Is there an opensource SVN like backup system?

Question

I'm looking for a delta backup system that lets me restore data from a specific revision like SVN does. I know of and use Time Machine, however sparse bundles get corrupt all the time.

I have heard of rsync but apparently rsync is unable to detect changes in a file (for example if I made images of my hard drive every night it would be unable to make a delta between nights)

Is there something opensource that will let me backup binary data as well as text and images like SVN?

Answer 1

There should be quite a few of them, Backup-Manager is one.

Answer 2

You might want to look into rdiff-backup, which uses rsync-like functionality but allows you to keep multiple points in time rather than just the latest version.

As a side point, rsync transmits deltas of files. From the rsync web page:

It does this by sending just the differences in the files across the link, without requiring that both sets of files are present at one of the ends of the link beforehand.

Is there a reason you think that it wouldn't work in your case? If you want to see what rsync would do, you should be able to compare two images with the rdiff command.