Backing up for a fresh install... but back up what?

[Yuuki]

Hi,
I live Ubuntu and Kubuntu and the Six month cycle.
I didn't like the update system, because it doesn't fully work for me.
So each time an new release was out, I did a fresh install.
But as you all know, it can be troublesome, to make the new release look like the old one. I mean, installed program, settings etc...

Right now, i'm using kubuntu gutsy, with kde 3.5.9. no problem so far.
When hardy will be out, i'll have to install it.
I'm beginning to be used with the buntu distro, where things are etc...
But i'm not sure what i have to backup in order to make the new release fonctinal for me.

My home is mounted on another partition.
A lot of hidden dir are there, with settings. I guess no problem

I also installed a lamp solution with ssl enabled etc...
those settings are in /etc and /var/www (linking the folder there to several sites)

I have some program built manually, but i know exactly what to do with them

So, lets say, I want to install the new release.
what directory should i backup?
/etc ?
and i have to cp my my /etc backup and overwrite the one after the installation of the new buntu release?
If i go for kde4 in hardy, what will happen with the hidden dir in home (which are config files for kde 3.5.9 mostly + some other apps installed via apt)

Also, even if i can install things via apt easily, is there a way to tell apt to install the apps i had in the previous release? something like generate a file that contains all the necessary informations about the program i have installed, give that file to the apt in hardy, then apt will take care of everything?

To resume, what will i have to do to make the installation process of the new release easier for me? (I dont want to spend a night, before my system is operational for me)

Thanks for your attention

[marshallbanana]

Re: Backing up for a fresh install... but back up what?

If you know the names of all the packages from adept you want then you can just run them as one big 'apt-get install' command (something like 'sudo apt-get install mozilla-thunderbird firefox gimp inkscape juk wine'). This reduces it all to a single command line entry. And as you still have the settings for them in /home its all good.

Personally I keep a command along those lines in a google doc (easy to access after an install) and just use it whenever I reinstall. It takes one install run to create the command while you figure out what you need, but from then on its easy.

Given that all tasks can be done from the command line it may be worth figuring out how to do all the things you want here and then just keeping a list of the commands to be run on install. Then its just a matter of running a series of commands and you are done.

[Yuuki]

Re: Backing up for a fresh install... but back up what?

thx for your reply.

Indeed, reinstalling program isnt really a problem.

but what about things stored in /etc, like apache, sourcelist, fstab etc...

Is it a good idea to keep a backup /etc and simply overwrite the new /etc with the backup?