---
name: "disklist"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "amanda-common"
version: "1:3.5.4-2"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/disklist"
---

# disklist(5)

List of partitions to back up for Amanda

## NAME

disklist - List of partitions to back up for Amanda

## DESCRIPTION

The *disklist* file determines which disks will be backed up by Amanda. The file contains **includefile** directive or disklist entry (**DLE**).

**includefile** *string*

Default: *no default*. The name of a disklist file to include within the current file. Useful for sharing disklist among several configurations. Relative pathnames are relative to the configuration directory.

A **DLE** usually contains one line per disk:

```
hostname diskname [diskdevice] dumptype [spindle [interface] ]
```

All pairs \[ *hostname diskname* \] must be unique.

Lines starting with # are ignored, as are blank lines. The fields have the following meanings:

*hostname*

The name of the host to be backed up. If **diskdevice** refers to a PC share, this is the host Amanda will run the Samba **smbclient** program on to back up the share.

*diskname*

The name of the disk (a label). In most case, you set your **diskname** to the **diskdevice** and you don't set the **diskdevice.** If you want multiple entries with the same **diskdevice**, you must set a different **diskname** for each entry. It's the **diskname** that you use on the commandline for any Amanda command. Look at the example/disklist file for example.

*diskdevice*

Default: same as diskname. The name of the disk device to be backed up. It may be a full device name, a device name without the /dev/ prefix, e.g. *sd0a*, or a mount point such as /usr.

It may also refer to a PC share by starting the name with two (forward) slashes, e.g. //some-pc/home. In this case, the **program** option in the associated **dumptype** must be entered as **GNUTAR**. It is the combination of the double slash disk name and **program GNUTAR** in the **dumptype** that triggers the use of Samba.

*dumptype*

Refers to a **dumptype** defined in the **amanda.conf** file. *Dumptype*s specify backup related parameters, such as whether to compress the backups, whether to record backup results in /var/lib/dumpdates, the disk's relative priority, etc.

*spindle*

Default: **-1**. A number used to balance backup load on a host. Amanda will not run multiple backups at the same time on the same spindle, unless the spindle number is -1, which means there is no spindle restriction.

*interface*

Default: *local*. The name of a network interface definition in the **amanda.conf** file, used to balance network load.

Instead of naming a **dumptype**, it is possible to define one in-line, enclosing **dumptype** options within curly braces, one per line, just like a **dumptype** definition in **amanda.conf**. Since pre-existing **dumptype**s are valid option names, this syntax may be used to customize **dumptype**s for particular disks.

A line break **must** follow the left curly bracket.

For instance, if a **dumptype** named *normal* is used for most disks, but use of the holding disk needs to be disabled for the file system that holds it, this would work instead of defining a new dumptype:

```
hostname diskname [ diskdevice ] {
  normal
  holdingdisk never
} [ spindle [ interface ] ]
```

The { must appear at the end of a line, and the } on its own line possibly followed by the spindle and interface.

## SEE ALSO

[**amanda**(8)](/amanda/8.md), [**amanda.conf**(5)](/amanda.conf/5.md)

The Amanda Wiki: : http://wiki.zmanda.com/

## AUTHORS

**James da Silva** \<jds@amanda.org\>

**Stefan G. Weichinger** \<sgw@amanda.org\>

**Dustin J. Mitchell** \<dustin@zmanda.com\>

Zmanda, Inc. (http://www.zmanda.com)