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Aptik User Manual

Aptik v18.5 by Tony George (teejeetech@gmail.com)

Usage: aptik <command> [options]

Software Repositories -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --list-repos                   List software repositories
  --backup-repos                 Save list of software repositories
  --restore-repos                Add missing software repositories from backup
  --import-missing-keys          Find and import missing keys for apt repos

Supports: apt (Debian & Derivatives), pacman (Arch & Derivatives),
dnf/yum (Fedora & Derivatives)

Downloaded Packages -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --backup-cache                 Copy downloaded packages from system cache
  --restore-cache                Copy packages to system cache from backup
  --clear-cache                  Remove downloaded packages from system cache

Supports: apt (Debian & Derivatives), pacman (Arch & Derivatives)

Installed Software -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --list-installed               List all installed packages
  --list-installed-dist          List base packages installed by Linux distribution
  --list-installed-user          List packages installed by user
  --list-installed-auto          List packages auto-installed to satisfy dependencies
  --list-installed-foreign       List installed non-native packages
  --backup-packages              Save list of installed packages
  --restore-packages             Install missing packages from backup

Options (--backup-packages):
  --include-pkg-foreign          Include non-native packages (excluded by default)
  --exclude-pkg-icons            Exclude icon-theme packages (included by default)
  --exclude-pkg-themes           Exclude theme packages (included by default)
  --exclude-pkg-fonts            Exclude font packages (included by default)

Supports: apt (Debian & Derivatives), pacman (Arch & Derivatives),
dnf/yum (Fedora & Derivatives)

User Accounts -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --list-users                   List users
  --list-users-all               List all users (including system user accounts)
  --backup-users                 Backup users
  --restore-users                Restore users from backup

User Groups -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --list-groups                  List groups
  --list-groups-all              List all groups (including system groups)
  --backup-groups                Backup groups
  --restore-groups               Restore groups from backup

Home Directory Data -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --backup-home                  Backup data in users' home directories
  --restore-home                 Restore data in users' home directories from backup
  --fix-ownership                Updates ownership for users' home directory contents

Options:
  --users <usr1,usr2,..>         Users to backup and restore
                                 (default: all users)

  --exclude-home-hidden          Exclude hidden files and directories (app configs)
                                 (default: include)
  --exclude-from <file>          Exclude files which match patterns in specified file

Mount Entries -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --list-mounts                  List /etc/fstab and /etc/crypttab entries
  --backup-mounts                Backup /etc/fstab and /etc/crypttab entries
  --restore-mounts               Restore /etc/fstab and /etc/crypttab entries from backup

Icons -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --list-icons                   List installed icon themes
  --backup-icons                 Backup installed icon themes
  --restore-icons                Restore missing icon themes from backup

Themes -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --list-themes                  List installed themes
  --backup-themes                Backup installed themes
  --restore-themes               Restore missing themes from backup

Fonts -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --list-fonts                   List installed fonts
  --backup-fonts                 Backup installed fonts
  --restore-fonts                Restore missing fonts from backup

Dconf Settings -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --list-dconf                   List dconf settings changed by user
  --backup-dconf                 Backup dconf settings changed by user
  --restore-dconf                Restore dconf settings from backup

Options:
  --users <usr1,usr2,..>         Users to backup and restore
                                 (default: all users)

Scheduled Tasks -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --list-cron                    List cron tasks
  --backup-cron                  Backup cron tasks
  --restore-cron                 Restore cron tasks

Options:
  --users <usr1,usr2,..>         Users to backup and restore
                                 (default: all users)

Files and Directories -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --list-files                   List files from backup
  --backup-files                 Backup files and directories (specify with --add)
  --restore-files                Restore files and directories from backup

Options:
  --add <path>                   Add file or directory to backups

All Items -----------------------------------

Commands:
  --backup-all                   Backup all items
  --restore-all                  Restore all items from backup
  --remove-all                   Remove all items from backup
  --sysinfo                      Show system information

Options:
  --users <usr1,usr2,..>         Users to backup and restore
                                 (default: all users)
  --skip-repos                   Skip item: repos
  --skip-cache                   Skip item: cache
  --skip-packages                Skip item: packages
  --skip-fonts                   Skip item: fonts
  --skip-themes                  Skip item: themes
  --skip-icons                   Skip item: icons
  --skip-users                   Skip item: users
  --skip-groups                  Skip item: groups
  --skip-home                    Skip item: home
  --skip-mounts                  Skip item: mounts
  --skip-dconf                   Skip item: dconf
  --skip-cron                    Skip item: cron
  --skip-files                   Skip copying files in $basepath/files
  --skip-scripts                 Skip execution of post-restore scripts in $basepath/scripts

Note: Options for individual items listed in previous sections can also be used

Common Options -----------------------------------

  --basepath <dir>               Backup directory (default: current directory)
  --scripted                     Run in non-interactive mode
  --dry-run                      Simulate actions for --restore commands
  --version                      Show version and exit
  --help                         Show all options

Backup & Restore All Items

sudo aptik --backup-all and sudo aptik --restore-all are one-line commands for taking a backup of your system and restoring it on a new system. You can safely use these 2 commands and skip the rest of this document, if you are not interested in knowing the details of each step.

Backup

Usage: aptik --backup-all

This will backup all items listed in the sections below. Backups are saved in current directory unless --basepath <path> is specified.

Restore

Usage: aptik --restore-all

This will restore all items listed in the sections below. Backups are restored from current directory unless --basepath <path> is specified.

Remove

Usage: aptik --remove-all

This will remove all backups in backup folder that were created by Aptik.

Backups are saved and restored from current working directory unless --basepath <path> is specified.

Software Repositories

Backup

Usage: aptik --backup-repos

Following actions are executed for backup:

  1. Debian-based distros

    1. Launchpad PPA names are read from files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d. Names are saved to file <basepath>/repos/launchpad-ppas.list. This file can be edited to comment-out or remove lines for unwanted repos.
    2. Third party PPAs are determined by reading list files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d. Source lines are saved to file <basepath>/repos/<repo-name>.list. Files can be deleted from the backup folder for unwanted repos.
    3. Apt keys are exported to file <basepath>/repos/apt.keys

  2. Fedora-based distros - Not supported

  3. Arch-based distros

    1. Custom repos are read from file /etc/pacman.conf. Source lines are saved to file <basepath>/repos/<repo-name>.list. Files can be deleted from the backup folder for unwanted repos.
    2. Pacman keys are exported to file <basepath>/repos/pacman.keys

Restore

Usage: aptik --restore-repos

Following actions are executed for restore:

  1. Debian-based distros
    1. Missing Launchpad PPAs are added using command add-apt-repository
    2. Third party PPAs are installed by copying list file from backup folder to /etc/apt/sources.list.d. If the repo source lines contain release codename (trusty, xenial, etc), and codename does not match current system, then it will be skipped.
    3. Apt keys are imported from file <basepath>/repos/pacman.keys
    4. Package information is updated by running apt update
  2. Fedora-based distros
    1. Restoring repos is not supported.
    2. Package information is updated by running dnf check-update
  3. Arch-based distros
    1. Custom repos are installed by appending the source lines to /etc/pacman.conf
    2. Pacman keys are imported from file <basepath>/repos/pacman.keys
    3. Package information is updated by running pacman -Sy

Downloaded Packages

Backup

Usage: aptik --backup-cache

Following actions are executed for backup:

  1. Downloaded packages are copied from system cache to backup location <basepath>/cache using rsync command
    • Debian-based distros - Copied from /var/cache/apt/archives
    • Fedora-based distros - Not supported
    • Arch-based distros - Copied from /var/cache/pacman/pkg

Restore

Usage: aptik --restore-cache

Following actions are executed for restore:

  1. Packages are copied from backup location to system cache using rsync

Installed Packages

Backup

Usage: aptik --backup-packages

Following actions are executed for backup:

  1. List of installed packages are saved to <basepath>/packages/installed.list. This file is saved only for reference and is not used during restore.

  2. List of installed packages are filtered to remove the following:

    • Kernel packages - linux-headers*, linux-signed*, linux-tools*, linux-image*
    • Library packages - lib* - These are usually dependencies for other software and will be installed automatically if needed.
    • Non-native (foreign) packages. For example, i386 packages on an amd64 system. Can be included in list with option --include-foreign but not recommended to include.
    • Theme packages - *-theme are excluded if option --exclude-themes is specified. You can use this option if you restore themes using command --restore-themes, and do not wish to receive updates for the packages.
    • Icon theme packages - *-icon-theme are excluded if option --exclude-icons is specified. You can use this option if you restore icon themes using command --restore-icons, and do not wish to receive updates for the packages.
    • Font packages - fonts-* are excluded if option --exclude-fonts is specified. You can use this option if you restore fonts using command --restore-fonts, and do not wish to receive updates for the packages.
    • Packages that were auto-installed as dependencies for other packages.
      • Debian-based distros - Determined using aptitude and will be filtered out
      • Other distros - Cannot be determined and will not be filtered out
    • Packages that are part of the Linux distribution base.
      • Debian-based - Determined by reading /var/log/installer/initial-status.gz and will be filtered out. Cannot be determined if this file is missing on the system.
      • Other distros - Cannot be determined and will not be filtered out

  3. List of filtered packages are saved to <basepath>/packages/selected.list. This file can be further edited to comment-out or remove lines for unwanted packages.

Restore

Usage: aptik --restore-packages

Following actions are executed for restore: 1. List of packages are read from <basepath>/packages/selected.list. Packages that are not installed, but available in repositories, will be installed using the package manager. * Debian-based distros - Installed using aptitude, apt-fast, apt-get or apt in order of preference * Fedora-based distros - Installed using dnf or yum in order of preference * Arch-based distros - Installed using pacman 2. Debian-based distros - Any deb files in backup folder <basepath>/debs will be installed using apt or gdebi in order of preference. 3. Newly downloaded packages will be copied back to the backup location <basepath>/cache. This is useful if you use same backups to restore to another machine. The next restore will have all required packages in cache, and download will not be required while reinstalling packages. 4. Package manager cache is cleaned after restoring packages. This removes downloaded packages which are no longer required, and saves disk space on the system.

User Accounts

Backup

Usage: aptik --backup-users

Following actions are executed for backup:

  1. Entries in /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow are saved to backup folder <basepath>/users for human users (UID = 0 or UID >= 1000 and UID != 65534). User's line in both files are saved as <username>.passwd and <username>.shadow in the backup folder. You can delete the files for any users that you do not wish to restore.

Restore

Usage: aptik --restore-users

Following actions are executed for restore:

  1. Missing users are added from backup folder <basepath>/users
    1. Missing users are added using useradd command
    2. User's full name, home directory path, and other fields are updated in /etc/passwd. User's UID will not be updated and remains same as the value generated by useradd command.
    3. User's password field and password expiry rules are updated in /etc/shadow

User Groups

Backup

Usage: aptik --backup-groups

Following actions are executed for backup:

  1. Entries in /etc/group and /etc/gshadow are saved to backup folder <basepath>/groups for non-system groups (GID >= 1000 and GID != 65534). Group's line in both files are saved as <groupname>.group and <groupname>.gshadow in the backup folder. You can delete the files for any groups that you do not wish to restore.
  2. For all groups, the list of users in the group are saved in file <basepath>/groups/memberships.list.

Restore

Usage: aptik --restore-groups

Following actions are executed for restore:

  1. Missing groups are added from backup folder <basepath>/groups
    1. Missing users are added using groupadd command
    2. Group's password and users field are updated in /etc/group. Group's GID will not be updated and remains same as the value generated by groupadd command.
    3. Group's password, admin and member fields are updated in /etc/gshadow
  2. Missing members are added to groups
    1. Missing members are added to groups by reading the file <basepath>/groups/memberships.list. Members are added directly by updating /etc/group

Home Directory Data

Backup

Usage: aptik --backup-home

Following actions are executed for backup:

  1. For each user, the contents of home directory are archived using TAR + GZIP/XZ and saved to file <basepath>/home/<username>/data.tar.gz. Full backup is created every time.

  2. Backups can be created for specific users with option --users <user1,user2...>. Specify a comma-separated list of user logins without space.

  3. Some directories are excluded by default to save space and avoid issues after restore.

    ~/.thumbnails
~/.cache
~/.dbus
~/.gvfs
~/.config/dconf/user
~/.local/share/Trash
~/.local/share/trash
~/.mozilla/firefox/*.default/Cache
~/.mozilla/firefox/*.default/OfflineCache
~/.opera/cache
~/.kde/share/apps/kio_http/cache
~/.kde/share/cache/http
~/.temp
~/.xsession-errors*
~/.Xauthority
~/.ICEauthority
~/.sudo_as_admin_successful

  4. You can specify a text file with names of additional files and directories to be excluded from backup. For example, aptik --backup-home --exclude-from 'exclude.txt'

Sample file:

.steam
.java

Paths should be relative to user's home directory. It will be applied to every user's home directory. Do not specify full paths, or paths specific to a user.

  1. Hidden files and folders (with names starting with a dot) can be excluded with option --exclude-hidden . These files and folders contain user-specific application and system settings. These can be excluded if you wish to only migrate your data, without migrating your application settings. Its recommended to keep these files and folders since they contain configuration changes that users have made to different applications.

Restore

Usage: aptik --restore-home

Following actions are executed for restore:

  1. For each user, the TAR file backup <basepath>/home/<username>/data.tar.gz is extracted to the user's home directory. Files are restored to original locations along with original permissions and timestamps.
  2. For each user, the ownership is updated for file and folders in user's home directory. This ensures that all files in home directory are owned by the user.
  3. Backups can be restored for specific users with option --users <user1,user2...>. Specify a comma-separated list of user names without space.

DConf Settings

dconf database stores application settings for users. Aptik can backup and restore any changes that were made to default settings. The changes are applied over default settings on the new system.

Note: The dconf database is present as a single file ~/.config/dconf/user in each users' home directory. This file will be excluded when taking backup of user's home directories.

Backup

Usage: aptik --backup-dconf

Following actions are executed for backup:

  1. For each user, dconf settings that are different from defaults are dumped to backup file <basepath>/dconf/<username>.dconf-settings

Restore

Usage: aptik --restore-dconf

Dconf settings can be restored only when users are logged-in. The restore operation will copy backup files to each user's home directory and create an autostart entry to restore settings on first user login.

Following actions are executed for restore:

  1. Backup file <basepath>/dconf/<username>.dconf-settings will be copied to the user's home directory - $HOME/.config/aptik/dconf.settings

  2. A script is created which will restore the settings from backup file when executed:

    $HOME/.config/aptik/restore-dconf.sh

  3. An autostart entry is created at path $HOME/.config/autostart/aptik_restore-dconf.desktop which will launch the script after user login.

  4. The script will restore the dconf settings and delete the autostart entry when it executes on the first user login.

Note: We are migrating only those settings that were changed by user on previous system. It will be applied over the default settings on new system.

Scheduled Tasks (Cron Jobs)

Backup

Usage: aptik --backup-cron

Following actions are executed for backup:

  1. For each user, crontab entries are dumped to backup file <basepath>/cron/<username>.crontab
  2. Script files in system directories /etc/cron.* are saved to backup folders <basepath>/cron/cron.*

Restore

Usage: aptik --restore-cron

Following actions are executed for restore:

  1. For each user, crontab file is replaced from backup file <basepath>/cron/<username>.crontab.
  2. Script files are copied from backup folders <basepath>/cron/cron.* to system directories /etc/cron.*
  3. Permissions are updated to 644 for files in folder /etc/cron.d
  4. Permissions are updated to 755 for files in folder /etc/cron.{daily,hourly,monthly,weekly}

Mount Entries

Backup

Usage: aptik --backup-mounts

Following actions are executed for backup:

  1. Entries in /etc/fstab and /etc/crypttab are saved to backup folder <basepath>/mounts . Entries are saved individually as <mount-point>.fstab and <dev-name>.crypttab. You can delete files for any mount entries that you do not wish to restore.
  2. Device names like /dev/sda1 and /dev/mapper/sd2_crypt will be replaced by UUIDs like UUID=576be21b-3c3a-4287-b971-40b8e8b39823 while saving backup files. This makes the entries portable so that they can be used on other systems where the device names may be different.
  3. System mount entries for /, /home, /boot, /boot/efi will be ignored since these are system specific, and not applicable to the new system where restore will be executed. Existing entries if any will remain unchanged.
  4. tmpfs and bind mounts will also be saved to backup location
  5. When generating an installer for redistribution, all device specific entries are ignored, and only tmpfs and bind mounts are included.

Restore

Usage: aptik --restore-mounts

Following actions are executed for restore:

  1. Backups are created for /etc/fstab and /etc/crypttab by moving existing files to /etc/fstab.bkup.<timestamp> and /etc/crypttab.bkup.<timestamp>
  2. New entries in backup folder are added to /etc/fstab and /etc/crypttab . New entries are determined by comparing field <mount_point> for fstab file and <device-name> for crypttab file.
  3. System mount entries for /, /home, /boot, /boot/efi will remain unchanged
  4. All entries are sorted on mount point field before fstab file is written to disk. This ensures that base dircetories are populated before mounting sub-directories.
  5. New entries added to /etc/crypttab will have nofail appended to <options> if not already present. This allows the system to boot successfully even if device is missing at boot time.
  6. It's recommended to review changes before rebooting the system. Run sudo aptik --list-mounts to view updated entries after restore completes. Replace the backup files in case of any issues. These backups can be found in /etc folder with names - /etc/fstab.bkup.<timestamp> and /etc/crypttab.bkup.<timestamp>.

Files & Directories (Advanced)

This option is for advanced users. It will simply backup files and directories and dump them on the target system during restore. Permissions, timestamps and other file properties will be preserved.

Backup

Usage: aptik --backup-files --add <path>

Following actions are executed for backup:

  1. The file or directory specified by <path> will be archived with TAR and saved to backup folder <basepath>/files/data

  2. You can add more files and directories by executing this command multiple times. There should be only one --add <path> argument per invocation.

  3. This is useful for saving files and directories that are not directly supported by Aptik. For example, you can use the following command to backup virtual machines created by Virt-Manager:

    aptik --backup-files --add "/var/lib/libvirt/images/"

Restore

Usage: aptik --restore-files

Following actions are executed for restore:

  1. All TAR files in backup folder <basepath>/files/data will be extracted to the root of the filesystem (/). Existing files will be overwritten without any warnings.

Post-Restore Scripts (Advanced)

Scripts can be placed in <basepath>/scripts for any actions that need to be executed after restore is complete. These scripts are executed by commands --restore-all and --restore-scripts.

Scripts will be sorted alphanumerically on file name and executed one by one. Scripts should be numbered or named in the order in which they need to be executed.

Scripts having file name ending with tilde character ~ will be ignored. This can be used to disable individual scripts.

Aptik Generator Plugin

The Aptik Generator plugin creates a stand-alone installer from current system settings. The backup files created for inclusion in installer are similar to what is described above but with some important changes. Bacups are created for only the current user account from which installer is being generated. Backups are skipped for other users. During restore, the same backups are restored for every user account on the target system.

Backups are created in <basepath>/distribution folder for generating the installer. Existing backups in <basepath> are not used.

This plugin must be used from a fresh user account. If you use this from your regular user account, then all your personal files in your home directory will get included in the installer. Create a new user account, login, customize the desktop, and then use this plugin to generate an installer.

Software Repositories

No changes to backup and restore steps

Downloaded Packages

Backup and restore is skipped to reduce installer size.

Installed Packages

No changes to backup and restore steps

User Accounts

Backup and restore is skipped since the installer is meant for distribution.

User Groups

Backup and restore is skipped since the installer is meant for distribution.

Home Directory Data

Backup

  1. Backup is taken only for current user account from which installer is generated.

  2. Data is saved to file <basepath>/home/data.tar.gz

  3. Some additional files and directories are excluded by default to avoid sharing personal data.

    ~/.bazaar/bazaar.conf
~/.gitconfig
~/.gnupg
~/.ssh
~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Login Data

  4. Always use a fresh installation or user account for generating the installer. This ensures that your personal data does not end up in the installer that you are going to distribute.

Restore

  1. Same backup is restored for all users on the target system. Other steps remain the same.
  2. Data will be unpacked to /etc/skel so that files are copied to new user accounts created in future.

Mount Entries

All device-specific entries are ignored in fstab file, and only tmpfs and bind mounts are included. Crypttab entries will be ignored since they are device specific.

DConf Settings

Backup

  1. Backup is taken only for current user account from which installer is generated.
  2. Data is saved to file <basepath>/dconf/user.dconf-settings

Restore

  1. Same backup is restored for all users on the target system. Other steps remain the same.

Scheduled Tasks

Backup

  1. Backup is taken only for current user account from which installer is generated.
  2. Data is saved to file <basepath>/cron/user.crontab

Restore

  1. Same backup is restored for all users on the target system. Other steps remain the same.