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Due to some really buggy software that likes to write its own backup files to its working area even when that it disabled, duplicity has backed up those backups resulting in several hundred GBs of useless data in its archives (I use duplicity to automatically backup the working directory of this software each day, which, when the software doesn't listen when it is told to not also backup, results in backups being backed up, which is an explosion of disk space on the order of O(n²) or so.). All of the problematic files are in a single directory, /path/to/software's/working/directory/backups, and I need to get these backups out of duplicity's archives so I have some breathing room on my server's SSD before a month goes by and the backups expire. How can I do this, without affecting the rest of the actually useful data that duplicity is storing?

john01dav
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  • exclude it and run a check and prune afterwards – djdomi Apr 19 '20 at 21:16
  • @djdomi What do you mean by "run a check"? I can't find anything about "check" in duplicity's man page. Excluding it from a prune makes sense, but it seems like that's only part of your suggestion. – john01dav Apr 20 '20 at 01:26
  • i see you use duplicity instead of duplicacy i am sorry – djdomi Apr 23 '20 at 11:46

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sorry, you can't. the best duplicity can do for you is a new full backup where you excluded mentioned folder.

yagmoth555
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ede-duply.net
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  • Pity. I am paying real $$$ to a a cloud storage company because I had an identical problem, 200GB in log files that I don't need. Mistakes happen. A way to deal with them would be great. – Michał Leon Jun 03 '21 at 12:52
  • consider putting up a bounty offering real $$$ for the functionality you are missing. [duplicity's mailing list](https://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/duplicity-talk) would be ideal to place it. – ede-duply.net Jun 04 '21 at 13:42
  • ede, I can go back to using RAR as a backup program. That would be cheaper and more stable. – Michał Leon Jun 05 '21 at 14:32
  • lol, thanks for making my day. good luck saving your "real $$$" while expecting others to write your perfect software, for free. – ede-duply.net Jun 06 '21 at 15:19
  • Ede, have you heard of Open Software? You might be shocked to find that your Android phone runs Linux! – Michał Leon Jun 06 '21 at 19:05
  • obvi, cause one of us already contributed real code to duplicity. did you? also, you might be shocked that AOSP-Developers at Google earn "real $$$" to develop it. my point is, offer a bounty, add/fix it yourself and contribute it but stop expecting others to. Open in open software stands for access to the source and therefore the possibility for you to do so. additionally, Free in free software “is a matter of liberty, not price" as the famous quote goes. – ede-duply.net Jun 08 '21 at 01:16
  • Someone has already published a patch. This doesn't change the fact that the software contains MAGIC NUMBERS in the code. The old complaint of "lack of supervision and/or self-discipline" is making a comeback? – Michał Leon Jun 08 '21 at 15:04
  • No. as of date duplicity is not able to "edit" backup sets after they were created. i am not going or willing to discuss other matters here. – ede-duply.net Jun 08 '21 at 16:04