[KLUG Members] LAN backup solutions, anyone?

[Robert G. Brown]

On Fri, 20 May 2005 10:13:28 -0400, Adam Tauno Williams wrote:

>> If you are doing backups on a regular basis on a mixed Linux/Unix/Windows...
>We do our network backups using "star" which can tunnel data via an SSH
>connection to a remote tape drive; just setup the keys and it can run as
>a cron job.  
OK, I have looked for a specific reference to this package, and the best
I could do has been:

http://www.backupcentral.com/cgi-bin/redirect?url=ftp://ftp.fokus.gmd.de/pub/unix/star

Which seems defunct.

Losts of references to "star" in the "Backup" world...

>*Unfortunately* that is the best solution we have found.
Yes, seems to be a shortage of good ones.

>Other solutions are either (A) REALLY REALLY expensive [ like Arkeia ]
$1280.00 for licensing, in the case I'm currently concerned about. They
have a free trial version, so I might want to see what all the fuss is
about (no time now).

>or (B) very hackish - they don't backup EA or other metadata, don't
>support sparse files, etc...   It is simply shocking the completely
>miserable state of backup/restore software.
I did find one that backed up registry data, via an add-on.. free, too.
Look at SaraB and DAR, and it's add-on.. like regbackup or something...

>You can script a backup of a remote winbloze machine using smbtar, but
>again your losing file ownership, meta-data, EA, forks, etc...  But it
>works OK for just backing up document files, but restoring something
>under C:\WINNT will result in a first rate disaster.
Yeah, we might not require that, although it would be nice. THe notion of
plopping in a backup tape and CD combo and just getting back to EXACTLY 
where you were before the disaster is very appealing.

>For windows workstations the best bet (for something you can actually
>restore) is to use something like partimage and just image the *&^&*@^
My sentiments exactly :)

>( partition [ Windows backup/restore barely works with their own native
>tools, so best to go a layer down the stack ].
yeah, the problems are introduced by those pesky Windows machnes, the
odd file systems, and so on. Also, vendors tend to think this is all so
very extra special that it makes premium products. Maybe it does, because
most developers like to work on snazzier sorts of products...

I'd like to see other comments, tales of sucees or failure....

							Regards,
							---> RGB <---