Keeping a copy of the vital information that makes up your Unix environment could mean the difference between working again after a failure in hours compared to days. In the latest of my System Administrators Toolkit guide, I examine how best to identify and then back up the files that make up your system – not the data, but the configuration files, drivers and other elements that make you system unique. In the article, I cover:

• How to identify the right files, and what to consider
• Simple script using tar to back up the files you want
• Script for deleting files by date or age
• Using rsync for backups

Read System Administration Toolkit: Backing up key information