backdown wipe

backdown wipe [OPTIONS] <PATHS>...

Arguments#

<PATHS>...

Drives, or folders on them, to free. Each must be on an indexed drive.

Options#

--move-to <MOVE_TO>

Move what exists only in these paths here first (verified), instead of leaving it.

--trust-index

Don't re-read each file and its copy; trust the index's hashes (faster, a little less safe). Copies must still be there, as last scanned.

--go

Actually wipe.

--confirm <CONFIRM>

The drive name(s), as the dry run shows them.

Also takes the global options --db and --local.

Good to know#

Refuses the running system (outside home folders), a whole home folder, BackDown's own index, and anything not on an indexed drive. Each file is re-read before it's deleted, and so is its copy outside the selection; --trust-index checks only that the copy is still there as last scanned. Changed, new or unreadable files are left alone. Every deletion is journaled with its proof. Folders the wipe empties are removed (a drive's own top folder stays). A copy only on another machine (backdown remote) counts when that machine confirmed it within the proof window, and is read again there just before the deletion. --move-to keeps names as they are, and leaves a file in place if its extended attributes or alternate data streams couldn't be kept on the copy.

Examples#

# what would happen (changes nothing)
backdown wipe /media/old-drive
# move what exists only there first, then wipe
backdown wipe /media/old-drive --move-to /media/archive/Unsorted --go --confirm "old-drive"

See also#

• Free up a drive
• Several machines
• Principles