I am using mkisofs to create ISO image for backup. I was just wondering if there is a way to restrict the iso image size so that when you try to image a directory which contains files with sizes over 650MB, it would know where to stop so that you actually get an image of 650MB.

For example, lets say I want to backup my entire /home directory. The folder is about 900MB. I just run

Is there anything to keep track of the current iso file size so that when it hits 650, it can either create another iso for the remaining 250MB or prompt you where it left off. I don't want to use any gui tool for this since this may be part of a shell script. Thanks.

Instead of this...why not use zisofs-tools to create a compressed image of your 900MB file tree then burn on a single disk. I am not sure of the maximum size that will fit on one disk but it is over 2GB anyway.

Install zisofs-tools then have a gander at man mkzftree

Dunno, though freshmeat lists several CD backup programs. Maybe one of them will work for you?