[Bug-tar] incremental backup won't recognise snar file from previous system

[Henry Andrew]

I use Ubuntu 6.06 amd64 which comes with gnu tar 1.15.90 I think, and I have implemented an incremental backup routine, after having read the tar manual.  I have yearly, monthly and weekly backups and use three custom scripts to create the archives.

 

I use /var/log/snar to record the files that were backed up so that future incrementals can refer to this file and only bakup the newest files.  This has been working perfectly for some tmie, but recently after a botched upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu, I was forced to re-install my current version.  As I have /home on a separate partition, this didn't involve restoring the archive, however, I did not backup /var/log/snar, but I have a copy of it on the DVD that I burnt the yearly archive to.

 

Now, even though I have copied snar back to /var/log, using cp -p to make sure that it retains it's original timestamp, my weekly backups are backing up every file on /home, as if it is unable to recognise the snar file.

 

Could someone kindly point me in the right direction...am I doing something wrong, or is this a bug?

 

Regards,

Andrew