Backups

[Batman]

I'm considering how I might do regular backups on a couple of linux based servers we have here.

At the moment we have 160Gb in images on our old Ghost server, which are backed up to an external hard drive on an ad-hoc basis. That's mainly for staff laptops; as we could now potentially move away from our RM system and use FOG to deploy our images I expect that figure will at least double, and as the data won't be changing much I see no point in keeping tape backups, we'd be better having network storage in another block and just keeping it sync'd up. I doubt we'll ever have two blocks go up in flames simultaneously!

So anyway, I'm just wondering how other people have approached this? What media and method do you use?

[Edu-IT]

What do your LA say about off site backups?

[nicholab]

Our tapes go off site once a week and we hold on site disk backups for two weeks.

[Edu-IT]

Sorry I misunderstood what you were looking to backup. Ignore me!

[Batman]

Our tapes go off site once a week and we hold on site disk backups for two weeks.

What does this entail, software side?

[CyberNerd]

We use rsync to backup everything to another server (in a different physical location)
For something more fancy, have a look at:
AMANDA, The Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver
Bacula, the Open Source, Enterprise ready, Network Backup Tool for Linux, Unix, and Windows
rsback: pollux.franken.de

[Batman]

I have heard of those, sounds like rsync is maybe what we're looking for.

Anyone using tape backups in Linux?

[markman]

Just to comment about taking backups offsite, we have ben told by autitors that backups are to stay onsite in a fireproof safe to protect from data theft.

[powdarrmonkey]

I don't use tapes, I sync over the wire to a datacentre box. But I use Back In Time, a snapshot system, to take periodic backups (like volume shadow copies, loosely) and rsync to do a proper one.

(Edit: I should probably declare my interest: I package Back In Time on behalf of Debian and Ubuntu, although I'm not the author)

[CyberNerd]

Anyone using tape backups in Linux?

I do sometimes.
I just use a simple tar

 tar -czvf /dev/mt0 /path/to/files

and rewind/eject with

mt -f /dev/st0 rewind/eject

I don't have any automation though. I would probably use amanda if I did, rsback doesn't seem to lend itself too well to tape backup because of the way it hardlinks directories (and makes them huge)

[superfletch]

Just to comment about taking backups offsite, we have ben told by autitors that backups are to stay onsite in a fireproof safe to protect from data theft.

We got told this too (after we'd been told Off site was sensible)... times change I suppose,

We responded with a FIPS 2 compliant solution on the tape (Symantec and a few other Backup Software will do this),

basically encrypt the data that goes on the tape,

CUL8R Audit...

[Geoff]

Rsync (rdiff-backup) over iSCSI to a remote (another building) OpenFiler box.

[diggory]

Just to comment about taking backups offsite, we have ben told by autitors that backups are to stay onsite in a fireproof safe to protect from data theft.

We've been told the same by auditors from the LA (S. Glos.)