From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Apr 26 21:44:15 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A06C710656AA for ; Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:44:15 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from lists@ptfd.org) Received: from remus-smtp.acd.net (remus.acd.net [207.179.118.17]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 63B2E8FC30 for ; Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:44:15 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from lists@ptfd.org) Received: from remus-smtp.acd.net (unknown [207.179.118.17]) by remus-smtp.acd.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2EFD75804A for ; Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:12:57 -0400 (EDT) Received: from chiefnb.local (c-76-23-65-92.hsd1.in.comcast.net [76.23.65.92]) by remus-smtp.acd.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0D1265800A for ; Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:12:57 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael W. Holdeman" To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:13:00 -0400 User-Agent: KMail/1.9.9 References: <31702B1B-03EF-4505-8BDF-D82A90C865ED@goldmark.org> In-Reply-To: <31702B1B-03EF-4505-8BDF-D82A90C865ED@goldmark.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-Id: <200804261713.00902.lists@ptfd.org> X-Virus-Scanned: ClamAV using ClamSMTP Subject: Re: USB HD based backup schemes X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:44:15 -0000 On Saturday 26 April 2008 16:26:53 Jeffrey Goldberg wrote: > I am hoping that this is on-topic for the questions list. If not, I > apologize. > > I have a couple of FreeBSD systems, and I must confess that I haven't > set systematic back-ups of them. > > I've taken a quick look at both the Bacula and Amanda documentation, > but for reasons below I'll list why I don't think that they are idea > for my rather simple situation. > > Each system has less than 20G to be backed up, including OS and > ports. One of the systems, dobby, is physically difficult to get to. > I would like dobby to be a network client for backup. The other, > kreacher, is more conveniently placed, and actually has a cool little > USB hard-drive drive dock. I've tested that and it works. I'd like > this other machine > > So far, what I've been doing is running level 0 dumps on both kreacher > and dobby. In each case, I've had enough space in /tmp to create dump > files in /tmp. When done on kreacher, I've copied them over to a USB > drive. The ones from dobby I've scp'ed over to kreacher. > > At worst I could script this, but it I can't be sure I'll always have > the space in /tmp. I need to get the mounting of the USB drive clean > and stuff like that. Also, always running Level 0 dumps is bad for a > number of obvious reasons. > > My needs aren't to be able to always have the ability to recover some > file to the state it was a week ago Thursday. (I wouldn't mind that, > but that's not my primary goal). My primary goal is disaster > recovery: In the event of a disk crash, fire, or I really mess up the > system. Kreacher will shortly be running mysql-server with a couple > of very small databases. Otherwise this are pretty static servers > (light mail, DNS, DHCP, light HTTP). Neither machine can hold > additional disks internally or is otherwise expandable. > > Both Amanda seems designed for back-up to tape. Bacula, frankly, > seems too complicated. > > I'm sure that I could roll my own with dump or such, but I'm sure that > I would leave important things out and that this has already been done > by people who are smarter and more experienced than I am. So > recommendations please. I have the same basic needs. I have been getting some success using (honestly my linux desktop, FBSD 5.4 servers) rsnapshot http://www.rsnapshot.org/ http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/217 Dont get me wrong, I would really prefer a gui setup, which is in fact why I started with rsnapshot as I am using kubuntu and there is a (retrospekt) app to do as winserver2000 to browse and do restores, but now that kde4.0 is out and it doesnt work with dolphin I am just continueing to use it for the backups. I use a desktop search engine to find the files when I need to restore one.. I know not necessarily what you are looking for but just my .02. Mike