Topic: Rsync - a quick question

[NoTo]

Good morning,

I've been doing lots of reading in the manual and how-to section and trying to get my head around rsync. This is just a quick question that may well be a yes/no answer.

On my old NAS box (Naslite) there exists an rsync client that can be set to 'mirror' a remote disk at a set time once per day. I was hoping to use it to make an extra copy of my data on SME8 in a more easily-retrieved form than the general DAR backup. I like having backups in two different forms as an extra layer of safety.

If everything I read is correct, my general conclusion is that this will only be possible if I implement Affa on the SME8 server. Is that correct? If it is, then it's too complex for my level of understanding.

Or is there an easier way?

With thanks,
Graham

[mmccarn]

rsync is installed on your SME server by default, and you can write your own rsync scripts.

If the Naslite box includes an rsync or ssh server you should be able to figure out an rsync command to run on the SME server that does what you want.

Or, if the Naslite provides NFS, SMB or CIFS shares you can 'mount' the Naslite box from your SME and backup to it using rsync.

[bad analogy]
'rsync', like 'excel', is a tool with lots of complicated options -- just as having excel does not guarantee you will get the report you want without effort. Having rsync does not guarantee you will get the backup you want without effort.
[/bad analogy]

Affa is a set of scripts that use rsync to provide you with:
- intelligent backup scheduling and rotation
- monitoring & reporting
- easy disaster recovery
- full backups of all core SME data (ibays, user folders, configuration databases, and sql databases), plus the ability to add custom locations to your backup.

...But having said that, the point of Affa is to backup *other* computers, not the computer that affa is installed on.  Here are some sample Affa scenarios:
- backup your Naslite *to*  your SME server
- backup your SME server to another SME or Centos computer (with disaster-recovery 'rise' support)
- backup your workstations (Windows, Mac, Linux) *to* your SME server.
- backup two SME servers to each other (with disaster-recovery 'rise' support at both ends...)

[NoTo]

Thankyou mmccarn, I think you are telling me to "keep on reading and learning" and reap the benefits it will eventually bring.

OK, I'll give it another go...

[janet]

mmccarn & NoTo

...But having said that, the point of Affa is to backup *other* computers, not the computer that affa is installed on.

Not strictly correct, & I disagree with that comment.
While it is designed to backup other computers, Affa when installed on a sme server is exactly designed to backup that sme server.

You also left out another "sample" scenario.
Affa installed on a sme server will backup the sme server to a locally connected USB drive, using the default sme backup locations, which can also be modified in the Affa backup job.

There is another backup tool that uses rsync, called rdiff-backup. It is in the smecontribs repo, but is command line only as it is meant to be used remotely over ssh by sme tech support personnel (similar in many ways to Affa). rdiff-backup was given to sme server by the sme guru Gordon Rowell & is used by professional sme support contractors as the preferred backup tool.

To NoTo, you could also use WinRAR on a Windows workstation to backup your ibays or selected subsets of data from your sme server to a shared drive, in the rar format, which is easily readable on Windows workstations.

[NoTo]

I've put rsync and affa, and now rdiff too, on my 'to learn' list. I don't use Windows these days, but I can at least make occasional full copies of the ibays with mc straight to a USB disk. I won't use anything I don't fully understand as a backup that I later rely on, as I think there's too much scope for error. I'm happy enough with the built-in backup utility now I know the error I was having is confirmed and on a list to be fixed. I just like the 'belt and braces' approach to backups. Sucking it all up with my old Naslite box was just a 'nice to have' if it wasn't going to cause me brain ache 

But it's one of those areas that causes me most problems - I have hideous trouble trying to get my Xubuntu desktop machine to backup to a remote location. There's few nice apps out there to do it, and those that exist either have variable reputations, or are the preserve of geeks that flatly refuse to create adequate documentation for mere mortals