Capstone labs · Lesson 16 of 18 · 8 minutes

Capstone backup restore review

Review backup manifest, archive, restored file, and checksum evidence.

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learner@clairos:~ $

↑ history · Tab complete · Ctrl+C cancel · Esc, Tab to leaveExit 0

Your objectives

Hints are always available. Wrong turns never cost XP.

1
Read manifest
Run cat backups/manifest.txt.
Hint & worked example
Read one or more files to standard output without editing their contents.
The command outcome must match the task, including successful access or the explicitly requested failure.
```
cat backups/manifest.txt
```
Remember: Reading a source file should precede changing it; avoid printing real secrets.
2
Create restore archive
Run tar -cf backups/final-restore.tar restore/index.html.
Hint & worked example
Practice archive inventory, creation, and extraction in a simulated archive format.
The command outcome must match the task, including successful access or the explicitly requested failure.
```
tar -cf backups/final-restore.tar restore/index.html
```
Remember: These training archives are virtual data structures, not downloadable production tar files.
3
Compare restored file
Run diff /srv/www/index.html restore/index.html.
Hint & worked example
Compare two text files; a difference is a meaningful nonzero status, not necessarily an execution error.
Inspect the differences. diff exits 1 when files differ and 0 when they match.
```
diff /srv/www/index.html restore/index.html
```
Remember: Status 1 means differences for diff; shell status must be interpreted in command context.
4
Hash final archive
Run sha256sum backups/final-restore.tar.
Hint & worked example
Compare content digests to detect byte changes, not to establish who authored the file.
The command outcome must match the task, including successful access or the explicitly requested failure.
```
sha256sum backups/final-restore.tar
```
Remember: A checksum detects changes only relative to a trusted expected digest.

Understand the pattern

Junior operators build confidence by gathering evidence before changing systems.

cat: Read one or more files to standard output without editing their contents.
Reading a source file should precede changing it; avoid printing real secrets.
tar: Practice archive inventory, creation, and extraction in a simulated archive format.
These training archives are virtual data structures, not downloadable production tar files.
diff: Compare two text files; a difference is a meaningful nonzero status, not necessarily an execution error.
Status 1 means differences for diff; shell status must be interpreted in command context.
sha256sum: Compare content digests to detect byte changes, not to establish who authored the file.
A checksum detects changes only relative to a trusted expected digest.

Worked example and expected result

$ cat backups/manifest.txt

backup-2026-05-26.tar includes README.txt and /srv/www/index.html
verify checksum before restore
restore into /home/learner/restore first

Exit status: 0. The command completed successfully in the training fixture.

$ tar -cf backups/final-restore.tar restore/index.html

created archive /home/learner/backups/final-restore.tar

Exit status: 0. The command completed successfully in the training fixture.

$ diff /srv/www/index.html restore/index.html

--- /srv/www/index.html
+++ /home/learner/restore/index.html
-<h1>Fake static site</h1>
+<h1>Restored training copy</h1>
-<p>This file only exists in the simulator.</p>
+

Exit status: 1. This nonzero result is an expected part of this exercise.

$ sha256sum backups/final-restore.tar

830ae59ac30bc6fe08f4c9fd024b10e1aeb01957076b85a90cd0432dbcba7abe  /home/learner/backups/final-restore.tar

Exit status: 0. The command completed successfully in the training fixture.

Try a variation

Repeat this workflow in the sandbox with a different scratch filename. Keep the system fixtures unchanged and compare the observed output with your expectation before moving on.

Explain it

In “Capstone backup restore review”, which interpretation is safe?A successful first check guarantees that every dependent service is healthy.These training archives are virtual data structures, not downloadable production tar files.A command appearing in history proves it completed successfully.

Apply it elsewhere

Before adapting the tar workflow from “Capstone backup restore review” to another server, what should you do?Confirm the current directory, target identity, permissions, and the installed command behavior first.Paste the training paths unchanged into production.Skip output inspection whenever the command is familiar.

Keep the momentum.

Complete the lab, then explain and apply the pattern.

Next: Capstone multi-signal outage Try an incident drill

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