What format choice for an Ubuntu back up disk?
I would like to use a 1Tb external disk for my backup using the standard Ubuntu backup tool.The disk has been used previously and I need to format and wipe it. As a new user I don’t know which format I should choose. I have attached a screenshot showing my choices. Can anyone advise on which I should choose please?
The volume name is currently "Acer". is it possible to change this name?
You’ll get the best performance using a Linux-native filesystem (like ext4). And since your usecase is backup of Ubuntu data, I’d say this is the recommended option.
And although the dialogue says "Internal disk", you can actually format any disk with ext4, be it an external HDD, SSD or USB drive (it’s really a curious way to word this option).
However, you may have specific needs (that we don’t know) where you would need portability in which case FAT or NTFS is an option. But in this case you’ll probably loose some Linux-native filesystem metadata (in particular permissions and symbolic links).