Backup/sync solutions?

BBcan177 · Apr 13, 2015, 11:35 PM

I have had some good success with "Backup PC"

http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/

BackupPC is a high-performance, enterprise-grade system for backing up Linux, WinXX and MacOSX PCs and laptops to a server's disk. BackupPC is highly configurable and easy to install and maintain.

Version 3.3.1 released on January 11th, 2015

riahc3 · Apr 14, 2015, 8:35 AM

@doktornotor:

No, they don't. They have giant buggy POS with zero support.

;D They are good for imaging but like I said not being able to authenticate with my credentials is kind of a huge bitch.

I was thinking back to what you guys mentioned with scripts….

The first (1) script is pretty easy.

s:/ = source
d:/ = destination
n:/ = nas
v:/ = vpn connected nas

robocopy s:/ d:/

Set it to run every friday weekly. Only issue I have is would this overwrite ALL the files or only files that have changed. Also under what user (which wouldnt be logged in) would I run it?

The second (2) script is also pretty easy

robocopy s:/ n:/

Same thing: Set it to run every friday weekly. Only issue I have is would this overwrite ALL the files or only files that have changed. Also under what user (which wouldnt be logged in) would I run it?

The third (3) one is a bit complicated because it might kill my network.

@echo off
SETLOCAL ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION
SET times=999999999
:startagain
IF %times% NEQ 0 (
robocopy s:/ v:/ /mir
SET /a times=%times%-1
GOTO startagain
) ELSE (
echo infinityscriptfinished
)

This would infinity run robocopy in mirror mode to make sure everything stays in sync. I would run this script every computer startup (just in case)

Are these good ideas or complete overkill? Obviously I would also need it to run "userless".

phil.davis · Apr 14, 2015, 8:55 AM

If you want any proper backup history then you need more smarts than just robocopy. And that is important when the user accidentally deleted some files then realises a week (moth, year…) later - it is no help when the Robocopy mirror has faithfully deleted all the files from the "backup" miror also.
We do something like the Robocopy mirror to offsite across OpenVPN. That keeps a current copy of our data for disaster recovery. Then do some incrementals of that at the remote site to keep a few recovery options.
It is easy to just make a small "bat" file and then schedule it in Task Scheduler for whever you want - e.g. we schedule on servers at night, and on clients (laptops...) to server backup share around lunch times.
We make a username for backups (pick something - company.backup) and give it the necessary read access to all the user data and write access to the backup locations. Then use that username in Task Scheduler.

riahc3 · Apr 14, 2015, 9:54 AM

@phil.davis:

If you want any proper backup history then you need more smarts than just robocopy. And that is important when the user accidentally deleted some files then realises a week (moth, year…) later - it is no help when the Robocopy mirror has faithfully deleted all the files from the "backup" miror also.

The backups, to the USB and the onesite NAS, would keep updated copies. That syncd mirror is just a third location.

@phil.davis:

We do something like the Robocopy mirror to offsite across OpenVPN.

Exactly. Thats what I have planned….across a VPN.

@phil.davis:

We make a username for backups (pick something - company.backup) and give it the necessary read access to all the user data and write access to the backup locations. Then use that username in Task Scheduler.

But can it be done with the PC only on and no user logged on?

phil.davis · Apr 14, 2015, 10:07 AM

In Task Scheduler on the General tab select "Run whether user is logged on or not"

KOM · Apr 14, 2015, 1:01 PM

I have had some good success with "Backup PC"

Thanks for the suggestion. I had tried it before maybe a couple of years ago but it was not suitable at that time. I will look at it again.

They are good for imaging but like I said not being able to authenticate with my credentials is kind of a huge bitch.

I've been using Acronis in an AD environment since v9 and I've never had a problem authenticating, and I backup multiple domains. One set of creds for the backup job and another set for the target location. Works like a charm.

riahc3 · Apr 15, 2015, 3:45 PM

@KOM:

I've been using Acronis in an AD environment since v9 and I've never had a problem authenticating, and I backup multiple domains. One set of creds for the backup job and another set for the target location. Works like a charm.

My issues were just looking at the source, much less the destination…

What Acronis edition were you using exactly?

KOM · Apr 15, 2015, 5:35 PM

I've been using Acronis in an AD environment since v9

9.0, 9.5, 10.0, 11.0, 11.5. No problem with its AD integration.

riahc3 · Apr 16, 2015, 11:20 AM

@KOM:

I've been using Acronis in an AD environment since v9

9.0, 9.5, 10.0, 11.0, 11.5. No problem with its AD integration.

I ment edition, not version, sorry.

riahc3 · Apr 16, 2015, 11:23 AM

I think, even though it is a overkill, for offsite and onsite backup in a task weekly:

Source = s:
Destination= d:

robocopy s: d: /E /MT:2 /R:50 /W:10 /V /ETA /LOG:robocopy.txt

E = I include every subdirectory including empting ones
MT = Im kind of confused on this one. It creates multi-threaded copies BUT I only have 2 cores on the VM and HT turned off. Would 2 do anything?
R = Number of retry times. Shouldnt do it ever as the office is empty and it isnt in use
W= Wait times. I dont want it to wait forever so every 10 seconds is enough. Basically max 8 minutes per file.
V = Gives output
ETA = How long it is going to take
LOG = Make a log file. Is it possible to do something like robocopy%date%%time%.txt?

I think this will be enough for my local copy and my onsite NAS.

This isnt a true "sync" for my offsite NAS thru VPN but if I dont find anything else….Ill do it this way too...

KOM · Apr 16, 2015, 1:04 PM

I ment edition, not version, sorry

Various. TrueImage for Servers, Backup & Recovery for Servers. Always server editions.

riahc3 · Apr 16, 2015, 1:31 PM

@KOM:

I ment edition, not version, sorry

Various. TrueImage for Servers, Backup & Recovery for Servers. Always server editions.

Thank you. Will keep in mind.

riahc3 · Apr 17, 2015, 10:32 AM

Task Scheduler and Robocopy were a lot trickier to set up than a simple BAT file. Got it to work but…

Mr. Jingles · Apr 19, 2015, 11:19 AM

cygwin + rsync?

riahc3 · Apr 19, 2015, 1:45 PM

@Mr.:

cygwin + rsync?

Was one of the solutions I was looking at. A rsync client looks pretty OK to setup in Windows but a server? I gotta look more into that.

Besides robocopy is take a ETERNITY to complete 2.22TB started on Friday at 10PM is still running Sunday at 4PM….

Mr. Jingles · Apr 19, 2015, 2:08 PM

@riahc3:

@Mr.:

cygwin + rsync?

Was one of the solutions I was looking at. A rsync client looks pretty OK to setup in Windows but a server? I gotta look more into that.

Besides robocopy is take a ETERNITY to complete 2.22TB started on Friday at 10PM is still running Sunday at 4PM….

Robocopy is MS's interpretation of 'automation' ( ;D ;D ;D ) (why copy what hasn't changed?).

From your 3 targets, why do you need to install an rsync server? If you have a common NAS (Syno, Qnap, FreeNAS), rsync server is built in, and for the USB-disk you don't need a server. You can simple rsync source target, e.g::

rsync: c:\docs e:\docs (plus the switches of course, which I don't know by head ;D ).