[rdiff-backup-users] Easy Way to Find Lost Files ?

[Damon Timm]

Hi Everyone -

Am new to the list and rdiff-backup (am a new duplicity user, as of a
couple months ago too).

Anyhow - I have been, up to this point, just running a custom bash
script that uses rsync and the "--link-dest" option to create daily
and weekly backups ... the result is, I have a lot of folders like:
daily-0, daily-1, daily-2, and weekly-0, weekly-1, weekly-2 ... etc,
which keep my backups alive and well ... the hard linking lets me keep
those weekly snapshots for a long time and, if I was ever missing a
file, I could always browse around my archives until I found around
when it was I thought I deleted it (or had at least seen it last).

It's not the best system, but has been working for me -- recently,
however, I started learning python and wanted to re-create/improve my
script ... but then, of course, I figured someone else probably had
already done what I was doing (and done it better) so I set about
searching ... and found rdiff-backup in no short order ...

Which is where I am today -- playing around and testing it out and the
question I have is:

What is the best way to "go looking for lost files" with rdiff-backup
?  That is, if I backup a file, then delete the file, then unknown
quantities of time pass (all the while running nightly backups), is
there an easy way to find the file I deleted X number of days ago?
Especially if I am not one hundred percent sure of its name and/or
location ?

Right now, I can say: well, I remember using it six weeks ago, browse
my /backups/weekly-6/ folder and search around for the missing file
haphazardly until I come across it ... this relies on my memory and my
mouse/file broswer ... and its not a great system, but when I've
needed it it eventually works ... are there any easy tools/ways to
find files that I know I once had but now have deleted in rdiff-backup
?

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated - thanks!

Thanks,
Damon