[rdiff-backup-users] updating terminal servers.

[Chris Fanning]

Hello all,

I'm a new rdiff-backup user and new to this list so please excuse any
incoherency.

I'm working with X terminal servers. These servers require a lot of
fine tuning because they provide the enduser's desktop. For example,
you have to preconfigure user accounts so that the correct email
client opens when they click on a mailto link in a web page. The list
is endless.

And then I was put onto rsync.

I work with debian testing.
With rdiff-backup I have successfully copied a configured server
(master server) and dumped the whole lot onto a fresh install (client
server). exluding some directories and files like /boot /dev
/lib/modules. It worked.

I then made some modifications to the master server and pushed the
update onto the client server but this time excluding even more
directories and files like /home and /etc/passwd* (I didn't want to
start overwriting local user configurations). It worked.

So I continued and installed freenx on the master server and pushed it
onto the client server. It didn't work because freenx touched
/etc/passwd and I had excluded it.

I'd like to ask the list if you think I'm going about this the right way.
Is there some sort of rdiff-backup model (or other) that can push
updates out onto client servers without overwriting local
configurations?

Thanks.
Chris.