data on backup target

[ramack19]

I'm looking at using BB instead of rsync. One of the main requirements is being able to open the files on the target device just as I can on the source device. Does BB perform the backup and yet be able to view the target device, open files etc?

[infectormp]

You can mount borg repository on any device. Read more here https://borgbackup.readthedocs.io/en/stable/usage/mount.html

[ramack19]

My question wasn't about mounting the fs, but more of accessibility on the target. Ie, with rsync and several other backup tools/utilities files are readable/viewable on the target device from another device such as the source PC. Other tools archive, compress the data on the target device which are not viewable without having to open that utility. AOMEI Backupper functions like that.

[infectormp]

To access files that was putted into borg repository (archive) you need to have access to borg repository from target device and have borg installed on target device also. Also read this article https://borgbackup.readthedocs.io/en/stable/faq.html#can-i-copy-or-synchronize-my-repo-to-another-location

[ThomasWaldmann]

@ramack19 what @infectormp says.

i just wanted to add that one always has to think about what one reasonably wants to require and when one might be blocking oneself from interesting features due to requiring not really needed features.

like, if you require direct access to files "like they were on the source system" without using any tools, you limit yourself to basically just copying the stuff (with cp, with rsync, with tools based on these) and maybe doing minor tricks like using hardlinks to deduplicate identical files.

but such a backup tool can not do chunk-level deduplication, compression, encryption, authentication (including checking if the backup contents are still valid) and also has its own bunch of problems (like creating a gazillion of files in case of the rsync+hardlink method, like eating way too much space in case big files change frequently and due to lack of compression, like confidentiality issues, etc.).

[ramack19]

@ThomasWaldmann & @infectormp
For this situation, with minimal devices being backed up, copying stuff is all that is needed. I do appreciate your input, thanks.