Advice on external backup of a Linux server.

[Arthur Pemberton]

Bill Gradwohl wrote:

> Arthur Pemberton wrote:
>
>> What's the best solution for an unattended backup medium for a Linux 
>> server? I was looking at a USB externall HDD - but seems to me that 
>> the HDD would have to be turned on for the backup to done. I also 
>> looked at a Network Attached Storage (NAS) solution, but these 
>> started at $250.
>>
>> Any on the cheap ideas compatible with FC3?
>
>
> I put a second drive in the same chassis and just rsync whatever I 
> want from the primary drive to the "backup" drive. I'm not concerned 
> with fire, flood or tornado destroying the whole box. Should anything 
> happen to the primary drive, I'd install a new one, bring up an O/S 
> and move back whatever I needed from the "backup". Cheap solution.
>
> If you need a disaster recovery solution which means off site storage 
> of the backups, then a USB drive could be your "backup" drive 
> utilizing the same technique.
>
> You could even swap between a few external drives so that you have a 
> USB drive in use, one on the shelf, one in the safety deposit box, one 
> home, one in the car, etc. Get as crazy as you like. :-)
>
Interesting idea. However. What if something goes wrong in the chasis, 
for example, power surge, all teh HDD's go? no?
The prob I have I have with the USB solution is that it requires user 
intervention.