Task 1

You need to automate the process of backing up important files on your system every day.

Solution

To solve this problem, you can write a Bash script that uses tar to create a compressed archive of the files and cron to schedule the script to run daily.

Step 1: Write the Backup Script

Create a new Bash script, let's call it backup.sh, and add the following content:

#!/bin/bash

# Backup script to create compressed archive of important files

# Define variables
backup_dir="/home/vasanth"  # Directory to store backup files
source_dir="/home/vasanth/folder"   # Directory containing files to be backed up
backup_file="backup_$(date +%Y-%m-%d).tar.gz"  # Backup file name with current date

# Create backup directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p "$backup_dir"

# Create compressed archive of source directory
tar -czf "$backup_dir/$backup_file" "$source_dir" >/dev/null 2>&1

# Check if backup was successful
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
  # Print success message
  echo "Backup completed: $backup_file created in $backup_dir"
else
  # Print error message if backup failed
  echo "Backup failed. Please check if the source directory exists and has appropriate permissions."
fi

Replace /path/to/backup with the directory where you want to store the backup files, and /path/to/source with the directory containing the files you want to back up.

Step 2: Make the Script Executable

Make the script executable using the following command:

chmod +x backup.sh

Step 3: Schedule the Backup

Use cron to schedule the backup script to run daily. Edit the crontab file by running:

crontab -e

Add the following line to schedule the backup script to run every day at midnight:

0 0 * * * /path/to/backup.sh

Replace /path/to/backup.sh with the full path to your backup script.

Now, the backup script will run automatically every day at midnight, creating a compressed archive of your important files in the specified backup directory.

This solution automates the process of backing up important files on your system, ensuring that your data is regularly backed up and protected.