backup Solution

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Overclocker01

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#40604 1-Sep-2009 14:31

Hey guys, I need some help..

I need to impliment a backup system at my dads company.

Current setup
Reception PC (running 4 shared folders for the 4 individual staff, their My Documetns and .pst files are saved to this location)

There are currently 4 laptops running on a wireless network the wireless network that are not backed up. (My documents and .pst files need to be automatically backed up to the Reception PC as soon as the laptops are logged onto the wireless network)

At the end of each day my dad needs to run a backup solution that will only add changed or newly created files, not do another complete backup of the reception HDD.

What would you guys segest as a solid backup solution? I am open to all ideas.

Ideally I would install a WHS PC and use that as purley a file backup solution (this would make entire HDD image backups so if anything ever crashes it can be restored easily) Can you easily backup a WHS to an external storage device each day (only backing up changed files?)

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#252242 1-Sep-2009 14:37

Windows Home Server is a good idea. Of course it's only as safe as where it is installed - if the house/office burns down or the server is stolen then the backup is of no use.

I use Windows Home Server at home and Mozy Backup for online backups.

There's a discussion about other software options already in progress here.

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jayaldous

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#252245 1-Sep-2009 14:39

I use Jungledisk for offsite backups. If you scheduled it to back up every day, assuming the PC gets turned on, it should keep things in sync without doubling up files.

sleepy

326 posts

Ultimate Geek

#252252 1-Sep-2009 14:59

I use cobian backup of files to my laptop at the end of the day which is then backup up at home to a external drive using norton ghost incrementally with a full backup weekly.

This would duplicate your fathers company files on his laptop and also a backup disk at home

hope this helps.

amanzi

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#252273 1-Sep-2009 15:47

You can use a combination of Windows Home Server and JungleDisk to provide a pretty resilient solution. There's a version of JungleDisk which plugs into the WHS console.

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#252279 1-Sep-2009 15:52

amanzi: You can use a combination of Windows Home Server and JungleDisk to provide a pretty resilient solution. There's a version of JungleDisk which plugs into the WHS console.

JungleDisk has discontinued its Windows Home Server backup software a couple of days ago. If you already have a copy it will continue to work, but there won't be any download of new or old versions from their site or updates.

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Overclocker01

176 posts

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#252324 1-Sep-2009 17:32

Lets say I just wanted to sync My Docs and .pst files from the laptops to specific files on the reception computer once they were connected to the network, what application would enable me to do this?

redjet

299 posts

Ultimate Geek

#252389 1-Sep-2009 19:55

Overclocker01: Lets say I just wanted to sync My Docs and .pst files from the laptops to specific files on the reception computer once they were connected to the network, what application would enable me to do this?

I've just implemented a similar backup process for my wifes business and it goes something like this:

I set up a server running WHS which is used as a central document/file repository. Each user has their own folder as well on WHS that only they can see plus I use a Microsoft utility called SyncToy2.0 to sync their workstation My Documents folders back to the WHS. WHS is also used to image each workstation which is a really nice feature.

I've also set up the JungleDisk WHS app (but it looks like you'll have to go with Mozy) that points to an Amanzon S3 account. This works really well and I'm surprised that it's been discontinued. JungleDisk backs up all user and company folders on the WHS and then uploads it to S3. We aren't uploading the workstation images as they are just too big. In the event of a fire and the server and workstations are destroyed we'll have to rebuild the workstations but at least the documents are all safe online.

Hope this helps.

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nate

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#252411 1-Sep-2009 21:45

My query is I assume the online backup solutions only send files that have changed since the last backup. I'm assuming for the very first time you backup (say it's 30Gb) you chew through 30Gb of your monthly cap? Is there any way around this?

redjet

299 posts

Ultimate Geek

#252419 1-Sep-2009 22:10

nate: My query is I assume the online backup solutions only send files that have changed since the last backup. I'm assuming for the very first time you backup (say it's 30Gb) you chew through 30Gb of your monthly cap? Is there any way around this?

Not that I know of. Unfortunately you will take an initial hit for the first upload but after that only new and changed files will be uploaded. I've got the JungleDisk desktop client running on several home PC's and it's scheduled to run every hour to check for file changes in the folders that it monitors. It's well worth the cost for a lot of peace of mind!

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insane

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#252439 2-Sep-2009 00:58

nate: My query is I assume the online backup solutions only send files that have changed since the last backup. I'm assuming for the very first time you backup (say it's 30Gb) you chew through 30Gb of your monthly cap? Is there any way around this?

If you used a local online backup solution like say datalock.co.nz they let you send in your initial backup on a portable HDD, after that you only need to upload the incramental stuff.

redjet

299 posts

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#252451 2-Sep-2009 08:16

insane:
nate: My query is I assume the online backup solutions only send files that have changed since the last backup. I'm assuming for the very first time you backup (say it's 30Gb) you chew through 30Gb of your monthly cap? Is there any way around this?

If you used a local online backup solution like say datalock.co.nz they let you send in your initial backup on a portable HDD, after that you only need to upload the incramental stuff.

I'm all for supporting NZ businesses but I can't see any indication of pricing on datalock's website and their "Click Here to Get Started" link just prompts the user to send an email. In my experience if you have to email them for a price then a sales person will contact you which usually means you are paying a premium for the service. I dare say that blowing your data cap for the initial upload to either Amazon S3 or Mozy would still be cheaper overall than using datalock.co.nz - but am happy to be proven wrong.

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RockResearch

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#252456 2-Sep-2009 08:53

If you go with something like Mozy (I did), signup towards the end of your monthly data plan. I made the mistake of using it right at the start of the billing month and spent the rest of the month purchasing additional data blocks and receiving the over cap emails (I'm with TCL) This was the first time I went over my cap (20GB per month).

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nate

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#252507 2-Sep-2009 11:21

redjet: Not that I know of. Unfortunately you will take an initial hit for the first upload but after that only new and changed files will be uploaded.

I'm also thinking you take another big hit if your PC dies and you need to pull down all your data from the backup provider.

redjet

299 posts

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#252527 2-Sep-2009 12:22

nate:
redjet: Not that I know of. Unfortunately you will take an initial hit for the first upload but after that only new and changed files will be uploaded.

I'm also thinking you take another big hit if your PC dies and you need to pull down all your data from the backup provider.

Yes that's correct however the cost of retrieving important documents, images and video is minimal compared to the extra fees I'd get charged for blowing my data cap. Also you could buy a second hard drive and use SyncToy2.0 to back everything up locally and protect yourself from your primary hard drive failing.

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freitasm

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#252596 2-Sep-2009 14:54

redjet: Also you could buy a second hard drive and use SyncToy2.0 to back everything up locally and protect yourself from your primary hard drive failing.

Yes, but if the second HDD is in your home or office and fire consumes the building you lose the original and the backup.

I have backups on my Windows Home Server and I also have a backup online.

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