Setting up a back up server

CruzBullit · 09-25-2004, 11:45 PM

Hi,

I'm new to linux but id like to learn so I thought the best way would be to find a project I want to do...

What I would like to do is set up a 1ghz, 256mb, 200gb computer running linux to do a weekly or daily back up of two other computers (both running windows xp)
i would like it to do this over the LAN.

I'm not sure where to start so any input would be greatly appreciated.

I would also like to be able to clone some drives once in a while like a norton ghost server.

Thanks for your help

musicman_ace · 09-26-2004, 01:02 AM

1. Choose your distro. I like SusE
2. Visit samba.org as their documentation will go further than what I'll tell you.
3. See if you get linux installed and running first.

If you don't have any problems with those three, then you have a few options

Samba can be a simple fileserver, or a PDC for the XP clients.

In either case,
make a entry into the SMB.conf file (which is well documented itself)
verify that samba starts when the system boots
Once that is done, run ntbackup and just specify the location as your server share.

DaneM · 09-26-2004, 01:35 AM

Hi, CruzBullit.

MusicMan has the right idea, although I'd recommend Slackware for server use due to its awesome tweakability and compatibility with most Linux software (although it's largely a matter of preference). I'd personally avoid any RPM-based distributions, as they tend to get the dependancies mucked-up and uninstall/install stuff when you don't want them to. There are a few things you need to decide before embarking on this great project.

1) Choose a distribution. Popular ones include: Red Hat, Mandrake, Fedora, Suse, Slackware, Debian, and Gentoo. They all have various strengths and weaknesses. RPM-based distros (Red Hat, Fedora, Suse, Mandrake, etc.) tend to install the easiest but can get mucked-up easily because of all the things they do to try to make things "easier" for the user. DEB-based distros (Debian, Knoppix, etc.) seem to take about as much configuring as RPM-based ones, although I've heard that their configurations aren't as "standard." Source-based distributions (Slackware, Gentoo, etc.) tend to be pretty difficult to set up initially, but are usually extremely stable once you get them going. They're also as "standard" as it gets; any software you find for Linux can probably work on a source-based distribution, even if you find it in a RPM or DEB format. Slackware is the easiest and most enjoyable of these, IMHO, while Gentoo is probably the most powerful, but requires you to compile the ENTIRE OPERATING SYSTEM from source (eek!). There are plenty of help forums for each of the distributions listed above, and if you come upon any problems I'm sure somebody will be willing and ready to help you.

2) Make sure your hardware is compatible. Look on a few hardware compatibility lists to make sure that your system won't have any compatibility issues. Most systems don't, but some components are easier to make work under Linux than others. Unfortunately most HCLs are a bit sparce at the moment, so you might just have to live with what you've got.

3) Decide your networking protocol of choice. Microsoft likes SMB. 98, 2000, XP, 2003 all speak SMB, and if you get the right software (SAMBA), so does Linux. It can be a bear to set up though (partly because Windows doesn't particularly like networking with Windows, let alone Linux). NFS is easier and more stable if you know what you're doing. All of Microsoft's "server" OSes support it to my knowledge. (This included 2000 server, 2003 server, etc.) I'm pretty sure that it originated on Unix, so Linux likes it just fine, and since Windows at one point had to be compatible with Unix, it does a decent job of it too.

4) Decide your backup medium. The best way, in my opinion, is to make a separate partition on your Linux box just for "ghosting" your Windows server's hard drive(s). Upon installation of the OS, just tell it to make a HUGE partition (in whatever format) and mount it at /var/backup/ (or whatever you choose). Make sure it's NOT on the same partition of either /, /dev, /home/, /bin/, /sbin/, /tmp/, or /usr/. Using this method, you can "disk dump" your whole server onto this partition and restore it later if you need to. (Making a "system restore CD set" is possible once you've got this taken care of.) You could also decide to just back up certain directories or files onto either the HDD or CD-R.

Hopefully this will get you on the right track. Let us know what you'd like to do in these areas and we'll help you get through. Always, Read The (Freaking) Manual before trying to do something, and then ask somebody else if you get stuck.

--Dane

CruzBullit · 01-19-2005, 09:50 PM

Sorry for not replying sooner.

Thanks for the great replys you've got me on the right path.

win32sux · 01-19-2005, 10:33 PM

also take a look at bacula: http://www.bacula.org/

Quote:

It comes by night and sucks the vital essence from your computers.

homey · 01-19-2005, 10:53 PM

It doesn't really matter what distro you use for the server as they all are almost as good as Fedora3

At any rate, I have a second drive on my server which is partitioned and formatted for storage of images from the client machines. It doesn't matter what operating system ( win or nix ) is on the client machines.
I install the server partimage ( partimaged ) on the server and set it up like this...

Code:

1 ) Redhat method
Create the default user partimag with a password. Then run the following commands:
mkdir /mnt/images
mount /dev/hdb1 /mnt/images -t ext3
chown partimag /mnt/images
chmod 755 /mnt/images
echo partimag >> /etc/partimaged/partimagedusers &&
chown partimag /etc/partimaged/partimagedusers &&
chmod 600 /etc/partimaged/partimagedusers


2 ) Other distro
Other distributions may  put the partimagedusers in /usr/etc/partimaged instead of just /etc/partimaged as Redhat does.
So use these instructions in that case....
Create the default user partimag with a password. Then run the following commands:
mkdir /mnt/images
mount /dev/hdb1 /mnt/images -t ext3
chown partimag /mnt/images
chmod 755 /mnt/images
mkdir -p /usr/etc/partimaged
echo partimag >> /usr/etc/partimaged/partimagedusers &&
chown partimag /usr/etc/partimaged/partimagedusers &&
chmod 600 /usr/etc/partimaged/partimagedusers

Start the server with the command: partimaged or partimaged -L
I use partimaged -L so I don't have to use a password at the client side.

Then it's a simple matter to boot up the client machine with a linux livecd like Knoppix or Systemrescue cd.
Note: The versions of partimage and partimaged need to be the same

Make sure you have network connection ( ping )
Upload the image to the server at /mnt/images/<imagename>

For smaller updates, you can use the live cd to rsync folders to the server storage.

davcefai · 01-20-2005, 12:17 AM

One possible hitch here. Does NTBackup write to remote discs. I seem to remember that it only does tape.

woppa30 · 01-20-2005, 02:59 AM

yes, ntbackup does write to remote disks, I do it all the time.
As an aside if you are using windows XP pro you can download the "services for Unix" software from the Micro$oft web site and then XP pro will work very well with NFS exports.
NFS exports are much easier to set up than SAMBA, (probably get flamed for that one, sorry) but the MS software won't install on XP home, I know I tried.

As for ghosting your windows clients, its been a while since I used ghost but I think you can now do it over a LAN, you just have to specify the shared folder on the server eg \\server\share\ghostimages or soimething similar. Once you have SAMBA up and running you should be fine doing this although I'm not sure that the virtual partition and boot that ghost does will map a NFS share, may be worth a go though.
Hope this is some hlep,
David.