I am using using Timeshift as system backup which uses incrementals backups with hard links (on an source external hard drive A). I want to have multiple copies of the same backups on different hard drives (e.g. in order to have the same backup on a second destination external hard drive B). Is there a way to copy the backups without breaking the hard links (e.g. with a tarball?). Is there another solution?
Edit
Ok so inspired from the following article describing how to use rsync preserving hard links: https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-unix-apple-osx-bsd-rsync-copy-hard-links/
I ran the following command:
sudo rsync -az -H --delete --numeric-ids --mkpath --progress /path/to_dest_HD/timeshift /path/to_dest_HD
and looking at inside the timeshift dirs, the size range seems to be coherent with an incremental backup
cd /path/to/source_HD_A/timeshift/snapshot
$ sudo du -sh *
14G 2024-10-01_19-11-00
207M 2024-10-01_19-13-54
245M 2024-10-01_20-00-01
224M 2024-10-01_20-04-45
228M 2024-10-01_22-00-01
228M 2024-10-01_23-00-02
357M 2024-10-02_07-55-38
544M 2024-10-03_12-00-03
287M 2024-10-04_09-48-09
cd /path/to/dest_HD_B/timeshift/snapshot
$ sudo du -sh *
14G 2024-10-01_19-11-00
194M 2024-10-01_19-13-54
223M 2024-10-01_20-00-01
202M 2024-10-01_20-04-45
208M 2024-10-01_22-00-01
209M 2024-10-01_23-00-02
336M 2024-10-02_07-55-38
518M 2024-10-03_12-00-03
249M 2024-10-04_09-48-09
What worries me though is that the size of the increment backup is the not exactly the same. e.g.:
source_HD_A: 194M 2024-10-01_19-13-54
dest_HD_B: 207M 2024-10-01_19-13-54
What is the explanation?
