A python virtualenv is full of symlinks:
$ virtualenv venv
Running virtualenv with interpreter /usr/bin/python2
New python executable in venv/bin/python2
Also creating executable in venv/bin/python
Installing setuptools, pip...done.
$ tree venv/lib/
venv/lib/
├── python2.7
│ ├── _abcoll.py -> /usr/lib/python2.7/_abcoll.py
│ ├── _abcoll.pyc
│ ├── abc.py -> /usr/lib/python2.7/abc.py
│ ├── abc.pyc
│ ├── codecs.py -> /usr/lib/python2.7/codecs.py
│ ├── codecs.pyc
│ ├── copy_reg.py -> /usr/lib/python2.7/copy_reg.py
│ ├── copy_reg.pyc
│ ├── distutils
│ │ ├── distutils.cfg
│ │ ├── __init__.py
│ │ └── __init__.pyc
│ ├── encodings -> /usr/lib/python2.7/encodings
│ ├── fnmatch.py -> /usr/lib/python2.7/fnmatch.py
│ ├── fnmatch.pyc
│ ├── genericpath.py -> /usr/lib/python2.7/genericpath.py
│ ├── genericpath.pyc
What is the recommended way to backup/restor them ?
My first attempt using rdiff-backup has derefence all symbolic links when I restor backup back.
rdiff-backup normally copies symlinks as they are and does not reference them. Did you maybe add the --include-symlinks option ?
"cp -p" or "rsync -a" would also preserve symlinks.