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[PLUG] Re: RAID Backup Server
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On Mon, 31 Oct 2005, Edmund Goppelt wrote:
On Mon, Oct 31, 2005 at 10:10:53AM -0500, bergman@merctech.com wrote:
From my point of view, backup-to-disk only barely qualifies as a "backup
solution". It offers virtually no archive capability, it's very difficult to
send the data off-site, and has a high risk of failure, compared to
technologies like tape. Of course, it's cheap & easy.
Wow. I have a rather different viewpoint. Of all the backup
solutions I've tried over the years, I like disk the best. In my
experience, disk backup:
* is easy to automate. This is really important to me. If it's not
trivially easy, it's not going to get done every night.
I think this is key. Especially for small shops. Human error is the
thing I fight the most wrt backups and my customers.
* offers a big bang for the buck
* is easy to work with. Files are stored in regular directories and
don't require lengthy searching through a tape or a special software
to access.
My backup software--a python script I cooked up--is based on "Easy
Automated Snapshot-Style Backups with Linux and Rsync." Rubel's method
efficiently stores and transmits files by using rsync and hard links.
In effect, it performs an incremental backup every night, only backing
up the files that have changed.
My script stores complete copies of my computers' hard drives every
night, every week and every month going back 3 months. Is this what
you mean by archive capability?
In my experience, Rubel's method scales well and leverages the
network. Backup servers and clients can be scattered anywhere on the
net. It's easy to add clients.
For details, see:
http://www.mikerubel.org/computers/rsync_snapshots/
There is also rdiff-backup. Uses rsync technology, can talk to a remote
site over ssh and keeps diffs going as far back as you have the disk space
to store (if that is what you want). ;)
The only thing I would like to see is the ability to encrypt the stored
data on the fly but you cannot have everything.
Regards,
Tom
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