| dirvish.8 | The dirvish backup utility. | |
| dirvish.conf.5 | Configuration file options and format. | |
| dirvish-runall.8 | Utility to run a set of dirvish backup jobs | |
| dirvish-expire.8 | Utility to remove expired dirvish images. | |
| dirvish-locate.8 | Utility to locate versions of files in a dirvish vault. | |
These HOWTOs may be helpful in setting up a dirvish server or seeing what it will take to do so. Having the manpages for reference while reading these HOWTOs is advised.
Jason Boxman wrote a dirvish guide. Check it out!
The Debian Howto by Paul Slootman is a pretty decent recepe for setting up dirvish for local backup of a single workstation. There are some Debian package specifics but they are minor. Even if you are going to be using dirvish for backing up a network this is a good start.
The INSTALL instructions lists dependencies and outlines setting up dirvish.
While not a HOWTO, the dirvish FAQ may help answer questions that come to mind while reading the other documentation and configuring dirivsh.
rsync is the utility that provides the foundation for dirvish. Understanding rsync's options is extremely helpful in getting the most out of dirvish. Rsync is highly recommended for much more than backups.
rlbackup creates backup images somewhat similar to dirvish but has a much different approach to configuration and image expiration.
Mike Rubel's rsync_snapshot paper, written just as dirvish was completed, outlines a simple backup approach using rsync and linking. This paper's real value is the clearly articulated discussion of disk-based backups and in particular how they relate to rsync. It also has a number of useful links.