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[SOLVED] Concerns about when I'll eventually need to use Timeshift

Hi all!

I just recently got some great help on getting my MariaDB database up and running!  Thanks go out to @calvinh for introducing me to the chpst command!

I'm coming from Manjaro, which was my first long term linux distro (I was on it for about a year).  I enjoyed it as it was a great introduction to Linux, but eventually I came across the systemd debate and I recognized the strong arguments for and against it (and honestly I have nothing against systemd, as I really know only a little bit about computers, but it does seem that it is a monolithic system pushed by a corporation and that's immediately a turn off for me).  So here I am!

On Manjaro I was privy to learn about the basics at my own pace and one of my favorite applications was TimeShift, as it did save me once from having to start over from scratch.

After installing Artix, I was able to git clone timeshift from the AUR and get it working, but I realized that the installation media that I installed artix with (graphical calamares installer with runit and xfce) doesn't have timeshift installed on it by default like the iso does on Manjaro.

If/when my system needs to use timeshift to roll back, how am I to use the installation media to roll back?

I know there are other more bare metal tools for this process (like dd, rsync, and chroot), but I am as of right now unfamiliar with those (I'll eventually get around to learning them), but how would I be able to use timeshift from the artix iso to roll back my system should anything go wrong?

Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated, and thanks in advance!

Re: Concerns about when I'll eventually need to use Timeshift

Reply #1 –
Timeshift in the Artix - unsupported - omniverse repository: https://wiki.artixlinux.org/Main/Repositories#Omniverse

Just add these 2 lines to the /etc/pacman.conf file
Code: [Select]
[omniverse]
  Server = http://omniverse.artixlinux.org/$arch

Re: Concerns about when I'll eventually need to use Timeshift

Reply #2 –
Quote from: Artist – on
Timeshift in the Artix - unsupported - omniverse repository: https://wiki.artixlinux.org/Main/Repositories#Omniverse

Just add these 2 lines to the /etc/pacman.conf file
Code: [Select]
[omniverse]
  Server = http://omniverse.artixlinux.org/$arch

Thank you for that, I put that in my pacman.conf for future use, but nevertheless that wasn't exactly what I was asking about.  Basically let's say I have a breaking change due to a recent update with pacman -Syu, and I need to roll back my update to use the computer.  How do I use timeshift on an installation media usb that doesn't have timeshift on it?  Will I need to run -Syu and then -S timeshift while in the usb live environment in order to use timeshift --restore ?

Any insight into this would be appreciated.
Thanks again for the mirror, that's cool.

Re: Concerns about when I'll eventually need to use Timeshift

Reply #3 –
I haven't used timeshift, but I imagine you could mount your / to /mnt and artix-chroot /mnt and use timeshift

Re: Concerns about when I'll eventually need to use Timeshift

Reply #5 –
Quote from: z3rOR0ne – on
How do I use timeshift on an installation media usb that doesn't have timeshift on it?

Login on LIve USB, edit your /etc/pacman.conf for the Live USB environment to add omniverse as indicated by @Artist above, then:
Code: [Select]
$ su
# pacman -Sy timeshift
Live USB environment is not read only, but it's read-write file system, overlayfs, is limited by the available memory and doesn't persist through reboots.

Re: Concerns about when I'll eventually need to use Timeshift

Reply #6 –
I see what you mean. I looked into it further and it seems this is recommended generally.

Now, if you save timeshift onto the live iso, does it actually persist to the next session?

Thanks, and sorry for my not understanding fully at first.

Re: Concerns about when I'll eventually need to use Timeshift

Reply #7 –
Quote from: z3rOR0ne – on
Now, if you save timeshift onto the live iso, does it actually persist to the next session?
As I said above, installing packages and any changes on the LIve ISO environment doesn't persist through reboots. You could logoff and then log back in without rebooting, and the changes would still be visible.

Re: Concerns about when I'll eventually need to use Timeshift

Reply #8 –
Quote from: strajder – on
As I said above, installing packages and any changes on the LIve ISO environment doesn't persist through reboots. You could logoff and then log back in without rebooting, and the changes would still be visible.

Thank you, that answers my question.  Now I feel prepared for if/when I have to use timeshift to restore the system.

I greatly appeciate you taking the time to answer my question and being patient with me.