Kup Backup for Plasma 5

You must do regular backups. If you use Plasma 5, Kup Backup may be the best backup tool for you. It is simple and yet has many features including scheduled backups.

Content

• Install Kup Backup
• Configuring Kup Backup
  • Main Screen
  • Types of backups
  • Select source
  • Select destination
  • Schedule backups
  • Extra options
• Kup notifications
• Final thoughts

Although there are many programs in Linux to make backups, Kup is very special because it is designed for Plasma 5. It does not have as many options as LuckyBackup or GRsync, two programs that I have recommended earlier, but it has all the essential options and even some unusual ones. Let us look at Kup Backup in more details.

Install Kup Backup

Kup Backup should be available in the repository of your Linux distro. Depending on the Linux distribution, you need to run these commands:

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install kup-backup

OpenSUSE:

sudo zypper kbackup

Fedora:

sudo dnf install kbackup

Arch Linux/Manjaro:

sudo pacman -S kup bup

Then, you can search it from the main menu with the names kup or backup. In both cases, you will be able to run the application.

Configuring Kup Backup

Let us go through the main steps of creating a backup with Kup.

Main Screen

Once you have run the application, you will see the main screen.

The initial screen is very simple. To make a new backup, it is necessary to click on Backups Enabled and then on the Add New plan button.

Now you can start configuring your backup.

Types of backups

First, select the type of a backup. There are two types of a backup:

• Versioned Backup. You will be able to keep different versions of a backup. It has the advantage that you can keep the previous files that you have deleted.

• Synchronized Backup. It is the replication of the source folder in the destination folder. That is, the changes in the folder you back up will be reflected in the backup.

Both are useful depending on the amount of available space and needs. I recommend using the first option.

Select source

Next, you have to choose the source of the backup. In other words, the folders you want to back up.

By default, Kup selects the entire HOME folder, but you can change that.

Select destination

The next step is to select the backup destination. Kup is very intuitive because if you have an external drive connected, it will take it as the default destination.

I always recommend that you locate your backup on another hard drive, preferably an external drive. In case of a failure of your main hard drive, your data will be safe on another hard drive.

Schedule backups

Despite the simplicity of Kup, its real power is in its ability to schedule backups.

You can define a time interval to make the backup. For example, you can configure Kup to make a backup every week.

Kup is also smart and can make backups according to the time of use of the computer. For example, if you configure Kup to do a backup after 25 hours and you use a computer for 1 hour a day. After the 25th day, the Kup Backup will ask you to do a backup.

If you configured a backup to be saved to an external drive, Kup will initialize a backup only when that external drive is connected.

You can choose to do backup only manually too. But why would you ignore an option to benefit from Kup Backup intelligent behavior?

Extra options

Finally, there are some extra options that Kup Backup provides.

The first one is that it allows us to show the hidden folders in the sources section.

Also, it is possible to verify the backup once it is done. This is important because it allows you to be sure that everything has been backed up correctly.

Finally, it is possible to generate recovery information. This will make the backup larger but it will make possible to restore a partially corrupted backup.

Kup notifications

Once you have chosen all the options you consider necessary, click on the Apply button. Immediately thereafter a notification will pop up, indicating that you can now make your first backup.

You will also see notifications when it will be time for the next backup or when you connect an external hard drive assigned for backups:

You can then initiate a backup from the system tray at any convenient time:

Final thoughts

Kup Backup is a simple and yet intelligent in the handling of external hard drives and scheduling backups. It is written in Qt and therefore integrates perfectly with the Plasma 5 desktop on Linux.

I am surprised it is not a well-known backup tool. If you have not tried it, please do so. It may become your favorite backup tool.

Also, check other Linux backup tools with a graphical interface.