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This file contains hidden or bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters. Learn more about bidirectional Unicode charactersOriginal file line number Diff line number Diff line change @@ -1,11 +1,11 @@ # Timeshift GRUB Boot Integration (EXT4 & BTRFS) This guide will show you how to: - Create and manage **Timeshift snapshots** - Boot into the latest Timeshift snapshot from GRUB - Automatically update the GRUB menu with new snapshots - Set up Timeshift for both EXT4 (rsync) and BTRFS - Use both blkid and non-blkid (Legacy BIOS/MBR) methods --- -
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This file contains hidden or bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters. Learn more about bidirectional Unicode charactersOriginal file line number Diff line number Diff line change @@ -0,0 +1,292 @@ # Timeshift GRUB Boot Integration (EXT4 & BTRFS) This guide explains how to: - Create and manage **Timeshift snapshots** - Boot into the latest **Timeshift snapshot** from **GRUB** - Automatically update the GRUB menu with new snapshots - Configure both **EXT4 (rsync)** and **BTRFS** setups - Handle both **`blkid` and non-`blkid` (Legacy BIOS/MBR) methods** --- ## 🛠️ 1. Installing Timeshift Timeshift is a backup tool for Linux that supports **rsync** (EXT4) and **BTRFS** snapshots. > ```bash > # Install Timeshift on Arch-based systems > sudo pacman -S timeshift > ``` > ```bash > # Install Timeshift on Debian/Ubuntu > sudo apt install timeshift -y > ``` > ```bash > # Install Timeshift on Fedora > sudo dnf install timeshift -y > ``` --- ## 📸 2. Creating a Timeshift Snapshot To create a snapshot **manually**: ```bash sudo timeshift --create --comments "Backup before update" --tags O ``` To list available snapshots: ```bash sudo timeshift --list ``` Example output: ```plaintext Device : /dev/sda3 Snapshots: Num Name Tags Date ------------------------------------------ 0 2025-02-11_23-33-09 O 2025-02-11 ``` --- ## ⚙️ 3. Adding Timeshift to GRUB (EXT4 - Rsync) ### 🛠️ **Step 1: Find Your Snapshot Path** Find the latest snapshot: ```bash ls -1t /timeshift/snapshots | head -n 1 ``` Example path: ```plaintext /timeshift/snapshots/2025-02-11_23-33-09/localhost/boot ``` --- ## 🔄 4. Automate GRUB Entry for Latest Snapshot ### ✅ **For Systems with `blkid` (Recommended)** Create `/usr/local/bin/update-grub-timeshift.sh`: ```bash sudo vim /usr/local/bin/update-grub-timeshift.sh ``` Paste: ```bash #!/bin/bash SNAPSHOT_DIR="/timeshift/snapshots" LATEST_SNAPSHOT=$(ls -1t "$SNAPSHOT_DIR" | head -n 1) if [ -z "$LATEST_SNAPSHOT" ]; then echo "No Timeshift snapshots found!" exit 1 fi BOOT_PATH="$SNAPSHOT_DIR/$LATEST_SNAPSHOT/localhost/boot" if [ ! -f "$BOOT_PATH/vmlinuz-linux" ] || [ ! -f "$BOOT_PATH/initramfs-linux.img" ]; then echo "Kernel or initramfs missing!" exit 1 fi ROOT_UUID=$(blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/sda3) GRUB_CUSTOM="/etc/grub.d/40_custom" cat <<EOF > "$GRUB_CUSTOM" menuentry "Timeshift Recovery (Latest: $LATEST_SNAPSHOT)" { set root=(hd0,3) linux $BOOT_PATH/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=$ROOT_UUID rw initrd $BOOT_PATH/initramfs-linux.img } EOF grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg ``` Make executable: ```bash sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/update-grub-timeshift.sh ``` Run manually: ```bash sudo /usr/local/bin/update-grub-timeshift.sh ``` --- ### ✅ **For Legacy BIOS/MBR Systems (Non-`blkid` Method)** This script **avoids using UUIDs** and directly refers to the disk device. Edit the 40_custom file for Legacy BIOS: ```plaintext menuentry "Timeshift Recovery (Latest: $LATEST_SNAPSHOT)" { set root=(hd0,msdos3) # Adjust 'msdos3' based on your partition linux /timeshift/snapshots/2025-02-11_23-33-09/localhost/boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sda3 rw initrd /timeshift/snapshots/2025-02-11_23-33-09/localhost/boot/initramfs-linux.img } ``` > [!IMPORTANT] > In the Legacy BIOS (MBR) setup, you use /dev/sda3 directly for root= instead of the UUID. After editing, save and update GRUB: ```bash sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg ``` Create `/usr/local/bin/update-grub-timeshift-legacy.sh`: ```bash sudo vim /usr/local/bin/update-grub-timeshift-legacy.sh ``` Paste: ```bash #!/bin/bash SNAPSHOT_DIR="/timeshift/snapshots" LATEST_SNAPSHOT=$(ls -1t "$SNAPSHOT_DIR" | head -n 1) if [ -z "$LATEST_SNAPSHOT" ]; then echo "No Timeshift snapshots found!" exit 1 fi BOOT_PATH="$SNAPSHOT_DIR/$LATEST_SNAPSHOT/localhost/boot" if [ ! -f "$BOOT_PATH/vmlinuz-linux" ] || [ ! -f "$BOOT_PATH/initramfs-linux.img" ]; then echo "Kernel or initramfs missing!" exit 1 fi GRUB_CUSTOM="/etc/grub.d/40_custom" cat <<EOF > "$GRUB_CUSTOM" menuentry "Timeshift Recovery (Latest: $LATEST_SNAPSHOT)" { set root=(hd0,msdos3) linux $BOOT_PATH/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sda3 rw initrd $BOOT_PATH/initramfs-linux.img } EOF grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg ``` Make executable: ```bash sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/update-grub-timeshift-legacy.sh ``` Run manually: ```bash sudo /usr/local/bin/update-grub-timeshift-legacy.sh ``` > [!IMPORTANT] > Use `root=/dev/sdX` instead of UUID if you have a **legacy MBR system**. --- ## 🕒 5. Automate via Systemd Timer Create `/etc/systemd/system/update-grub-timeshift.service`: ```bash sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/update-grub-timeshift.service ``` Paste: ```plaintext [Unit] Description=Update GRUB with latest Timeshift snapshot After=timeshift.service [Service] ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/update-grub-timeshift.sh Type=oneshot ``` Create `/etc/systemd/system/update-grub-timeshift.timer`: ```bash sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/update-grub-timeshift.timer ``` Paste: ```plaintext [Unit] Description=Run GRUB update when Timeshift snapshot changes [Timer] OnCalendar=hourly Persistent=true [Install] WantedBy=timers.target ``` Enable: ```bash sudo systemctl daemon-reload sudo systemctl enable --now update-grub-timeshift.timer ``` --- ## 🖥️ 6. Adding Timeshift to GRUB (BTRFS) > [!IMPORTANT] > **BTRFS snapshots** use subvolumes instead of regular directories. Find the **default subvolume**: ```bash sudo btrfs subvolume list / ``` To boot into a snapshot, use: ```plaintext menuentry "Timeshift BTRFS Recovery" { set root=(hd0,3) linux /@/boot/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=<your-btrfs-uuid> rw rootflags=subvol=@ initrd /@/boot/initramfs-linux.img } ``` Replace `<your-btrfs-uuid>` with: ```bash blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/sda3 ``` Update GRUB: ```bash sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg ``` --- > [!CAUTION] > I do not recommend using the auto script if you are not familiar with shell scripting. It is safer to edit the GRUB configuration manually if you're unsure. This way, you can carefully check each step and avoid mistakes that could make your system unbootable. For UUID (Standard Method) Edit the 40_custom file for your UUID-based entry: ```bash sudo vim /etc/grub.d/40_custom ``` Add: ```plaintext menuentry "Timeshift Recovery (Latest: $LATEST_SNAPSHOT)" { set root=(hd0,3) linux /timeshift/snapshots/2025-02-11_23-33-09/localhost/boot/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=12345678-90ab-cdef-1234-567890abcdef rw initrd /timeshift/snapshots/2025-02-11_23-33-09/localhost/boot/initramfs-linux.img } ``` Replace 12345678-90ab-cdef-1234-567890abcdef with the UUID of your root partition, which can be found with the blkid command. Then, update GRUB: ```bash sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg ```