Backup Software

Hey guys, I'm thinking of setting up a small linux based server on my home network for a few things including file backup. I'm looking for a software that will allow me backup to a server on my local network. I would like something that will back up personal files (word documents, pictures, music, etc) as well as applications, but not the OS. I would like to have the ability to reinstall my OS, and then run my backup and regain my system, while ditching disk errors and rouge crap.

I'm considering Norton Ghost, but it doesn't seem to fit me like a glove PLUS its a little out of my price range (which is ideally zero).

Can anyone recommend such a software?

 

i'd recomend you True Image Server Linux, it's a well-known backup sollution and to my mind it's better than Norton Ghost. in my office we have 30 workstations and 2 servers, one of them is a backup server, we've never had problems with this performing backup task and restoring.

also you can read the comparison of true image and norton ghost here

 

True image server linux looks like a great find, but I don't think it's exactly what I'm looking for. What I'm looking to do is backup the windows machine onto the linux server. For this, Acronis True Image Home would seem to be the stuff, but I'm left concerned that it will not be able to do the things I'm looking for.


First, I need it to backup to a linux server. Do you know if it has this capability or if it only offers the ability to backup onto local windows partitions?

Second, I'm looking for something that will allow me to reinstall my OS, and then recover applications and documents, but not disk problems. If Acronis just makes a snapshot of the entire drive, would I be able to do this?

Thanks so much for your help so far

 

I've never done this, but couldn't you run a .bat file in DOS prompt and do the same thing? The bat file would have a bunch of xcopy32 commands to copy the entire directory into another drive on the network, which should still be connnected under the DOS prompt. All the work would done on the winbox, just map the drive on the Linux box in a permanent sort of way.

 

Bill_Mardsen, I thank you for taking the time to help me, but I'm affraid I don't know what you mean by this at all. I don't even begin to know how to research this advice because I do not understand what you advising me to do.

 

OK, backing up a little.

How familar are you with DOS, the grand daddy of operating systems? I know it exists on Win98, I think it exists on XP as an emulation.

There are some DOS commands that will transfer entire directories from one location to another. The XCOPY32 command will transfer the entire directory and keep the filenames intact. Old DOS limitiations were 8.3 (8 characters <dot> 3 characters), the XCOPY32 command was created on Win98 DOS to get around this. The .3 exists as a standard to this day on files.

A bat file (.bat) is a simple script within DOS that will execute a sequence of DOS commands. The .bat method can be quite eligant, and in the hands of a master, can be a language. But for simple sequences it is easy to use. So a .bat file could have several commands like so...

XCOPY32 C:\windows\programs\*.* g:\backups\programs\*.*
XCOPY32 C:\games\*.* g:\backups\games\*.*

The above is an example only, not verbatum.

Having seen DOS since day one I tend to forget not everyone remembers it like I do, kinda like BBSes and pre internet and trading files and email before the internet.

All of this basically is on all the machines out there, just using old tech for new problems. Have you ever dropped into a DOS prompt on your computer?

 

To answer your question, I have only a basic knowledge of DOS. DOS was the first OS I ever used, and I still return to it when the situation calls for it, but I cannot use it the way I can use windows, or even the way I am starting to learn UNIX. And yes, you are correct, DOS is available on XP (I thought it was more than just an emulation though; i could be wrong). I use it mostly for networking stuff, so this would be the perfect use.

But getting back to your suggestiong:

That's a really interesting idea. I don't know if I would have the skills to pull it off though. Could you point me towards some resources that I might be able to learn from?

 

There is a nice little backup package called Second Copy www.secondcopy.com. It is inexpensive, around $25, and it will run on a predetermined schedule. There are many other options and capabilities.

Of course you would have to run Samba or NFS on your Linux box to make the file system viewable to Windows....but I guess you know all that stuff already.

 

My thought was a .bat file is an executable file. Write the commands using notepad using my example, map a network drive on your winbox to the linux box, and run the executable as a program in DOS (actually a .bat file will work fine in Windows, as it is assumed to be a DOS program). The filename of the notepad file (AKA .bat file) should be in the 8.3 filename format (something like BACKUPS.BAT). Within the .bat file just list every directory you want to copy over using XCOPY32. You should even be able to set the program to run on a fixed schedule using schedule tasks.

I am somewhat hampered by not currently using XP, so I don't know all its ins and outs. All OSs Win 2000 and beyond are NT programs, not DOS programs. Win98 and ME ran over a DOS, and NT has DOS as an emulation, which shouldn't matter for your use.

The only command you need to learn as far as I know is XCOPY32, it is a stock program in the C:\windows\command\edb folder on Win98. You might need to add a switch command at the end like /s. When I install win98se I copy the cab files from the CD using the following command (and the save disk with XCOPY32 added). I use the safe diskette as a DOS disk.

XCOPY32 d:\win98se c:\win98se /s /e

I then run setup within the c:\win98se folder to install win98se. I mention this because one of the two switches (maybe both) will include all the subdirectories in the win98se directory. I'm somewhat in the same boat on DOS as you, I know it, but not completely. Just enough to know some of its uses.

 

Bill, that's brilliant. It's not exactly what I was originally looking for, but it is so cool that I'm going to give it a try anyway. The linux box is basically just a toy anyway, so If it ends up not working out WORST case scenario I can just format and start over.

Just the same, if anyone else wants to throw out an idea, I'm certainly open to that as well.