https://tsak.dev/tags/systemd/ Recent content in Systemd on tsak.dev Hugo en-gb Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://tsak.dev/posts/poor-mans-time-machine-backups/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://tsak.dev/posts/poor-mans-time-machine-backups/ <p>I synchronise almost everything I care about with <a href="https://syncthing.net/">Syncthing</a>, except my <code>~/Development</code> folder. That&rsquo;s 87 GB that had never been backed up anywhere. Now it gets a Time Machine-style snapshot every time I plug in an old 256 GB drive, using <code>rsync</code>, hard links and a systemd device trigger, all without root.</p> <p>Back in the day¹ when I was still using a Mac, I always enjoyed the simplicity of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Machine_(macOS)">Time Machine</a>, which Apple introduced almost 20 years ago. Plug in your dedicated drive, let Time Machine do its thing and hey presto, snapshots of your precious data. My wife&rsquo;s MacBook Pro from 2013 is still backing up to a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drobo">Drobo</a> 5N of a similar vintage over SMB to this day.</p>