# # this config file will save various reports of vital system information. # by default, all the reports are saved in /var/backups. # # requires dpkg, debconf-utils, sfdisk, and hwinfo # # (1) a capture of the debconf package selection states. This file # can be used to restore the answers to debconf questions for # packages that you will be installing through (2) below. To # do this, run: "debconf-set-selections < debconfsel.txt" # # (2) a list of all the packages installed and removed. # this file can be used to restore the state of installed packages # by running "dpkg --set-selections < dpkg-selections.txt and # then run "apt-get -u dselect-upgrade". If you have the # debconf-set-selections file from (1), you should restore those first. # # (3) the partition table of all disks. # this partition table can be used to format another disk of # the same size. this can be handy if using software raid and # you have a disk go bad. just replace the disk and partition it # by running "sfdisk /dev/sdb < partitions.sdb.txt" # (MAKE SURE YOU PARTITION THE CORRECT DISK!!!) # # (4) hardware information. # detailed information on most important aspects of the hardware. # # (5) the Luks header of every Luks block device, if option luksheaders # is enabled. # in case you (have to) scramble such a Luks header (for some time), # and restore it later by running "dd if=luksheader.sda2.bin of=/dev/sda2" # (MAKE SURE YOU PASS THE CORRECT DEVICE AS of= !!!) # # (6) LVM metadata for every detected volume group, if "lvm = yes" # # (7) a copy of each device's MBR, if "mbr = yes". A master boot record # (MBR) is the 512-byte boot sector that is the first sector of a # partitioned data storage device of a hard disk. To restore the MBR # one could do something like: dd if=sda.mbr of=/dev/sda # (MAKE SURE YOU PASS THE CORRECT DEVICE AS of= !!!) # WARNING: Restoring the MBR with a mismatching partition table will # make your data unreadable and nearly impossible to recover # # (8) a copy of the BIOS, if "bios = yes" and flashrom is installed # here are the defaults, commented out: # The output from the sys handler will be placed in $parentdir # parentdir = /var/backups # packages = yes # packagesfile = /var/backups/dpkg-selections.txt # selectionsfile = /var/backups/debconfsel.txt # partitions = yes # NOTE: the __star__ below will be replaced by the disks found on the # system (e.g. partitions.sda.txt, partitions.sdb.txt). If you change # the partitionsfile default below, be sure to include the __star__ # replacement in the filename, or you will get one file for only one disk, # the others being written to the same file, and then overwritten by the next. # partitionsfile = /var/backups/partitions.__star__.txt # dosfdisk = yes # hardware = yes # hardwarefile = /var/backups/hardware.txt # dohwinfo = yes # luksheaders = no # NOTE: the __star__ below will be replaced by the Luks partitions found on the # system (e.g. luksheader.sda2.bin, luksheader.sdb3.bin). If you change # the luksheadersfile default below, be sure to include the __star__ # replacement in the filename, or you will get one file for only one partition, # the others being written to the same file, and then overwritten by the next. # luksheadersfile = /var/backups/luksheader.__star__.bin # lvm = no # mbr = no # note: to backup your BIOS, you need the program 'flashrom' installed, and your # mainboard needs to be supported, see http://flashrom.org/Supported_hardware#Supported_mainboards # bios = no