>   | dump obviously isn't useful for the task I have in mind because it seems to
>   | think strictly in terms of creating a monolithic archive file, not in
>   | terms of copying files needing backup to individual target files on
>   | the backup disk.
> 
> Actually, dump is perfect for this task - dump makes backups, it is the
> only real tool dedicated to that purpose, it is almost certainly what you
> should be using (rsync as suggested is another possibility, with slightly
> different capabilities).

Hmm. OK, thanks for the info.

> If you want the backup expanded (individual files, rather than the
> monolithic file), just use dump -f - | (cd destination; restore -f -)
> (and all the other options for dump of course).

Does this method handle deletions that have taken place since the last
backup was done? I'd like whatever technique I use to remove files
from the backup disk that have been deleted from the main disk since
the last backup was done.

	-- Robert