Data backup for individual hosts
Going Solo
© Lead Image © Kirsty Pargeter, Fotolia.com
Sometimes you just need to back up a few directories on a computer, not administer a distributed installation or an array of disks. Areca Backup gives you hassle-free backups of individual hard drives.
Creating a safe copy of a few directories is governed by laws different from those that apply to backing up complete data centers. The tools need to be especially easy to use, without complicated configuration files or deeply nested menus. The usual space-saving techniques, such as incremental backups, should be available. Pre-and post-backup scripts should be able to stop applications like databases during the backup. Several backup versions need to be archived, and encryption and compression would not be bad.
The backup should be capable of restoring to different hardware; but, for the sake of simplicity, it would be preferable not to store the data in a proprietary format, which would necessitate reinstalling the operating system and backup software in the case of disaster. LVM or RAID configurations should not be an obstacle. File permissions need to remain intact, and the backup should not trip over links or named pipes. Finally, you should also be able to check easily whether everything went as desired.
Treat
One open source tool that satisfies all these requirements is Areca Backup [1]. Beyond the features already listed, Areca has a few more treats to offer. For example, you can include or exclude source files in or from the backup and filter by various criteria. Constructs with AND, OR, and NOT are allowed. Backups can be simulated, so that you can estimate in advance what would reach the backup disk, and to what extent, with the given settings.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.
-
Bugs Found in sudo
Two critical flaws allow users to gain access to root privileges.
-
Fedora Continues 32-Bit Support
In a move that should come as a relief to some portions of the Linux community, Fedora will continue supporting 32-bit architecture.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
LibreOffice Tested as Possible Office 365 Alternative
Another major organization has decided to test the possibility of migrating from Microsoft's Office 365 to LibreOffice.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.