ok so I have a backup system that does a full backup weekly and then during the week an incremental backup from that full backup, now if I want to restore everything, I can restore from the full backup, but then how would I restore from the full backup AND the add incremental stuff? o and I use tar to do my backups. Pretty much I am using the script from linux.com article. On the restoring section, it doesn't go into how to restore from the incrementals, just the fulls. Is it as simple as restoring from the full, and then doing another restore fromt he incrementals, and it will just change or overwrite andything that is new in the incremental?

Restore the full backup, then restore each incremental in the order they were created.

If you are doing differentials, as opposed to incrementals, then you would restore the full followed by just the latest differential.

incremental = all the files added/modified since the previous incremental or full, so you need the latest full and the entire chain of incrementals after that full for a total restore. Each new incremental "adds to" the previous incremental.

differential = all the files added/modified since the previous full, so you only need the full and the most recent differential. Each new differential "supercedes" the previous differential (unless you want to restore to a point in the past, not the most recent point).

ok so I used the wrong terminology, I am pretty sure this is a differential, because the script backups up anything since the last full backup, so it should be just as simple as restoring the full, and then the latest differential.

Correct. BTW, I wasn't questioning your terminology. I did not follow your link to try to decipher what the script you're using does. I figured it was easier to describe how to restore each of the two common types of backups, and let you decide which path to follow (since you know how your script operates).