File names and backing up to DVD

[Edward Ned Harvey]

> I usually back up to an external USB hard drive, but I'm playing with
> backing up to DVD, since I have a stack of DL dvds.  I threw together a
> quick script to call mkisofs, but I'm getting this:

My first comment is going to be:  Don't backup to DVD.  Not because of the
filesystem or anything like that, but just because DVD's are so unreliable.

Whenever I burn anything to DVD, I always verify the disk contents, and burn
two copies.  Within a week or two, I can generally read both disks, and see
that everything is fine.  I store the pristine disks in a CD binder.
Perfect, clean, sheltered.  Who could ask for anything more.  I don't write
on the disks at all, because the ink can bleed through and change the bits
(not even with a "CD Safe" marker.)  I label them with post-it notes in the
CD binder.

6 months later, generally, 50% of the disks are bad.  They simply degrade
over time.  People think they're permanent, but that's only true with
factory made, silver shiny CD's.  Not true for burned disks.

That being said, you've done the right thing by including the "-J" and "-R"
but ... even so ... You would be losing all of your permission settings, and
probably some other file attributes.  So yes, the tarball would be a better
way to write to DVD.