Best/correct way to back up keys and configuration?

[David Shaw]

On Thu, Jul 28, 2005 at 02:31:44PM +0100, Adam Funk wrote:
> What's the best way to back up my GnuPG keyrings -- just a tar.gz of the 
> ~/.gnupg directory?
> 
> Or is there any advantage to producing additional files with the 
> "--export" and "--export-secret-keys" commands?
> 
> (I know that the backups then need to be stored securely.)

One advantage to using --export-secret-keys and --armor is that you
can print the secret key out and in a worst-case scenario, type it
back in again.

Not a replacement for regular backups of course, but unlike CDR and
floppies, ink on paper in the dark can last longer than you and I
will.

David