Re: [gentoo-user] Back up a server in real-time

[William Kenworthy <billk@iinet.net.au>]

On Sun, 2008-11-16 at 12:39 +0200, Alan McKinnon wrote:
> On Sunday 16 November 2008 12:31:16 William Kenworthy wrote:
> > *  app-backup/dirvish
> >       Latest version available: 1.2.1
> >       Latest version installed: 1.2.1
> >       Size of downloaded files: [no/bad digest]
> >       Homepage:    http://www.dirvish.org/
> >       Description: Dirvish is a fast, disk based, rotating network
> > backup system.
> >       License:     OSL-2.0
> >
> > Its worth a read on how its done - using smarts rather than brute force!
> 
> So the basic premise is that backups are done frequently and need to be 
> efficient, whereas restores are only done in the event of a mistake. Less 
> efficient restores is then a fair trade?
> 
> I see people get this wrong all the time at work. They assume that backups are 
> some sort of rapid shared storage system. Which of course it isn't.

I wouldnt call it fair trade, rather "its working now and we'll make it
better it eventually."

I agree, backups should be just that - protection from mistakes/lost
data.  However this is from someone who has the archives mounted via nfs
and can browse via filemanager an retrieve files that way via a desktop.
Currently I have my freeruner mobile phone, mythtv critical files and a
number of systems such as laptops backed up this way and its been very
reliable and useful, both as automatic/unattended and manually run.

Its neat in that you only need rsync and ssh (though its possible to use
rsh and the like) on the client.  You only need dirvish on the server.

Starting to sound like a salesman for it! - but I have been very happy
with it. I used to use custom rsync scripts, different backup managers
and even tivoli backup at work.  Dirvish is best for my usage.

BillK