backup kodi from ubuntu and restore to LE

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    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 !

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    • 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.