I used to have Win 2003 on a server that I set up at my house and on it I had Connected.com automated online backup software. I know have FC3 on the server and would like to put some kind of online backup application on it. I like that fact that the backup happens automatically and happens online so that it it stored offsite. Is there something similar for Linux? Thanks.

Todd

I use rsync over ssh so that it's encrypted. Made a simple shell script that cron runs once a week. I suppose you could tunnel it though stunnel instead of ssh, since that's pretty simple to set up.

Here's a good article on implementing rsync backups: http://www.mikerubel.org/computers/rsync_snapshots/

Partimage has the ability to compress and transfer entire partitions across a network, though I can't say that I've ever tested that particular functionality.

Hope that helps!

Hi there

Well, partimage is great, but you have to unmount the partition you are saving, which precludes a lot of systems from the start. Besides that it is a great tool that rivals Norton Ghost in my house.

Another thing:
I am using rsync for backups every night and love it. It only saves changes and goes over a encrypted link.
Now one thing that I am totally missing and would love to implement:
Compression.

Not compression of the transfer (rsync offers that) but compression of the files on the backup media.
After loosing a HD this weekend and probably see 120GB of data go down the drain, I decided to now get a dedicated Disk just for backuping. Tapes and streamers are a rip off, as the largest tapes and drives that you can use (around 200 GB per media) costs an arm and a leg ;-)

Does anybody know how to get rsync to work with a compressed archive on the receiver side?
Creating a filesystem on a file and mount it with the loop drive could work, but I have investigated a little and all of them are read only. Ext3 / ext2 compression is totally alpha status, nobody seems to use or need it (comment of the WWW: "..HD space is soo cheap...")

But why not compress it if you can? Why waste the speed of a lightning fast hd AND the space too?

make a shell script on the remote end to tar and gunzip the files once they are uploaded?

i say do this on the remote end so that you still use rsync and only update changed files, then they get compressed

maybe not the best way, but that's where i'd start