What's your preferred Pi backup solution

After struggling with my previous Pi and multiple distressing bouts of SD corruption, I am determined to enact a decent backup/storage solution so I can feel confident in using RISC OS once again as my “main machine” (my StrongARM RiscPC served this role for the best of 10 years, and was ever-dependable).

So, for people using their Pis as their primary RISC OS machines, what storage and backup solutions are you using?

I’ve thought about PiSSDup, CloudFS, USB sticks, USB hard drives, setting up a Samba server (perhaps on RISC OS), or even Access..but would appreciate hearing your stories of what is working (or not) for you.

Thank you in advance.

I have used clonezilla to take and store copies of Pi SD cards and restored them successfully but that is more useful for creating a base image once you are happy everything setup as you like. Clonezilla is based on a linux kernel though so this isn’t a pure RISC OS solution. For my main computer a Mac I use some rsync scripts to back up my files to external drives on a periodic basis. It looks like rsync is available on RISC OS too which I have just discovered this moment!

I back up data locally on a usb stick, and to the cloud (via CloudFS). For SD card contents (!Boot and the standard HD4 directories suitably personalised) I use a 4GB card which gets cloned every week (using !Clonedisc) and the card image is stored on a PC laptop and in case of card corruption/failure or, more usually, a problematic upgrade, I use Windiscimager32 to re-image the SD card with the most recent clean image.

My RO useage has been on an off for a while but my main backup solutions have been a mix of a USB drive and using ‘dd’ to backup SD cards.

I have a little server running off an Orange Pi Zero. I use NFS on that for things I want to keep a copy of. My OS port gets shuffled to Github via that and a terminal.
Files I really don’t want to lose get saved to Google drive and various other places.
My Pi SD card has nothing irreplaceable on it. Just the OS and applications I use.
My day to day work is just on a USB drive.

In terms of prevention, my SBCs tend to have a big capacitor attached to help with transients. I use one of those USB things for monitoring voltage and / or current when I have suspicions. I use a logitech wireless mouse / keyboard set so the Pi only needs to power a little RF receiver instead of a mouse and keyboard.

My thinking at the moment is to try and avoid the need for backups.

To that end, I use mSATA which, so far, has been much more reliable than ’partitioned ’SD cards.

Backups of data and applications (and even boot sequences) can done on-line with ShareFS without shutting down any system. In essence each system is backed on one or more of the others.

The SD cards now only contain the 5 or 6 files needed for the Pi hardware boot and they are also easily copied on-line.

Excellent stuff. Thank you all.

It seems for backup, imaging the SD card periodically to create a baseline OS/app build – and keeping files on external USB/cloud stores – is one possible route.

My concern is I will lack the time (really, discipline) to keep on top of this.

To that end, I use mSATA which, so far, has been much more reliable than ’partitioned ’SD cards.

I like the idea of the mSATA approach, apart from the noise and the case requirements. Are you using PISSedUp or is it possible to do this via other routes? I see that Element 14’s Pi Desktop solution has a USB-linked mSATA board.

I like the idea of the mSATA approach, apart from the noise and the case requirements. Are you using PISSedUp or is it possible to do this via other routes?

It is possible to do it via other routes, but PiSSDup together with Pi-Llok is a very tidy and compact combination. Drop us an email through the website contact page, and we can discuss any questions you have about PiSSDup and Pi-Llok.

It’s worth nothing that mSATA SSDs are silent, so don’t worry about any audible issues!

I like the idea of the mSATA approach. Are you using PISSedUp or is it possible to do this via other routes?

I am using a variety of options, including PiSSDup – which I think is the neatest, but not the cheapest. Delivery time was very good.

I see that Element 14’s Pi Desktop solution has a USB-linked mSATA board.

That is the most expensive option I have. Also very neat, but I am running it without the case as the Pi 3 gets too hot. This one is Raspbian, not RO.

The cheapest option was less than £10 from amazon. works well with Transcend 16GB mSATA, bringing the total cost to £36. Again it runs much cooler out of its aluminium case.

Drop us an email through the website contact page, and we can discuss any questions you have about PiSSDup and Pi-Llok

Email on its way.

works well with Transcend 16GB mSATA, bringing the total cost to £36.

Incredible how little a hard drive can cost today!

Hi

As far as I am concerned, I am using SafeStore 2 from R-Comp to automatilcally backup at regular intervals my “Documents” and “!NewsDir” directories on an usb key and recently, on a external USB hard drive.
And if i need to recover from a SD card crash, I make a fresh installation on a new SD card using SystemDisk.

Regards

François

The route I took was a combination of a riscosbits PiSSDup, a 32 gig mSATA (supplied with the PiSSDup) and a 32 gig SD card (for booting, and – in the near future – backup purposes). Installed this yesterday and can definitely recommend it: an easy install, seems very fast and most crucially the combination of mSATA and ability to periodically backup important directories to the SD gives me a lot of confidence in the system.

I bought the Pi-Llok too as my Pi 3 was lacking a case. This works very well with the PiSSDup, giving me the most complete desktop RISC OS solution I’ve had since the RPC. Lovely.

My thinking at the moment is to try and avoid the need for backups.
To that end, I use mSATA which, so far, has been much more reliable than ’partitioned’ SD cards.

I’d agree. But we have a Raspberry Pi with mSATA which we were using to run Linux as a little server. A few weeks ago I wanted to use it to write a USB stick image to several sticks simultaneously, so I plugged in a cheap powered USB hub. Unfortunately something has gone wrong and the Pi no longer finds the mSATA so they can be vulnerable to dodgy equipment. Nothing beats proper backups!

Nothing beats proper backups!

The full text of my post, of which you have quoted part ,goes on to say that I still do proper backups. I no longer have to use them quite as often.

so I plugged in a cheap powered USB hub. Unfortunately something has gone wrong ….

We can now plug in additional USB drives without causing a power glitch which resets the Pi. But, as Colin has pointed out in another post, the insert can cause a USB disconnect which can cause other problems.
https://www.riscosopen.org/forum/forums/11/topics/11389

The full text of my post, of which you have quoted part, goes on to say that I still do proper backups. I no longer have to use them quite as often.

Sorry that my selective quoting implied you were taking risks.

No problem :)