Backup
Server Howtos
The backup addon is a software application for Windows.
When installed it runs daily, and does revisioning incremental backups to any network location that you specify, from source folders that you specify.
How it works
Each day it creates a new folder on the destination that looks like so:
//server/backup/pc4/user2/yyyy-mm-dd/my documents/
which contains any files created or modified that day, stored unencrpted, unzipped, and in the same folder tree as the original. No special restore process is needed.
Why backup like this?
- the benefits of incremental backups (reduced data volume, and time)
- the benefits of revisioning (in cases of losing an important file)
- destination stored in transparent manner (confidence in the backups, and easy user restores)
- pushed backups add a level of central managment without using domain controller server
The destination folder can be one of:
- windows or samba smb network share, prefered
- a second physical harddrive, or usb device
- CD/DVD burners where you have rewriter packet writing software installed.
Installation
1. Copy the Backup folder from the addon package onto your
windows clients as C:/Program Files/Backup
2. Edit backup.pl to define destination details
3. Edit config.txt to define source details.
4. Create a folder for each user on the computer :
C:/Documents and Settings/%USERDIR%/Backup
5. Create a shortcut to :
C:/Program Files/Backup/backup.bat
and place it in:
C:/Documents and Settings/%USERDIR%/Start Menu/Programs/Startup
6. Create a shortcut to:
C:/Program Files/Backup/fullbackup.bat
Usage
Incremental
It will run at boot time, with the startup script as above.
Rebooting on the same day will not repeat the backup unless you have specified a 0 maximum backup frequency in config.txt.
Normally the first time that it runs, it will do a full backup (to the incremental destination), then daily incrementals after that.
If you dont want that initial full backup, then before running it the first time, run the script at: C:/Program Files/Backup/makedatefile.bat
This will limit the first backup to 7 days worth.
Full backups
If you have say 6 computers, and want to do a full backup every 2 months, heres how:
- configure the full backup destination to be a shared folder on a PC on your network with a DVD writer
- then every 2 months, you can go round the 6 computers, run fullbackup.bat on each, and come back later and simply burn the results to DVD.
- its not totally automated, but when you have a lot of data, and without unlimited backup media, it cant be.
Config
Max frequency
Normally use 1, but you can increase it to 3-14 or so. This is useful for the likes of email stores which are monolithic and cant be backed up incrementally. Its basically a fullbackup everytime, and you might
not want that much data done everyday.
Also you make it backup every time by using use a value of 0.
Path to user data store
C:/Documents and Settings/%USERDIR%/Backup
The %USERDIR% variable is the profile name, not the name of the users profile folder. When a profile is renamed, the folder is not renamed. To get around this, use:
$usermap{`Joe`}= `Owner`;
where Owner is the original profile name and name of profile folder and Joe is the new profile name.
Backup media
Ideally you want something that is running 24/7 on your network. Either use a NAS appliance (network attached hard drive), or setup a samba/linux server. The latter option will provide a backup destination that is more reliable and faster than consumer grade NAS boxes, and with the right motherboard use little energy.
