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@@ -369,54 +369,58 @@ Examples
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Additional Notes
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-================
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+----------------
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Here are misc. notes about topics that are maybe not covered in enough detail in the usage section.
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--read-special
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---------------
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+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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-The option --read-special is not intended for normal, filesystem-level (full or
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+The option ``--read-special`` is not intended for normal, filesystem-level (full or
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partly-recursive) backups. You only give this option if you want to do something
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-rather ... special - and if you have hand-picked some files that you want to treat
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+rather ... special -- and if you have hand-picked some files that you want to treat
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that way.
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-`borg create --read-special` will open all files without doing any special treatment
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-according to the file type (the only exception here are directories: they will be
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-recursed into). Just imagine what happens if you do `cat filename` - the content
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-you will see there is what borg will backup for that filename.
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+``borg create --read-special`` will open all files without doing any special
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+treatment according to the file type (the only exception here are directories:
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+they will be recursed into). Just imagine what happens if you do ``cat
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+filename`` --- the content you will see there is what borg will backup for that
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+filename.
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So, for example, symlinks will be followed, block device content will be read,
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named pipes / UNIX domain sockets will be read.
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-You need to be careful with what you give as filename when using --read-special,
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-e.g. if you give /dev/zero, your backup will never terminate.
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+You need to be careful with what you give as filename when using ``--read-special``,
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+e.g. if you give ``/dev/zero``, your backup will never terminate.
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-The given files' metadata is saved as it would be saved without --read-special
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-(e.g. its name, its size [might be 0], its mode, etc.) - but additionally, also
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-the content read from it will be saved for it.
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+The given files' metadata is saved as it would be saved without
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+``--read-special`` (e.g. its name, its size [might be 0], its mode, etc.) - but
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+additionally, also the content read from it will be saved for it.
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-Restoring such files' content is currently only supported one at a time via --stdout
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-option (and you have to redirect stdout to where ever it shall go, maybe directly
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-into an existing device file of your choice or indirectly via dd).
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+Restoring such files' content is currently only supported one at a time via
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+``--stdout`` option (and you have to redirect stdout to where ever it shall go,
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+maybe directly into an existing device file of your choice or indirectly via
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+``dd``).
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Example
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~~~~~~~
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Imagine you have made some snapshots of logical volumes (LVs) you want to backup.
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-Note: For some scenarios, this is a good method to get "crash-like" consistency
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-(I call it crash-like because it is the same as you would get if you just hit the
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-reset button or your machine would abrubtly and completely crash).
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-This is better than no consistency at all and a good method for some use cases,
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-but likely not good enough if you have databases running.
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+.. note::
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+
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+ For some scenarios, this is a good method to get "crash-like" consistency
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+ (I call it crash-like because it is the same as you would get if you just
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+ hit the reset button or your machine would abrubtly and completely crash).
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+ This is better than no consistency at all and a good method for some use
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+ cases, but likely not good enough if you have databases running.
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Then you create a backup archive of all these snapshots. The backup process will
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see a "frozen" state of the logical volumes, while the processes working in the
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original volumes continue changing the data stored there.
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-You also add the output of `lvdisplay` to your backup, so you can see the LV sizes
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-in case you ever need to recreate and restore them.
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+You also add the output of ``lvdisplay`` to your backup, so you can see the LV
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+sizes in case you ever need to recreate and restore them.
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After the backup has completed, you remove the snapshots again. ::
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