Cronopete: Mac OS Time Machine-like Backup Tool for Linux

Last updated: July 10, 2018

For those looking for Time Machine like backup software, Cronopete is a Linux backup utility modeled after Apple’s time machine.

“The name comes from anacronopete (“who flies through time”), which is a time machine featured in the novel from Enrique Gaspar y Rimbaud, and published in 1887 (eight years before than H.G. Wells’Time Machine).”

Install Cronopete backup tool in Ubuntu:

The software project page so far offers packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and other Linux.

Grab the package for Ubuntu bionic (for Ubuntu 18.04), or package for Ubuntu artful (for Ubuntu 17.10).

Then install it via:

  1. Install Gdebi package installer from Ubuntu Software.
  2. Right-click on downloaded .deb package, then go to open with Other Application -> Gdebi package installer.
  3. Finally click install the Cronopete package.

Or open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install the package:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/cronopete-*.deb; sudo apt-get -f install

Once installed, open the settings dialog from your system app launcher and enjoy!

Enable store backups in a folder:

When you click ‘Change destination’ button to choose a folder to save backups, you’ll be prompted to enable folder backend. And this can be done by:

  1. Install Dconf Editor via Ubuntu Software.
  2. Launch Dconf Editor and navigate to /org/rastersoft/cronopete
  3. Scroll down and enable enable-folder-backend

Uninstall:

To remove Cronopete backup tool, open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T and run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove cronopete

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I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu in 2007 and wishes to share my experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please comment to let me know if the tutorial is outdated! And, notify me if you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Contact me via ubuntuhandbook1@gmail.com Buy me a coffee: Buymeacoffee | https://ko-fi.com/ubuntuhandbook1 |

6 responses to Cronopete: Mac OS Time Machine-like Backup Tool for Linux

  1. is it work with ubuntu 16.04
    ?

    • The software only provide Ubuntu 18.04 (bionic) package at the moment. Not sure if it works, though you can install the package on Ubuntu 16.04.

  2. Thanks for your cronopete-time-machine-like-backup-tool
    Your picture has helped me to find why the program after installation did not start.
    It needs to be turned on.
    To my excuse, I misunderstood the bottom
    “Un-mount backup disk”
    I did not want to un-mount it before the backup process starts. So I click the bottom on top on “No” beaning Do not un-mount it.
    Your picture does not show the additional bottom and that solved my misunderstanding.
    Thanks again for your blog! Reinh

  3. Can this be used with Linux Mint 19?