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Set up a drive: use a drive as it is

What you'll do: back up to a drive without formatting it: Deucalion adds a folder to it.
What you need: Deucalion installed; a drive that is mounted (open it once in the Files app) with enough free space.
How long it takes: 2 minutes.

Good for: a drive you already use, for example one that came from the shop formatted as NTFS, when you don't need encryption. Keep in mind: the backup is not encrypted. Where it can be opened depends on the drive's format: exFAT everywhere, NTFS on Windows and Linux (read-only on macOS), ext4 only on Linux. On a Linux format (ext4, Btrfs…), file names and permissions are kept natively; on others, Deucalion stores names exFAT-safe.

  1. Plug in the drive and make sure it is mounted.
  2. In Deucalion, go to Drives and click Set Up… next to the drive.

  3. Choose No encryption, keep the drive as it is and click Next.

    The Storage page of a Work Drive that holds files, with "No encryption, keep the drive as it is" selected.

  4. Type a Name of the backup drive (here Work) and click Next.

  5. On the Confirm page, nothing will be erased: click Set Up.

    The Confirm page with a Set Up button.

  6. When it is ready, click Done.

Run deucalion setup-drive and answer: the drive; 5 (No encryption: use the drive as it is); a name; y to continue.

$ deucalion setup-drive
Which drive?
  1) /dev/sda  Spare Drive  32.0 GB
  2) /dev/sdb  Work Drive  32.0 GB
  Choose [1-2] (default 1): 2

/dev/sdb  Work Drive  32.0 GB
  /dev/sdb1  ntfs  32.0 GB, 68.3 MB used  “Work”  at /media/alex/Work

How should the backup be stored?
  1) Encrypt the whole drive
  2) Encrypted part for the backup + a normal part for other files
  3) Encrypted folder on this drive (keeps what is already on it)
  4) No encryption: erase and format the whole drive as exFAT
  5) No encryption: use the drive as it is (keeps what is already on it)
  Choose [1-5] (default 1): 5
  A name for this backup drive [Deucalion]: Work

Summary
  Drive:  /dev/sdb  Work Drive  32.0 GB
  Layout: No encryption: use the drive as it is (keeps what is already on it)
  Continue? [y/N] y
  Backup drive 'Work' is ready: /media/alex/Work/Deucalion-Backup

Done. Back up with: deucalion backup  (drive 'Work')

Or use deucalion register /media/alex/Work: it does the same without putting a copy of Deucalion and a READ-ME file on the drive.

What is on the drive now

Your files, plus Deucalion-Backup (the backup), Deucalion-Tool and READ-ME-FIRST.txt:

$ ls /media/alex/Work
Contracts  Deucalion-Backup  Deucalion-Tool  Presentations  READ-ME-FIRST.txt

What you have now: a backup folder on your drive, registered as your default backup drive.

Next steps: Make a full backup. Before unplugging, Unmount it on the Drives page or run deucalion close.