Backup Software

[sixdoubleo]

A while back somebody recommended a backup software that was really inexpensive (or free). I want to say it was called "Covan Backup" or something like that. Anybody remember?

I know, I know...I can use ntbackup, but it doesn't compress and I dont want to store a temp copy before compressing.

I know, I know...I can use PKZip, but it has a file count limitation and a few other oddities I don't like.

What was this software called? I wanted to check it out.

[stanger89]

Acronis True Image, not free but awesome package, can image an XP install w/o leaving Windows.

[JasonJoel]

Yeah, but it isn't real great if you don't want to backup the WHOLE drive.

For instance, I do not back up any of my TV store directories. You can't do that with True Image - it is all or none. Blech.

I use it EXTENSIVELY for imaging/disaster recovery though.

Jason Bottjen

Originally posted by stanger89
Acronis True Image, not free but awesome package, can image an XP install w/o leaving Windows.

[stanger89]

I have Windows/Apps on a 4GB partition, my Sage recordings/music/movies/media all have their own dedicated partitions/drives.

So in 5-10 min, I can make an image of my Windows partition to my stuff partition, and then if something is hosed, I can go back in about 5 minutes.

[sixdoubleo]

Yeah, I don't really need to make images. I already have that covered. Here's what I want.

I have about 8 machines on my network. I have a Linux box with a PILE of storage. It is my backup server for all intents and purposes.

On each machine, I want to schedule a nightly job to backup specific directories (I dont need to backup everything, just data and whatnot) to the backup server.

FWIW, ntbackup would be PERFECT if it compressed. But alas, it doesn't.

PKZip would be perfect, except it has a 4GB file limitation and I believe a 64,000 file limitation. Also it creates a local temp file, so I would need adequate temporary space on each machine.

Right now, I am using ROBOCOPY to simply copy what I want to the backup server. This works fine except that nothing is compressed so it's wasteful.

[sixdoubleo]

By the way, it just came to me. (I was thinking "covan"...."covain"....."......"Curt Cobain???" "AHA!!! Cobian"

It's Cobian Backup that somebody recommended. I have no idea if it's any good but I remember somebody here used it, and at the time I went and looked at it and thought it looked like my type of program. (Small, tight, simple....and above all 100% scriptable from the command-line)

if anybody has any other suggestions or examples of how they are backuing up systems I'd love to hear it.

Thanks!

[Opus4]

I use DriveImage for my imaging (at least until Symantec drives it into the ground some more) and Retrospect for backup. It comes with a license for 2 clients, but I don't think it would be cheap for several systems.

- Andy

[heffe2001]

If you use Linux, you could try Lone Tar, but I'm betting it's pretty pricey as well... There are a couple other Linux backup products, and a few that also have Windows clients too...

[x[corwyn]]

If you have a linux box why don't you just have a script that grabs it and tars it up? you could have samba running and just gank it from the share and mv it to the appropriate spot as well as compress it... WHeeeeeeeeee

[mikesm]

I use retrospect and it works really well. Sometimes you can find very good deals on workgroup versions of retrospect on ebay. The latest version has Linux support as well.

Thanks,
Mike

[sixdoubleo]

Originally posted by x[corwyn]
If you have a linux box why don't you just have a script that grabs it and tars it up? you could have samba running and just gank it from the share and mv it to the appropriate spot as well as compress it... WHeeeeeeeeee

You mean have the Linux box go out and do the backup? That wouldn't work for me. I have an Active Directory and it's all secure n' stuff. Don't want to kixk it down to mixed mode just to let Samba access it.

I will go the other way though (as I am doing now).....WIndows boxes copy TO LInux. Then something on Linux can TAR/ZIP it. I HAVE thought of that...only drawback ...well 2...

1. Extra steps
2. I'll need enough space on the linux box to hold several temporary working copies of the data during copy/tar/zip operations.


Or am I missing what you're trying to suggest?

[wjohn]

Originally posted by sixdoubleo
By the way, it just came to me. (I was thinking "covan"...."covain"....."......"Curt Cobain???" "AHA!!! Cobian"

It's Cobian Backup that somebody recommended. I have no idea if it's any good but I remember somebody here used it, and at the time I went and looked at it and thought it looked like my type of program. (Small, tight, simple....and above all 100% scriptable from the command-line)

Thanks!

I just keyed "Cobian backup software" into Google and up popped a lot of links.

[sixdoubleo]

Originally posted by wjohn
I just keyed "Cobian backup software" into Google and up popped a lot of links.

Yeah? Woulda never thought of using Google. Very revolutionary suggestion.

If you reread carefully, I needed help remembering what the name of the software was. I originally thought it was "covan" backup.

[heffe2001]

The backup software you want to use if you have a Linux server with a tape backup is Arkeia. They have windows client software that you can use to backup your windows boxes to you linux box. It's kinda pricey, but works. I thoguht Lonetar had windows clients too, but apparently not, I was thinking of the Arkeia.

[ToonGal]

Originally posted by sixdoubleo
PKZip would be perfect, except it has a 4GB file limitation and I believe a 64,000 file limitation. Also it creates a local temp file, so I would need adequate temporary space on each machine.

I have a similar situation to yours. I have three categories of 'data' here: O/S, application, and media (audio/video/etc). To back up O/S, I basically go stanger89's route and image; to back up media, I synchronize directories on a backup server and/or use Nero to burn off to external CD/DVD media; and to backup application data, I use WinRAR.

WinRAR doesn't have the limitations of PKZip, and is compatible with .zip file formats if you don't like .rar. I've used WinZIP too if you really want a native ZIP program.

In my case, I have batched the directories for each machine to backup, and different scripts per machine. Local space is probably necessary locally, so that might still be an issue, but I'm very sure WinRAR is efficient in adding compressed pieces to the archive incrementally.

Hope this helps, hun! GL...

[JasonJoel]

If it were ME, and you wanted to use ZIP... I would use WINZIP 9 + command line add-on.

It supports ZIP-64, so no file/size limitations. Works AWESOME.

Of course then you have a 'slightly weird' ZIP format. Although there are tons of ZIP programs that can read ZIP-64 these days, so it isn't THAT weird.

Although WINZIP 9 costs money ($29), the command line add-on for it is free.

Jason Bottjen

Originally posted by sixdoubleo
A while back somebody recommended a backup software that was really inexpensive (or free). I want to say it was called "Covan Backup" or something like that. Anybody remember?

I know, I know...I can use ntbackup, but it doesn't compress and I dont want to store a temp copy before compressing.

I know, I know...I can use PKZip, but it has a file count limitation and a few other oddities I don't like.

What was this software called? I wanted to check it out.

[sixdoubleo]

Originally posted by ToonGal
I have a similar situation to yours. I have three categories of 'data' here: O/S, application, and media (audio/video/etc). To back up O/S, I basically go stanger89's route and image; to back up media, I synchronize directories on a backup server and/or use Nero to burn off to external CD/DVD media; and to backup application data, I use WinRAR.

WinRAR doesn't have the limitations of PKZip, and is compatible with .zip file formats if you don't like .rar. I've used WinZIP too if you really want a native ZIP program.

In my case, I have batched the directories for each machine to backup, and different scripts per machine. Local space is probably necessary locally, so that might still be an issue, but I'm very sure WinRAR is efficient in adding compressed pieces to the archive incrementally.

Hope this helps, hun! GL...

Thanks for the suggestions, ToonGal & Jason. I think you guys and I are on on the same wave of thinking here...I am not big on running programs manually. I also don't like relying on 3rd party programs. The cobian looked attractive because it looked like it could be used without actually "installing" it. I like programs that can just be simply copied to a system and executed...whithout all the typical garbage of registering DLL's, etc.

That's why a ZIP (or RAR) based backup is ideal....you don't need to install anything to restore it to anything system. Just unzip it.

Actually WinZip9 and PKZip 8 have gotten beyond the file imitations, as Jason pointed out. I found this upon researching them. WinZip9 + CL Add-on (which I own) is excellent. I downloaded PKZip 8 CL and must say that it is even better. I have done some very extensive testing with it. It's faster, and also has the added benefit of encrypting the file LIST, which WInzip cannot do. I have written a solution using PKZip8 Command-Line and problem is solved.

Basically here's what I do:

1. All machines on my network are setup with C: drive system (OS, essential apps, settings) and D:, E:, F:, drive data as needed.

C: Partition gets ghosted at install time and whenever the system is stable. Any major upgrades, I reghost. (I do this manually) This is the only manual thing I do. I may ghost a system once every 6 months....or before a software/driver upgrade.

The Linux Box runs Samba and has an account for backing up. This account also exists on my network. The Linux box is not part of my active directory. This way it truly is self-sufficient froma disaster recovery standpoint. All scheduled jobs on the Windows boxes run under the context of this backup account.

Once a week, a scheduled job runs. I run "ntbackup systemstate" and store that file in D:\backup of that local machine. I'll also make a backup of my sage directory into d:\backup\sage....as well as a backup of my girder files, and any other stuff that I would like quick restore capability.

Then a full archive backup is run with pkzip. It is encrypted with AES-256, all archive bits are cleared. This file is stored on the Linux box at \\LIFEBOAT\DATABACKUP\%COMPUTERNAME%-FULL.bkp. (My Linux is called lifeboat.) bkp is simply an extension I created. So I end up with a bkp file for every computer on my network.

Each day an incremental backup is performed grabbing only those files changes since the full backup. These are stored as \\LIFEBOAT\DATABACKUP\%COMPUTERNAME%-%date%.bkp

Done deal. Works excellent. Requires only PKZIP or WinZip. No other software. If I setup a new computer, I dont need to load some backup software or agent. (I hate software. Less is more)

If anybody would like to see the batch file, etc....I'll post it. Not anything earth-shattering though...just simple PKZip conifg options.

I thought about blowfish'ing the bkp file to further encrypt it (as if AES-256 wasnt enough). My fear is that if my backup server were ever stolen, literally every facet of my life is stored on it....

[Brent94Z]

If you haven't found a solution, might want to take a look at the below link. A friend told me about this free back-up software. He loves it. I myself haven't yet tried it but I plan to. Not sure if it will meet your needs or not but might want to at least take a look.

http://www.2brightsparks.com/syncback/