[NBLUG/talk] talk idea (backing up your system)

[Aaron Grattafiori]

Osiris Pedroso wrote:

>Hi Aaron,
>
>I currently have a nice setup and my backup works! :-)
>
>It is based on rsync, the best tool I have found so far for doing my kind of
>backup.
>
>Basically, what I call backup is to be able to replace a system on short
>notice with the important files (not necessarily image) of the computer in
>question.
>
>I have a Samba server with an USB 160Gb drive at the office and a second
>Linux server with another USB 160Gb drive at home.
>
>All machines at the office (6 currently) backup to the Samba server's 160Gb
>drive. The Samba server has a cron job to backup the 160Gb drive to the home
>computer's 160Gb disk drive.
>
>This way, even if I had a flood or some other natural disaster happen at my
>office location, I could get replacement computers and with the home's 160Gb
>drive, recover all the important files to the new computer at the time it
>takes to plug this USB drive to the new machine and rsync it back.
>
>As one of the files backed up I also have a ghost image of each computer
>with the basic development tools we use already installed.
>
>Why rsync? Because it makes incremental copies of file contents.
>We also use it to transfer CD ISO images. Sometimes just a few files are
>modified. Rsync will send only the changed blocks in the ISO image.
>
>All the information is encrypted while in transit (rsync is ssh based), and
>using private/public key pairs let me not even allow passwords on the home
>ssh setup and it all works.
>
>I won't be able to attend your presentation (I live in Brazil now), but I
>would love to get a copy of it.
>
>Osiris
>  
>
Thanks for the info.. yeah rsync is a great protocol...
I'll be sure to send you a link when its done, but it should be awhile.

-Aaron

ps. Brazil, very cool!