recover
Restore files from dump backup archives
TLDR
Restore files from a dump archive interactively
SYNOPSIS
restore [-itrxCvf] [file] [args]
DESCRIPTION
restore reads backup archives created by the dump command and restores files to the filesystem. It supports both full filesystem restoration and selective file extraction.
In interactive mode (-i), restore provides a shell-like interface to browse the backup contents, mark files for extraction with add, and restore selected files with extract. Commands include ls, cd, pwd, add, delete, extract, and quit.
The dump/restore system is one of the oldest Unix backup solutions, specifically designed for ext2/ext3/ext4 filesystems. It understands filesystem structure and can perform incremental backups efficiently.
PARAMETERS
-i
Interactive restore mode; browse and select files-t
List table of contents of backup archive-r
Restore entire filesystem (for full restores)-x
Extract specified files from backup-C
Compare backup with filesystem; report differences-f file
Specify backup file or device (required)-v
Verbose mode; show files as they are restored-h
Extract files by inode number from directory hierarchy-m
Extract by inode numbers only-s n
Skip to tape volume n when restoring multi-volume backup-b size
Set block size for tape reads
INTERACTIVE COMMANDS
ls [dir]: List directory contents
cd dir: Change directory in backup
pwd: Print current directory
add name: Mark file for extraction
delete name: Unmark file
extract: Extract marked files
quit: Exit restore
CAVEATS
The restore command works with dump archives, not general-purpose backup formats. Other backup tools (tar, rsync) require their own restore procedures.
Restoring to the original location may overwrite existing files. Consider restoring to an alternate directory first, then moving files as needed.
Full filesystem restores (-r) should be performed on an empty filesystem. The target filesystem should be formatted before restoration.
SEE ALSO
dump(8), tar(1), rsync(1), dd(1), extundelete(1)