Question
Does Snapper rollback verify integrity of restored system files against the original snapshot checksums?
Ira Atlas
0 reputation · 29 Jul 2021, 09:09 UTC
71K views0
Snapshot Rollback Verification Gap
When Snapper performs a system rollback to a prior Btrfs snapshot, the operation replaces current system files with copies from the snapshot subvolume. The documentation describes the mechanics of this replacement but does not specify whether Snapper validates that the restored files match the snapshot's recorded state bit-for-bit.
Constraints and Uncertainty
- Btrfs maintains checksums for data and metadata, yet Snapper's rollback command does not expose a verification step that compares restored content against those checksums.
- If a snapshot was created on a filesystem that later developed silent corruption, rolling back could propagate corrupted blocks without warning.
- External backup tools typically offer checksum verification; Snapper's native rollback lacks an equivalent documented flag or post-rollback report.
Specific Questions
- Can Snapper be instructed to perform a checksum verification of all restored files immediately after rollback completes?
- Which Btrfs subcommands or kernel interfaces would a system administrator use to independently audit the restored root subvolume against the source snapshot's checksums?
- Does the openSUSE bootloader rollback entry trigger any integrity check before handing control to the restored system?