All Experts,

I want to set a Linux Backup Server for my Windows Servers, Desktops & linux network. There are some alternative for this e.g. rsnapshop, rsync. I have tried to this by using gadmin-rsync but not able to figure out that how to copy files from windows to linux server remotely because it is asking the password and there is no mechanism to provide authentication during back up (As i know) in ubuntu 11.4.

Kindly guide me or suggest some alternative.

With Regards,

//Vj//

My knowledge here is really thin, but I believe that windows machines use SMB protocol. If you want the linux machines to reach out and grab files off the windows machines then you'll need to install and configure something like samba. I've never done this and it could be easy or hard no idea.

If you want the windows machines to initiate the backup you either need samba so the windows machines can speak to your linux box or you might consider something like FTP which is pretty darn easy to set up on a linux box but might require some significant scripting on the windows machine.

Sorry I can't help more. I'm hoping to learn about this too.

I use cwrsync on the Windows machines, running as SYSTEM and pushing their files to a Linux rsync server. It uses a password in a plain text file to authenticate with the rsync server cwrsync can also use ssh but I am not familiar with it.

Amanda is similar in that it uses CIFS (were SMB) shares to get the Windows files and so uses Windows users' passwords.

A better solution might be to use Bacula which can be run as a service on the Windows systems so does not need to use CIFS. Bacula has its own client/server passwords.

Thanks for the reply. I think that Bacula is little bit difficult. According to your view for cwrsync will be OK, but how will i configure Linux as a rsync server. Have you ever used gadmin-rsync.