Backing up *nix Systems

[throatmonster]

If you run Retrospect under OSX, you can use CRON jobs to move data to your backup server. You do not need a retrospect client.

 

 

 

First, you need to get ssh working correctly using a keyfile with a blank passphrase (man ssh-keygen and man ssh on your *nix boxen for info). Once you can ssh from the backup server (has to be OSX, remember) to your source box (OSX, Linux, Unix) without having to enter a password, you can set CRON jobs to copy the files automatically.

 

 

 

Technically, you can use telnet, but I don't recommend it.

 

 

 

Specify CRON jobs to 'tar' up whatever you want backed up and put those .tar files in a specific directory.

 

 

 

Then, create another CRON job using the 'scp' command (refer to the man pages for it) to copy the files; especially if they are large ones. If you are backing up to removable media, you will need to scp the files to some temporary holding directory on your backup server, and then back up that directory as a subvolume.

 

 

 

I've been doing this for a few weeks now and the CRON job always runs perfectly as long as the backup server hasn't crashed. I have been trying to get Retrospect to duplicate the .tar files coming into a single temporary directory to final destinations on storage media, but it has a *lot* of trouble doing it without locking up. I will be replacing Retrospect's duplicate scripts with more CRON jobs on the backup server for better reliability.

 

 

 

If you're interested but need more info, email derrick@mlerf.org (the throatmonster@mac.com account isn't working anymore ).

[amccarty]

An alternative this is rsync over ssh. We thought about the tar/scp method, but if you run backups nightly (like we do) and are backup up GB's of files (like we are) then you're going to fill up tapes fast, as Retrospect will see these files as new and different and back them up.

 

With rsync over ssh we can basically sync up data on remote servers on local Retrospect volumes, and then backup those local volumes nightly, grabbing only the files that have changed.

 

If anyone wants a step-by-step, email me.

 

-Alan McCarty

 

amccarty-at-ecornell.com