This thread is to discuss the article titled: Using rsync to mirror data between servers

I just wanted to say thank you for this great HOWTO.

I got to rsync from zero knowhow and now my productive server is backuped to my other server like a star.

Good job!

Dear frinds,

I use rsync to back up a live server to another server. I use this command
rsync -e ssh -avz --delete-after user@liveserver:/home/httpd /home

then I am prompted to enter a password. Now when I enter the same command in the crontab nothing happens. I think the problem is may requre a password to connect.

Now How do I enter the password in to the crontab so that this process is automated? The command in the crontab I us is; 0 * * * * rsync -e ssh -avz user@liveserver:/home/httpd /home 2>&1 > /var/log/hourly_backup.log

Crispin.

Oh yes, that is an issue. Usually you need to enter a password and cron of course, cannot do that.
Some crazy idea would be to put the password into a file and read it from there, but this is a terrible way to work.

Instead, you can create a passwordless loging for the machine that makes the backup to the other. Look up the HOWTO about ssh, it is described there, worked for me like a charm.

In essence you generate a key on the backup machine and then include that key into the "trusted keys" file in the other machine, so it lets it login without a password.

This is a great topic/article. I was wondering if there was at good way using rsync to keep 2 computers synced up if files are being updated on either machine.

browny_amiga, it worked, thanks.

Atomicx, it is posible, just generate the private in the server(see the howto, man pages), then copy it to the backup sever, even if you have more than one backup severs, just copy the same key to all severs.

cris

you need to exchange the SSH public key b/w the servers so that you need not to provide any password. There is a link above which shows how to do that. Cheers.

(newbie). I just used the rsync successfully to an external NDAS. My question is whether I am foolish to think this is a truly useful backup, and if it is, does one just rsync the files back? I speak to the case of having backed up a particular folder (non OS application files) off the server, and then later needing that older/intact version off the NDAS to recreate/fix same on server. Thanks.

hi can anyone tell me the complete procedure how to setup the rsync server . i am very new to linux and somehow managed to write some script to take backup locally using rsync.
now i need to take the backup remotely.please help me to do this one