My own Dropbox type backup - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: trevwhite
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 08:35:44 am
content: I need a better way to backup my files and archive stuff. At the moment I have a Nas drive but it seems slow. Also I can't access files from it remotely when I am out.What are people using for real time backup of files?

author: ebclr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 08:48:49 am
content: https://www.idrive.com/hybrid-backup

author: tpowell1830
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 08:49:09 am
content: Many people use the cloud. Not sure you have this available in your country.https://onedrive.live.com/about/en-us/

author: trevwhite
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 09:18:14 am
content: I tried Google drive but it seems to crash a lot. Also local backup is a lot faster if my computer fails. Trying to reload from the cloud would take a day

author: amspire
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 10:09:51 am
content: I don't use Google, Dropbox, Microsoft, etc just because they are absolutely not fully secure and I don't see why I should hand them my files. They probably have no reason to do anything wrong, but I just don't see why it makes sense trusting complete strangers with my files on a system I cannot audit, particularly if they are offering services for free that costs them money to run.It is possible to encrypt all your files before synching to these sites, but it destroys the convenience and it wrecks the efficiency of the file synching.If you are happy trusting these companies, they are extremely convenient to use. Basically you are taking the stance: "it doesn't matter if anyone else sees these files." For many kinds of data, that probably is true.If you want something secure, it is usually possible to find a way to access your NAS securely, or you can use one of the few secure Dropbox-like file synching services like Seafile or Owncloud with your own private key (no password recovery possible).What are you after?

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 10:24:11 am
content: I think you have a "NAS" that is not a NAS ... my NAS is not an entry level, but not a top level too, QNAP branded. with intel processor inside.they have the same at Synology. then you have some real linux software that drives the NAS.and they have a qnapsync, also at synology. you have your datas inside the nas, it's a synchronisation, and you can access from outside if you set your router correctly.also don't forget to backup the NAS, it can fail too ! for me an external sata big drive connected with usb on the nas make periodic backups.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 10:34:03 am
content: Quote from: amspire on March 25, 2017, 10:09:51 amIf you are security conscious, there are some zero-knowledge backup products where the files are encrypted on your computer using a key that only you hold, prior to being sent up for storage. For example:SpiderOak:https://spideroak.com/features/zero-knowledge,https://spideroak.com/manual/no-knowledge-explainedTarsnap:http://www.tarsnap.com/crypto.html

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2017, 10:51:02 am
content: I have Owncloud on my Synology. As well as Synology Cloudstation.They both work.For ease of use, install Cloudstation.For advanced freaturea, such as web access and link sharing, install owncloud. (Complicated, linux and apache/mysql knowledge required)

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2017, 07:30:36 pm
content: Quote from: tpowell1830 on March 25, 2017, 08:49:09 amJust realise that you trust your data to a third part and that it might be subject to different laws and jurisdictions because of that. Also be aware that many of the free data services provide no guarantees whatsoever.If this is data that is of importance, it pays to do your homework and it pays to, well, pay. Make sure you have a formal agreement that protect you too, rather than just the hosting party.

author: Farley
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2017, 08:30:37 pm
content: I've been usinghttps://spideroak.com/for a number of years. It keeps incremental backups which I use occasionally to recover earlier versions of files that I've hopelessly mangled. I've also used it , twice, to recover from hard drive crashes.

author: eugenenine
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2017, 09:17:51 pm
content: owncloud or nextcould. Its not real fast for transferring files but since you have a small sync client always running your only copying changes as they happen.I put mine on the internet then my phone/tablet, etc can all sync when away.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2017, 11:16:24 pm
content: Quote from: wilfred on March 29, 2017, 09:29:39 pmI am not sure about the specifics, but that sounds like an expensive option.

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2017, 05:35:56 am
content: It's not that special. Google offers ithttps://cloud.google.com/storage/docs/offline-media-import-export.I found $80 per drive at $2.50 per hour copying.

author: Platinum_Jello
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 30, 2017, 06:59:59 am
content: When Bittorrent Sync first came out it was awesome. Then they went and had to monetize it (the way of the world, I know). It's probably still great, but you have to pay and I was looking for something more open-source.In its place I've started using SyncThing, which has worked very well. I currently use it on my phone to keep photos synced with my home desktop. I then have my desktop doing regular backups/synchronizations to an in-home NAS (Synology). Of course, some people just like using the Synology apps end-to-end, which works too..Anyway, just a vote to go look at SyncThing.

author: Kilrah
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 30, 2017, 11:20:23 am
content: I use syncthing for the only thing I want automated sync for, which is basically my phone's photos (so I can access them straight away on my PC for editing/posting) and downloads folder. Have it installed on 2 phones, desktop and laptop.For work data I do manual syncs between my laptop and desktop using SyncBack before leaving/when coming back.If I wanted a more "common" setup I'd use nextcloud but I just don't like the typical cloud sync solutions, I never managed to find a way to handle just the files I want available everywhere without having to create copies and add excessive overhead to manage everything. Can't jsut send 9TB onto the server...

author: aandrew
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2017, 03:43:44 am
content: I use syncthing for this very purpose.Syncing a 40ish GB projects folder between the laptop (which travels everywhere), a desktop, a basement fileserver and a colocated server. The basement server is configured to keep the last 5 versions of every file it syncs (quick and dirty recovery for those "ohshit" moments), and then the colocated server and basement fileserver are backed up to Amazon S3 using duplicity.Duplicity is probably what the original poster is after. It's a (unixy) backup program that encrypts using GnuPG and performs incremental backups to practically any backend store you can think of. Amazon S3, Google, Onedrive, remote PC over SSH, local disk... you can have multiple backup destinations and it's pretty configurable in terms of how often it will take full backups vs incrementals, splitting backup files so they fit into DVDs (or more manageable transfer chunks), it's pretty good with slow/lossy connections and best of all, it's *stable*. I've been running it for at least 5 years now.I'm really happy that it is not beholden to any particular backend. If Amazon wants to dick around I can point it to another cloud provider and not lose a wink of sleep. It's open source and uses proven technologies (rdiff, gnupg, etc.)... pure awesomesauce.