Hey, I am a new user to Linux. I installed Fedora 44 KDE Plasma in June, and I love the OS, but like many users I got burned by the plasma 6.7 update and want a backup solution (for the issue I am referencing, see System won't boot in after latest update, only a black screen appears | Fedora 44 | Nvidia 660). It took a while to figure out the solution since just going back to the previous version on GRUB didn’t fix the issue. Eventually, I figured it out, and later, plasma 6.7.1 fixed the problem, but I’d rather not have to face that again.
Essentially, I am looking for two things.
I have space for a partition around 30-50 gbs for a backup on my SSD. If an update bricks the OS, it would be good to be able to boot into that and then from there restore the rest of my configuration. Please note that I am using full disk encryption so I would want my backup not to compromise on the security that gives (maybe the backup is also encrypted?). Also please note that I am dual booting with Win 11 which I only use for some work specific software so I don’t want to compromise the dual boot.
I have some space on cloud storage for again about 30-50 gbs max (but ideally smaller) for a cloud backup in case my computer breaks and I need to quickly regain my setup. I don’t need to backup any large files since all of the important are backed up, just my general setup.
In both cases, I would want well-trusted solutions since I value my privacy and security.
I have seen many solutions online but given my specific use of Plasma, full disk encryption, and requirements, it was hard to figure out exactly what the most applicable would be.
There are quite a few good backup solutions. They work quite well for backing up specific files/folders (e.g. the home folder). I’m using Deja-Dup (GNOME app) for such a purpose (nice GUI, incremental backups, option for cloud storage).
However, what you seem to ask for is a backup mechanism that would easily restore the system in case of no graphical environment. Fedora installs by default on BTRFS, which has snapshot features. Unfortunately there is no easy-to-use front-end to BTRFS snapshots. You could go checking the available Fedora Magazine articles on that topic, or install BTRFS Assistant, which is a GUI front-end available in the repos. Either way, managing BTRFS snapshots is IMO still a complex and sometimes error-prone solution.
Another option is to try one of the Fedora Atomic desktop offerings (e.g. Fedora Kinoite, which ships KDE Plasma). They might offer less flexibility for certain use cases, however, their built-in rollback features are great in dealing with issues like the one described by you above.
Thanks for your reply, I think Deja dup would be great if I was on GNOME (I think it works on KDE but I’d rather have something more integrated).
I agree, the BTRFS snapshots are a bit complex but I think I’ll have to work with it. I’ll try shrinking my Windows partition and configure btrfs-assistant and snapper to take snapshots on the new space before and after system updates. Would use Timeshift but with BTRFS and LUKS I’d rather not deal with the compatibility issues.
For online backups I think I’ll go with Pika Backup and point the GUI to my cloud storage folder.
!