Look, guys here talk about "a number of advanced Linux-specific plugins and specific Linux backup tool to precisely backup a huge volume of Linux-based data at a low cost". (https://www.baculasystems.com/enterp...bacula-systems). I smell a rat here. Are there any really reliable solutions for backup of Linux? And at a low cost? I searched the Internet, but no proved comments from experienced users. have you got any?

freenas needs to be controlled via a web browser and it needs to be set up on a usb or something. from you question and description i would suggest that might be a bit over your head.

so bacula is pretty complex but very thorough. another option which i use and is easy to set up but does use command line is unison with cron. i have that backing home directory between 4 pcs including storage on my server. the nice thing about it is that is creates an exact backup of whatever you tell it to and it checks that backup however frequently so i have mine set to 5 mins so everything is checked every five minutes to make sure it is backed.

bacula, once set up is probably the most flawless tool i have used but it is difficult to set up and will take a ton of research to get it right. it is enterprise grade software and on linux platforms does not cost anything unless installed in the enterprise.

There are a TON of backup solutions, because backup is the primary requirement for every single SYSADM in the world! I like BURP, but BACULA is good if complex. I hear good things about BACKUPBOX. Google for the other 612 backup programs.

There are non-backup applications that can be combined to perform some of the functions of a real backup program, like TAR, RSYNC, ZIP, 7Z, etc. I do not recommend trying to reinvent the horse, but if you and your users are comfortable with those tools you might make them serve.

If your users are only comfortable with copying files and folders Windows style, then a SAMBA box with an exported network share makes sense. (In a twisted and inefficient way, but sometimes that is all your users will accept.)

What kind of solution will serve best will be determined by your network and user environment, level of experience, available resources, as well as time and budget constraints.

Personally, I leverage the cloud. I have a DROPBOX account, and run dropbox.py on my laptop. I have the dropbox client app on my (android, of course) phone. My photos get cloned into my dropbox photo folders on the fly and sync to my laptop on my next logon. Bing: backed up and available wherever I go. You might look up one of the "self hosted" cloud storage solutions and host that on your server, and sync your phones and cameras to your local cloud storage.

Just a thought.

without suggesting anything (this is my setup):
1. I have all my pictures stored on py PC, usually in two different formats (like original raw and processed jpeg).
2. Everything is copied onto an external HDD which is shared, so all my pictures, music and videos are available in my house everywhere.
3. my pictures are uploaded to flickr and if I want I can share and send links to my friends.

I might suggest using iscsi. It allows you to use a native format to Mac while keeping your server running native linux. There may be metadata that Mac users would like to keep.

Once you try iscsi you will find it's fast and easy.

Of course Apple doesn't seem to like it.

Not sure I'd play with samba on mac's.

Not sure what the "rat" is here...bacula is a well established piece of software, and Linux backup solutions have been talked about here for years...everything from bare metal recovery to incremental daily backups.

As others have said, your budget and requirements are going to drive this. Backing up your home machine once a week is far different than backing up 200 servers with multiple versions of files daily. Also...you re-opened a thread that was closed for six years to post this.
Confused about this, not only because it addresses the original question from six years ago, but also it seems you're suggesting something that you think won't work well....so why suggest it? While official iSCSI from Apple doesn't exist (to my knowledge), you CAN get it to work easily with free/low-cost ($89) software:
https://github.com/iscsi-osx/iSCSIInitiator
https://www.daemon-tools.cc/products/dtMacLite
http://www.kernsafe.com/press-releas...for-macos.aspx

And if you get an off-the-shelf unit like a Synology NAS, its software will give you the option to mount it via iSCSI natively on Mac. Mounting a remote Samba share works fine from Mac to the Linux back-end as well.

Expanding choices from iSCSI, you can easily use FUSE on OSX to mount EXT4 partitions natively, and you can also load AFPD services on your Linux server, and Mac's will see it as a native candidate for Time Machine, by loading up the netatalk software:
https://pwntr.com/2012/03/03/easy-ma...04-lts-and-up/
http://netatalk.sourceforge.net/wiki...l:SpecialPages
https://osxfuse.github.io/

OSX Fuse lets you use SSHFS also. Oliver-kran, I'd suggest opening a dedicated thread for your particular backup-related questions, and we can try to help you with a solution.

Dang it. The 2017 post should have been cut out of this necro post as I didn't notice it.

Hello forum mod.