Incremental rootfs backup and restore for Debian-based systems. Companion tool to DistroClone — keeps your system safe between ISO builds.
DistroClone Backup & Restore is a graphical tool
for Debian-based GNU/Linux systems that creates a full or incremental
cache of the running rootfs using rsync.
The cache can be restored at any time, rolling the system back to a
known-good state — while keeping /home, /root
and /boot/efi safe.
Designed as the companion to DistroClone (the live ISO builder), it fills the gap between full ISO snapshots by providing lightweight, scheduled, incremental protection for your daily workflow. A btrfs backend enables versioned snapshots with configurable retention.
distroclone-backup |
👤 Maintainer: Franco Conidi aka edmond |
📧 fconidi@gmail.com
Clone the entire running filesystem via rsync in one click. Creates the base cache used by incremental runs.
Only modified files are transferred, keeping subsequent backups fast and storage-efficient.
Rolls back system files from cache. /home,
/root and /boot/efi are always
protected and never overwritten.
Schedule automatic incremental backups — daily, weekly, or monthly — directly from the GUI. No manual crontab editing.
When the cache lives on a btrfs filesystem, versioned snapshots are created automatically with configurable max retention.
Optional notify-send alerts when a scheduled backup completes, so you always know the last run status.
Store the cache on any path: internal partition, external USB
drive, NFS mount. The subfolder .rootfs_cache is
created automatically.
Optionally include /home in the backup scope.
A clear warning advises that this increases backup size and time.
Every operation is logged to
/var/log/distroclone-backup.log and shown live
in a YAD log window.
Auto-detects system locale. Full support for English, Italiano, Deutsch, Français, Español.
Clean GTK-based UI powered by YAD. System info (distro, kernel, cache status, cron status) shown on the main dashboard.
Works alongside DistroClone: back up before building an ISO, restore if the build leaves the system in an inconsistent state.
Grab the latest release from the GitHub releases page or from syslinuxos.com. You need a Debian-based system (Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, LMDE …).
# Download with wget (adjust version number as needed)
wget https://github.com/fconidi/distroClone-backup/releases/download/v1.2/distroclone-backup_1.2_all.debUse dpkg to install, then fix any missing dependencies
automatically with apt install -f.
sudo dpkg -i distroclone-backup_1.2_all.deb
sudo apt install -fyad, rsync and
imagemagick automatically. Install
btrfs-progs separately if you want snapshot support.
If your cache destination is a btrfs partition, install the btrfs tools to enable versioned snapshot support.
sudo apt install btrfs-progsFind DistroClone Backup in your application menu (System category) or launch it from the terminal.
distroClone-backupThe main dashboard opens, showing your distro, kernel, current cache status, and cron schedule.
Open Settings from the toolbar to change the cache
location. Default is /mnt. Point it to an external
drive or NFS share for offsite protection.
Click Full Backup. This clones the entire rootfs
via rsync into <cache-dir>/<distro>_live/.rootfs_cache.
Required before incremental backups can be used.
# A full backup runs in the background; progress is shown in the log window.
# Typical time: 5–20 min depending on system size.Click Schedule Backup, choose frequency (daily / weekly / monthly), the hour, and whether to show a desktop notification. Save — the crontab entry is written automatically.
# To run incremental backup silently (used by cron internally):
distroClone-backup --incremental-silentClick Restore System. A confirmation dialog
shows backup date, distro, kernel, and size. Confirm, and rsync
overwrites system files while protecting
/home, /root, and
/boot/efi. Reboot when done.
# Open the graphical interface
distroClone-backup
# Run a silent incremental backup (for cron jobs)
distroClone-backup --incremental-silenttail -f /var/log/distroclone-backup.logThe interface language is auto-detected from the $LANG
environment variable.
| Package | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
yad |
Graphical dialog toolkit (GTK) | Required |
rsync |
Filesystem synchronisation engine | Required |
imagemagick |
Image generation for UI elements | Required |
distroclone |
Companion ISO builder | Recommended |
btrfs-progs |
Btrfs snapshot versioning support | Recommended |
.deb package via apt install -f.