Restoring CentOS 7 to a previous date can be a lifesaver when faced with system issues or unwanted changes. In this guide, I will walk you through the step-by-step process of restoring your CentOS 7 system to a previous date using the built-in system utilities.
Introduction
As a Linux user, it’s essential to have a backup plan in place to protect your system from unexpected events. While regularly backing up your data is crucial, it’s equally important to have a way to revert your system to a previous state in case something goes wrong. CentOS 7 provides built-in utilities that allow you to roll back your system to a specific date when everything was working fine.
Checking for available snapshots
The first step is to check if your CentOS 7 system has any available snapshots. Snapshots are the saved states of your system that capture the complete state of your files, settings, and configurations at a specific point in time.
To check for available snapshots, open a terminal and run the following command:
sudo snapper list
This command will display a list of snapshots available on your system, along with their IDs, dates, and descriptions. Take note of the ID of the snapshot you want to restore your system to.
Restoring the system to a previous date
Once you have identified the snapshot you want to restore, you can proceed with the restoration process. To restore your CentOS 7 system to a previous date, use the following command:
sudo snapper rollback
Replace
Rebooting and verifying the restoration
After the restoration process is complete, it’s important to reboot your system to apply the changes. Use the following command to reboot:
sudo reboot
Once your system has restarted, you can verify that the restoration was successful. Check if the issues or unwanted changes you were experiencing before have been resolved. If everything looks good, congratulations, you have successfully restored your CentOS 7 system to a previous date!
Conclusion
Restoring your CentOS 7 system to a previous date can be a powerful tool in troubleshooting and undoing unwanted changes. By leveraging the built-in snapshot functionality, you can easily revert your system to a known working state. Remember to always have regular backups and consider creating snapshots before making significant changes or updates to your system. With these precautions in place, you can confidently explore and experiment with your CentOS 7 system, knowing that you have a safety net to fall back on.