Hardware and Software failures are part of Life. That is why you need to have a backup. I have already written about backing files and MySQL databases. You need not to backup all installed binaries (mostly software) with following tips. It will not just save your time but both Debian and RHEL distro can update them instantly.

In order to reinstall or restore your installed software you need to have a list of all installed software.

via Linux Get list of installed software for reinstallation / restore software.

Sometimes using dpkg and the command line is the simplest route…