backup kodi from ubuntu and restore to LE

    first post here (although long time user and big fan of your work)

    as the title says I'm planning to replace my ubuntu 22.04 OS running mainly kodi with LE-x64 for a more KIS approach on an intel NUC5i5RYB.

    Ideally I would like to do it with as little effort as possible - backup all the addons and maybe some configs(?) - install LE - restore backup and configure only what I can't backup.

    tbh I was lazy enough to ask chatgpt about it and came up with the following - is it enough ?

    ```Using the Built-in Backup Addon (Recommended):

    • Open Kodi on Ubuntu.
    • Go to Add-ons > Install from repository > Kodi Add-on repository > Program Add-ons.
    • Install the “Backup” addon.
    • Run the Backup addon and configure the remote path for backup files (e.g., a network share or external storage).

    1. Manual Backup Using restic:

      • Install restic (download the binary from the official GitHub release).
      • Set the remote repository for saving snapshots (e.g., on a server or NAS).

      • Initialize the repository:

        Code
        /storage/restic -r sftp:[email protected]:/media/backup-kodi init

      • To create a backup:

        Code
        /storage/restic -r sftp:[email protected]:/media/backup-kodi backup /storage/.kodi

      • To restore a backup:

        Code
        /storage/restic -r sftp:[email protected]:/media/backup-kodi restore -t / e3440663

      (Replace “e3440663” with the actual backup snapshot ID.)


    thank you very much !

    • Best Answer

    Assuming there is no media on the internal drive and you only need to move config data: IMHO it will be cleanest/easiest to back-up only the Kodi userdata folder on Ubuntu. Then make a clean LE install and "restore" the userdata folder to /storage/ubuntu. You can now stop the clean (empty) Kodi install and selectively move essential files back before restarting or rebooting to effect the changes: Library DB files, your sources.xml and passwords.xml and advancedsettings.xml files, and the contents of the addon_data folder. You can reinstall all add-ons from the respective LE or Kodi repos and they will reuse the existing (previous) config. I would let thumbs etc. download again and I would go through the GUI to set things as you like again: guisettings.xml normally contains some /paths/to/things for Ubuntu that are wrong with LE and those aren't automagically updated. Most of the time it takes 5 mins max to setup Kodi again. Take pics of the major screens on a phone if you need to "backup" things. If you are familiar with the major files Kodi uses and where things are located the entire process is a 10-minute job .. plus some time for thumbs to resync.