Simple PERL file backup script

[Laz]

I am one of those type of people that like to make backup copies of files before I tinker with them, especially when I am modifying important files like system stuff.  It's always a good idea to make a backup copy before you edit something so you can put it back if you break it.  For that reason, I wrote this simple little PERL script that I then put somewhere in my path so I can run it from anywhere.  I call it simply "bu" so that it's easy to type and use.  What it does is copy the target file you specify, to a file of the same name only with a date stamp appended to it.  I have found this to be a really handy tool, so I thought I would share.

Code:

#!/usr/bin/perl

if ($ARGV[0] eq "") {
  die("No file specified!\n");
} else {
  `cp -p $ARGV[0] $ARGV[0].\`date +%m%d%y_%H%M%S\``
}

Check it out, I hope you find it as useful as I have.

[mack]

You are putting into practice here one of the cardinal rules of systems administration.. always create a path to return ... just in case you break something when making changes.  I always make a backup of config files before making changes, but it never dawned on me to create a script that could make this backup with a timestamp.  This is very, very nifty.  THANK YOU.