With the price of terabyte level storage media coming down significantly in the past few years, we decided it was high time that we setup a network backup server. In reality, the price of a computer and storage is marginal in relation to the cost of losing the data that i am rather embarrassed we have not done it sooner.

Not wanting to invest in software, and also wanting to keep OS size down to a minimum, we decided on Linux as an OS. Since we had a copy of Ubuntu 9.04 on disk, we installed that and then started the search for some software. A quick search on Google immediately started to bring up some links to the open source backuppc software. After reading some articles and browsing the website, we decided that this would do the job for us. Basically our requirements were:

1. Automatic scheduled backups
2. Cutomisable schedules per client
3. Connectivity to Windows and Linux clients
4. Historic backups with incremental updates
5. Compression

Needless to say, backuppc offered all of this and more. In fact each client backup can be setup with separate configurations. The basic info as stipulated on their website (as at August 2009) lists as follows:

• A clever pooling scheme minimizes disk storage and disk I/O. Identical files across multiple backups of the same or different PCs are stored only once resulting in substantial savings in disk storage and disk I/O.
• One example of disk use: 95 latops with each full backup averaging 3.6GB each, and each incremental averaging about 0.3GB. Storing three weekly full backups and six incremental backups per laptop is around 1200GB of raw data, but because of pooling and compression only 150GB is needed.
• Optional compression support further reducing disk storage. Since only new files (not already pooled) need to be compressed, there is only a modest impact on CPU time.
• No client-side software is needed. The standard smb protocol is used to extract backup data on WinXX clients. On linux clients, tar over ssh/rsh/nfs is used to backup the data. With version 2.0.0, rsync is also supported on any client that has rsync or rysncd.
• A powerful web (http/cgi) user interface allows administrators to view log files, configuration, current status and allows users to initiate and cancel backups and browse and restore files from backups.
• A full set of restore options is supported, including direct restore (via smbclient, tar, or rsync/rsyncd) or downloading a zip or tar file.
• Supports mobile environments where laptops are only intermittently connected to the network and have dynamic IP addresses (DHCP).
• Flexible configuration parameters allow multiple backups to be performed in parallel, specification of which shares to backup, which directories to backup or not backup, various schedules for full and incremental backups, schedules for email reminders to users and so on. Configuration parameters can be set system-wide or also on a per-PC basis.
• Users are sent periodic email reminders if their PC has not recently been backed up. Email content, timing and policies are configurable.
• Tested on Linux, Freenix and Solaris hosts, and Linux, Win95, Win98, Win2000 and WinXP clients.
• Detailed documentation.
• Open Source hosted by SourceForge and freely availble under GPL.

We really liked their first point. As a GIS organisation we inadvertently have multiple copies of our basedata directories on different desktop and laptop machines. The result of this is wasted storage. Knowing that identical files will only be referenced once is a huge plus in my books!

After deciding that this what we were after, I started the install process - which was REALLY easy. I fired up Synaptic Packet Manager, choose backuppc, and chose install. As part of the install it asked me I wanted to install apache (webserver), as well as samba(windows filesharing), which I did. At the end of the install I was given a link to the configuration webpage (http://localhost/backuppc) and a username and password, with instructions on how to change the password.

I then logged into the website and very quickly worked out how to add some hosts, and configure those hosts. I wont go into the detail of that, but it is very well documented on the web. With the windows computers I was able to add backup shares to full drives such as d$ or c$ and specify a authorised username and password to allow this. I am also able to add file/directory inclusions and exclusions (as would be expected).

The main configuration file allows me to setup blackout periods (i.e. when backups must not happen) and wakeup hours (when to wakeup network computers and start backups or check the status of the backup.

So far I have been extremely impressed with ts speed and the ease at which it connects to both our windows and linux servers and PC's. The only faults I may have are:

1. The fact that network credentials are stored unencrypted
2. Laptop PC's that are on and off the networks battle to get an initial backup set, and the software keeps resetting and starting from new. To get this right I had to leave the laptops unattended for an evening while it completed a full backup.

Other than that - I will give BackupPC an 8/10. Great software that does what it says, and very easy to setup.

It is very difficult to describe all the options or show everything available through screenshots - but I have included some screenshots from the project website.