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documentation.suse.com / SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Documentation / GNOME User Guide / Connectivity, Files and Resources / Backing Up User Data
Applies to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5

7 Backing Up User Data

The Backup tool is a simple framework to let users back up and restore their own data such as home directories or selected files. It is possible to create scheduled backups or backups on request, and to play back a previous state of this data.

7.1 Creating Backups

First schedule which data you want to back up and when to do it.

  1. Click Applications › System Tools › Backup.

  2. If you are opening the application for the first time, you will see a screen welcoming you. Click Just show my backup settings.

  3. On the Overview tab you can turn the Automatic backups on and off. You can also see the overview of the current settings.

  4. On the Storage tab, select a Backup Location and a Folder to which the backup should be written.

  5. On the Folders tab select the directories to back up and directories to ignore. For example, if you want to back up your home directory except for the Downloads directory, add your home directory to the category Folders to back up and your Downloads directory to the category Folders to ignore.

  6. On the Schedule tab select how often to perform the automatic backups (daily or weekly) and how long to keep the backups.

  7. (Optional) If you want to perform a backup immediately, too, switch back to the Overview tab and click Back Up Now.

    1. Choose whether you want the backup to be password-protected.

      If so, type a password in the two text boxes next to Encryption Password and Confirm Password.

      If not, click Allow Restoring Without a Password.

    2. Click Continue to start the backup process. When the backup is finished, the window will close.

7.2 Restoring Data

To restore a previous state of your data, proceed as follows:

  1. Select Applications › System Tools › Backup.

  2. On the Overview tab, click Restore.

  3. Choose the location from which to restore. Click Forward. The tool searches for backups stored in that location.

  4. Choose a date. Click Forward.

  5. Choose whether to restore the files to the original location or to another directory. Click Forward to see a summary of your choices.

  6. Click Restore to start the restoration process.