.. _sec-backup:

Package backup
==============

Downloaded files can be automatically saved in a separate directory for backup
purposes. This feature is useful for tracking download history and ensuring that
packages are available in case they are no longer present in the official
software repository.

To enable automatic backup, add the following lines to the :file:`gsm.conf` file
or enable the feature during :ref:`setup <sec-setup>`:

.. code-block:: ini

   backup_package_enable = True
   backup_package_path = /home/data/gsm/backup

The default backup path is :file:`gsm/backup` within the configured
**data_dir**. Data and configuration packages are excluded, gsm reports them
during installation:

.. code-block:: text

   INFO          elevation: The package is not supported by the backup operation.

While the backup is enabled, :command:`info` reports the backup path and the
disk space it occupies. The directory is never cleared automatically, use

.. code-block:: sh

   ./gsm clean backup

The backup directory has the following substructure:

.. code-block:: text

   │
   └── module
       ├── version
       │ pkg-filename.tar.gz.1734436688      # Package file
       │ pkg-filename.tar.gz.dsc.1734436688  # Package description file
       │ pkg-filename.tar.gz.sig.1734436688  # Package signature file
       ...
   ...

The creation time of the downloaded package file is used as the reference time
for the backup. The timestamp is in UTC and is appended to all files. A file
which is already present in the backup is not written again.

Example of the backup structure:

.. code-block:: text

   │
   ├── seiscomp
   │   ├── 7.2.1
   │   │   ├── seiscomp-7.2.1-rhel-10-x86_64.tar.gz.1774338356
   │   │   ├── seiscomp-7.2.1-rhel-10-x86_64.tar.gz.dsc.1774338356
   │   │   └── seiscomp-7.2.1-rhel-10-x86_64.tar.gz.sig.1774338356
   │   └── 7.3.1
   │       ├── seiscomp-7.3.1-rhel-10-x86_64.tar.gz.1785914111
   │       ├── seiscomp-7.3.1-rhel-10-x86_64.tar.gz.dsc.1785914111
   │       └── seiscomp-7.3.1-rhel-10-x86_64.tar.gz.sig.1785914111
   └── seiscomp-tools
       └── 2026.175
           ├── seiscomp-tools-2026.175-seiscomp-7-any--noarch.tar.gz.1785910618
           ├── seiscomp-tools-2026.175-seiscomp-7-any--noarch.tar.gz.dsc.1785910618
           └── seiscomp-tools-2026.175-seiscomp-7-any--noarch.tar.gz.sig.1785910618

.. note::

   The package backup is unrelated to the directory :file:`.restore` in the gsm
   directory. There gsm stores an archive of :file:`gsm.conf` and :file:`local`
   before a release change or an operating system switch. It is removed with
   ``./gsm clean restore``.