(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

I am running puppy slacko 5.3 as live CD on multiple machines. I am saving session data on a 4gb flash. There are only 3 files on that flash drive. Could someone point me to a description of how to save or sync these files on another medium, windows machine, other flash drive, (what ever is best) for the future certain loss or damage of the operating flash drive. It isn't necessary they are save or synced daily but something other than start from 0 again.

Thanks in advance,
bcs

Save file, right? How big and which extension?

I usually boot live and move it wherever I want.

What I don't do is try'n move it while she's running..

I'm not sure, but I think there shouldn't be a problem if you simply copy the pupsave to a different location (not moving it), even while Puppy is running. That way, you could set up a script that simply makes a backup of the pupsave, say, once a day/week/etc., assuming you're not using a flash drive for the backup location.

(I don't know how to set up such a script (through cron?), if that's what you'd want to do, but someone else here should know. If you want to backup the pupsave by simply copying the file manually, though, you should be able to.)

Copy's what I meant.

Yeah; I was just repeating your warning not to move the pupsave, particularly while it's in use.

It could be a problem maybe if it saves each 30 minutes
and one copy at that time but I just wild guess.
To move that could break things

I usually rename it because some puppy search and find them.
So lupudave.3fs instead of lupusave.3fs but I copy first and rename
after it really is there.

I copied the save file while the session was in progress and that may be the problem. I later copied it back into a flash drive replacing the less complete save file that was there and I got all kind of warnings on the next boot. The boot was stopped. Didn't know if it was damaged or needed all three files to be copied at once for it to fit together. I think I'll just try cloning the entire flash to a backup at the end of the session and everything is closed.

BCS- what are the names of these three files?

fsckme.flg
puppy-slacko-5.3.sfs
slackosave.2fs

bcs

This one >> fsckme.flg doesn't matter. It's the result of corruption or a previous unclean shutdown. No copy.

This >> slackosave.2fs.. is your actual savefile. It gets copied.

This guy >> puppy-slacko-5.3.sfs you OK'd to copy on to speed boot. Copied.

I know it's a flash drive and what they say about writes..

Is this the reason you steered away from an ext3 save?

You can copy these elsewhere though I'd do so during a: puppy pfix=ram boot.

If to an NTFS partition, make sure it's defragged first.

I guess what I want is to double save the sessions file, on the normal flash and somewhere else for use if the original flash gets lost or trashed. I think I understood you last answer but does the session need to be closed out before the save file is copied? And since you mentioned that the fskme file is unnecessary can I delete it now? I think I had an unclean shutdown on a session.

Thanks
bcs

Yeah, I mean, I keep one in a subfolder, below /home.. one I have saved off to flash drive. About "closing out the session", it's like work'n on a car.. I don't wanna do it while it's running. Changing a tire is one thing, changing oil or coolant, quite another. If you're gonna ask the system to work on itself, do so from the outside. But hey, you do what you want.

Deleting that file? Sure. You could probably even convert your ext2 save to a THREE!

Thanks for the answers, I've got a plan now. Nothing like changing oil with the engine running! The reason I went with ext 2 is because I thought I might use encryption but then decided not to do it. The options setting it up sort of leaned toward ext2 for the undecided.

Anyway-thanks a lot.
bcs

Is there a reason why you can't just backup to a second flash drive?

I backup to a flash drive that is formatted ext3, and to avoid any problems, I backup by booting from a Live CD with pfix=ram so that the save file on the hard drive is not in use. Since I only do at most one backup a day, I don't see any reason to worry about wearing out the flash drive.

Perhaps it might be useful to know that when booted from the live CD puppy will look for all this versions save files on all the drives it can access at boot and then give you a choice which one you load.

Now if you copy it onto hard drive in the computer in the root directory ( /* )as I did , and then boot from the live disk , it will find and use that .when you close it will already be saved and is very quick to boot and to close . No saving is necessary if it is on the hard drive . It has been done

I do this and copy my save file once a week to the usb stick for backup and the other files are there should I wish to boot from the stick

Thanks for the replies. The real problem was that the save file could not be saved while in use. That makes sense but how exactly to access the save files to copy and not activate them? I just put the live CD without the usb and get a session going THEN insert the usb and make the file backup copies where ever I choose. For now another USB drive. It works fine, just requires extra time for the multiple boot-ups.

bcs

I should not give advice but while it boot one write a p
and then when it ask about what you want then you add
uppy pfix=ram to the p getting puppy pfix=ram and that
allow you to boot without the save file loaded and then you
can do a back up.