Backup Solutions

[Dave Bour]

I've run an rsync based backup service now for about 5 years (unfortunately maxed out on storage for the next bit until I add more storage space - so I'm not even going to make a sales pitch here).  Clients can run either Windows based NASBACKUP solution or any unix/linux based system supporting rsync.

Some of the attributes include:
1. Daily message of status - reads a log file for success/failure - notifies of success...failure...last received connection, failure (if applicable) and success dates. - also reports to me then if missed over a week (can be changed by clients to more or less if desired - a critical overdue warning).
2. Web site to alter passwords for clients, request new accounts, etc
3. Uses Reiser F/S due to the number of files  - ext3 couldn't handle the volume of flies.
4. a daily run of a utility called freedups which puts changes multiple copies of the file to a single file with multiple links/pointers significantly reducing the storage requirements
5. 30 day rolling view of the data - couple clients run hourly data up to the server too..though it only has the single snapshot of the day unless they create a structure at their end and it replicates that - nuisance but it gives them onsite then a quick recovery of the data, and mine become the long term view.

It's using a Raid 5 disk with hot spare and I used to see a monthly disk failure but with changing brands earlier this year, that's gone away.

Downsides of this are adding space is tedious...and when I change boxes the environment runs on...or need to reload the OS, the data replication process took weeks to move the data since moving the data meant moving 30 copies of data...and resetting links on the

My point...if you're interested in such a setup, let me know and I can forward off-list the code chunks I've set up over the years.  I'm sure there's lots more that could be done but this has been a working setup for me and my clients do appreciate the service as we'll all known..it's not if you'll have a disk failure (or user error), simply a question of when.

D.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org [mailto:owner-tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org] On Behalf Of Alex
> Maynard
> Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 3:40 PM
> To: tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org
> Subject: Re: [TLUG]: Backup Solutions
>
>
> On Thu, 30 Aug 2007, Neil Watson wrote:
>
> > On Thu, Aug 30, 2007 at 02:02:51PM -0400, Alex Maynard wrote:
> >> I just rsync regularly between one home and one work computers and
> one or
> >> two old laptops? Now I am wondering if this is good enough or if I
> need
> >> to be doing something else on top of that? Though its only my own
> data,
> >> losing it would pose a big cost. Does this seem reasonably or do you
> think
> >> I should be adding some extra safe-gaurds?
> >
> > It depends on what type of data loss you want to protect yourself
> from.
> > When you use rsync what happens to files at the backup location that
> > were deleted at the source?  Using your rsync method can you restore
> a
> > historical file?
>
> Thank you. This is the part I worry about. If I corrupt a file on one
> computer, it will soon be corrupted on all.  I guess I should keep some
> older backups that only change once a week/month as well?
>
> Alex
>
> >
> > --
> > Neil Watson             | Debian Linux
> > System Administrator    | Uptime 7 days
> > http://watson-wilson.ca
> > --
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