tar vs dpkg --get-selections for backup scheme

[Benedict Verheyen <linux4bene@pandora.be>]

Hi,

my server setup is nearing completion and of course i want to save my
hard work in case something goes wrong. Since i have problems in the
past with various backup programs like mondo to name one, i want to keep
it simple this time so a moronic me can understand whats happening :)

1) Method 1.
Tar /etc, /root, /home, /boot, /var, /usr, ... and write it to cd's.
Not sure how you can fit several tar to one cd but maybe one can use
mkisofs to do this?

To restore, you would have to boot with a rescue cd like Knoppix,
partition the hd and restore the tars or install a base system and then
restore the tars.

I can see a problem with the restore from the cd's when a tar file, for
instance var.tar.gz, spans more than 1 cd. I had some problems restoring
my system once like that and i ended up with copying the different tars
from the cd that made up the 1 big tar, joined them and then untarred
them. Or isn't that a problem and is there another way to do that?

2) Method 2.
First save the system status with dpkg --get-selections. Next backup
/etc, /root, /home, /boot, /usr.
Install a base system, set the package selections with dpkg
--set-selections and then do a dist-upgrade.
Restore etc, root, home, boot and usr.

I'm not sure what method is faster? Like i typed it here, method 2
doesn't seem to be all that interessting since one has to download all
the packages again and also has to backup the etc, root, home, boot and
usr dirs anyway.

Of course it all depends on what one wants: i want the fastest possible
way to get back up again after a problem ( a hack for instance) has
occured and i don't mind having the backup consisting of several cd's.
(Preferably the backups should go to cd and not hd). However a diskimage
is out of the questions since that also makes backups of empty space on
the disc. Not so fun with 2 hd's of 120GB and 40GB.

Any insight is greatly appreciated.
Benedict