[luau] Next up, back up

[Tom_Gordon/RISE/HIDOE at notes.k12.hi.us]

It is common to find tarball/cpio scripts that archive modified files 
only.  Transfering to the other server is the hardest choice.  ftpcopy, 
rsyc and nfs are all options, but...

Perhaps the most secure option that requires no additional 
services/software is to use scp whch is basically ssh-based file-transfer. 
 Just set up a key-based autheticated user (there are tons of OSX 
tutorials for ssh on the net) and in the script include the command for 
transfer.

Tom





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Subject:        [luau] Next up, back up

Next on my to-do list is backing up /home to our Macintosh server, if 
that's possible. Here are some posts to K12OSN. Can you comment on them 
or suggest the best solution for us.

--

That is the 'manual' way to do it.  Mondo automates the whole process
very nicely.

With Mondo, the system does daily incremental backups automatically.  If
your Server goes up in flames, simply purchase a new one, and re-install
using the ISOs provided by the Mondo backup - voila! total restoration
from cold steel.  Very easy, and very quick.

--

We use/like rdiff-backup for a similar scenario.
rdiff-backup.stanford.edu

--

Instead of just plain rsync (which is good), here is a better way to 
use rsync and not waste a lot of space.  You get snapshots as often as 
you set it, and they are available to you read-only in a dated 
directory structure.  I was real impressed with this one and will set 
this up for my server.

http://www.mikerubel.org/computers/rsync_snapshots/

Abstract
This document describes a method for generating automatic rotating 
"snapshot"-style backups on a Unix-based system, with specific examples 
drawn from the author's GNU/Linux experience. Snapshot backups are a 
feature of some high-end industrial file servers; they create the 
illusion of multiple, full backups per day without the space or 
processing overhead. All of the snapshots are read-only, and are 
accessible directly by users as special system directories. It is often 
possible to store several hours, days, and even weeks' worth of 
snapshots with slightly more than 2x storage. This method, while not as 
space-efficient as some of the proprietary technologies (which, using 
special copy-on-write filesystems, can operate on slightly more than 1x 
storage), makes use of only standard file utilities and the common 
rsync program, which is installed by default on most Linux 
distributions. Properly configured, the method can also protect against 
hard disk failure, root compromises, or even back up a network of 
heterogeneous desktops automatically.

--Peter

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