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This is probably one of those topics that gets regurgitated periodically, but it's always good to get some fresh answers.
The small consultancy business I work for wants to set up a new file server with remote backup. In the past we have used a Windows XP file server and plugged in a couple of external USB drives when space runs out. Backups were performed nightly to a USB drive and taken offsite to a trusted employees home.
They are looking to Linux for a new file server (I think more because they found out how much a new Windows file server would be).
I'm not a server guy but I have set up a simple Debian-based web server at work for a specific intranet application, but when I was asked about ideas for the new system the best I could come up with was maybe ssh+rsync (which I have only recently started using myself so I'm no expert by any means). Using Amazon's cloud service has been suggested, as well as the remote being a dedicated machine at a trusted employee's home (probably with a new dedicated line in) or with our local ISP (if they can offer such a service). A new dedicated line out of the office has also been suggested, I think mainly because daily file changes can potentially be quite large (3D CAD models etc). A possible advantage of the remote being nearby is that the initial backup could be using a portable hard drive instead of having to uploading terabytes of data (I guess there is always courier services though).
Anyway, just thought I'd chuck it out there. A lot of you guys probably already set up and/or look after remote backup systems. Even if anyone just has some ideas regarding potential traps/pitfalls would be handy. The company is fairly small (about 20-odd employees) so I don't think they need anything overly elaborate, but all feedback is appreciated.
(Score: 2) by sigterm on Friday July 11 2014, @01:49AM
The most important aspects of a backup system are offsite storage and the ability to perform data and system restore quickly enough to prevent unacceptably long downtime. Exactly what acceptable downtime is, will depend on the business and the service in question.
Whether you should choose a local backup system using removable media, a server at a remote location, or a hosted service, depends on the organization's ability to manage a local setup, the feasibility of backing up and restoring over Internet or WAN links, and how comfortable they are about trusting a third party with their data (and thus potentially the future of the organization).
When evaluating software and/or hosted services, make sure to consider the level of reporting provided. It's vital that you know whether backups are being performed or not, and the system must not allow for any kind of silent failure.
If you decide on a local or hosted solution rather than a service, there's no shortage of decent backup software. I'd like to mention one: I've installed Ahsay OBS (http://ahsay.com/) for several clients and I really, [i]really{/i] like the software, because it's:
- dead easy to install and configure (it's Java based)
- performs automatic deduplication using file level delta backups
- has excellent multiplatform support
- has excellent agent support for various databases (including Exchange)
- supports quotas and bandwidth throttling (per account)
- supports multiple backup servers with replication
- is licensed per user account, not per backup server
- each account can serve multiple backup jobs from multiple hosts
- supports backup/export to (and restore from) removable media (or any location, really)
If you can put a server at a secondary location or use a hosting provider, you should consider Ahsay.
(Score: 2) by cafebabe on Friday July 11 2014, @03:24PM
"No-one wants backup but everyone wants restore."
"Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway."
Work backwards from the restore capabilities. As an example, I advised a business to cancel their Amazon account because it would have taken two weeks to restore their data - and that assumed Amazon wasn't having a simultaneous outage. At $1,600 per month, it was cheaper and quicker for a part-time employee to manage USB drives. Low tech? Crappy? Yes but it also has advantages. For example, the bandwidth cost to run an integrity check is zero.
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