2.5. Backup, Restore, and Data Operations

Backups exist for one reason: recovery. A backup that has never been tested is not a backup — it's a hope. The XK0-006 exam tests both the tools for creating backups and the operational practices around them. This section covers the archiving and data movement tools; backup strategies appear in the Troubleshooting domain.

💡 First Principle: Archiving (combining files into one) and compression (reducing size) are separate operations in Linux — tar archives, gzip compresses. They're commonly combined, but understanding them separately helps you choose the right tool for the job.

⚠️ Common Misconception: Many candidates treat backup and sync as equivalent. rsync is a synchronization tool — it mirrors the current state. A deleted file on the source gets deleted on the destination. True backup requires versioned or point-in-time snapshots, not just synchronization.