom backup filename can be specified instead of directory name. If the path points to existing directory, standard file name scheme will be used.

[marmarek]

Comment by marmarek on 18 Mar 2014 14:25 UTC
http://git.qubes-os.org/?p=marmarek/core-admin.git;a=commit;h=b298110d5f7ef3a2409d53885e6ee99d5f99034c
http://git.qubes-os.org/?p=marmarek/core-admin.git;a=commit;h=5d7688a2fec21e3c27e62b00b8d60bcd8e773832
http://git.qubes-os.org/?p=marmarek/core-admin.git;a=commit;h=dda1bbc41adb9cc58f844e614e5bf0080206df5b

Custom backup filename can be specified instead of directory name. If the path points to existing directory, standard file name scheme will be used.