Re: [BackupPC-users] restore a backup to samba
Les Mikesell wrote: Rob Shepherd wrote: i'd like to be able to quickly provide a user with access to their files over samba, as quickly as possible. does anybody have any thoughts on how i do this efficiently. Set up authenticated http access with each user listed as the 'owner' of his own machine in your hosts file. Then they will be able to browse their own backups, select files, and have a choice of grabbing a copy directly through the browser or having the restore done through the protocol used to do the backup. Sorry, I should have mentioned that I seen this method of browsing files... Which is great, but not completely suitable in my scenario. It's for the days when laptops/PSUs are forgotton, but it would be handy to work directly on the files. In Addition, this is something I haven't checked, but is it possible to restore a backup to a local partition somehow. In case I wanted to to a quick restore to a filesystem which is exported by samba. Cheers Rob -- Rob Shepherd BEng PhD | Computer and Network Engineer | CAST Ltd Technium CAST | LL57 4HJ | http://www.techniumcast.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] | 01248 675024 | 077988 72480 - Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier. Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnkkid=120709bid=263057dat=121642 ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/
Re: [BackupPC-users] restore a backup to samba
Rob Shepherd wrote: i'd like to be able to quickly provide a user with access to their files over samba, as quickly as possible. does anybody have any thoughts on how i do this efficiently. Set up authenticated http access with each user listed as the 'owner' of his own machine in your hosts file. Then they will be able to browse their own backups, select files, and have a choice of grabbing a copy directly through the browser or having the restore done through the protocol used to do the backup. Sorry, I should have mentioned that I seen this method of browsing files... Which is great, but not completely suitable in my scenario. It's for the days when laptops/PSUs are forgotton, but it would be handy to work directly on the files. The backups are not stored in a format suitable for direct access even if suitable network shares and permissions could be set up. They are compressed and all duplicates are linked together. You can still grab a copy from anywhere through the browser. In Addition, this is something I haven't checked, but is it possible to restore a backup to a local partition somehow. In case I wanted to to a quick restore to a filesystem which is exported by samba. Yes - the generic way is to download a tar or zip archive through the browser which you can install anywhere. I think the restore option will also send to a different location if the user/password in the config.pl file for the target works, but I haven't tried that. If most people work on laptops, perhaps you can provide a stable server with workspace they can use from any location. I prefer to have the 'real' copies in a stable location like that but you might use it as an alternative instead - but it is going to be up to the user to keep track of where the current version is stored. -- Les Mikesell [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier. Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnkkid=120709bid=263057dat=121642 ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/
Re: [BackupPC-users] restore a backup to samba
Les Mikesell wrote: The backups are not stored in a format suitable for direct access even if suitable network shares and permissions could be set up. They are compressed and all duplicates are linked together. You can still grab a copy from anywhere through the browser. Thanks for the reply. Forgive my ignorance, but if the files are not in a direct access format, then how does rsync work? rsync compares local and remote file trees before sending deltas etc. Does the rsync perl module do some translation magic or somesuch? Yes - the generic way is to download a tar or zip archive through the browser which you can install anywhere. I think the restore option will also send to a different location if the user/password in the config.pl file for the target works, but I haven't tried that. If most people work on laptops, perhaps you can provide a stable server with workspace they can use from any location. I prefer to have the 'real' copies in a stable location like that but you might use it as an alternative instead - but it is going to be up to the user to keep track of where the current version is stored. Yes, real copies on ZFS would be nice, however I need to cater for users who work on the train, in the airport etc and can't necessarily VPN all the time. As you say, if it was left up to the user to sort out versioning, we may as well format C:\ now :) It there a way of exploiting the BackupPC_Restore to dump to a local folder, even if piped through tar/gtar/star? Not through the web interface, but from _my_ terminal. -- Rob Shepherd BEng PhD | Computer and Network Engineer | CAST Ltd Technium CAST | LL57 4HJ | http://www.techniumcast.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] | 01248 675024 | 077988 72480 - Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier. Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnkkid=120709bid=263057dat=121642 ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/
Re: [BackupPC-users] restore a backup to samba
Rob Shepherd wrote: Thanks for the reply. Forgive my ignorance, but if the files are not in a direct access format, then how does rsync work? rsync compares local and remote file trees before sending deltas etc. Does the rsync perl module do some translation magic or somesuch? I don't know the exact answer to this (Craig?), but definitely, the files are compressed with strange hashed filenames, and many each backup stores the real filename and metadata as a hardlink to these compressed, hashed filenames. So, you see, if you allowed a user to work directly with any one version of the file on the server, it would necessarily 'corrupt' the backups not only where the user is working, but going back in time as well. In short, this is not the solution you're looking for. Yes, real copies on ZFS would be nice, however I need to cater for users who work on the train, in the airport etc and can't necessarily VPN all the time. As you say, if it was left up to the user to sort out versioning, we may as well format C:\ now :) It there a way of exploiting the BackupPC_Restore to dump to a local folder, even if piped through tar/gtar/star? Not through the web interface, but from _my_ terminal. What you are describing is simply rsync or subversion/cvs/arch. If you want people to work independently of a central store, but have access to that store in absence of their primary work machine, you want a central repository of their files. A backup system of some sort may do that for you, but I think perhaps that is going too far: a revision control system would be more appropriate, if the users needed to go back to previous versions of files. Otherwise, rsync with a central server on a frequent basis automatically when a secure network connection can be built to your server. Rsync'ing that data back to a local machine as needed is pretty straightforward, especially if wrapped in a simple UI. My $.02, at least. Good luck, JH - Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier. Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnkkid=120709bid=263057dat=121642 ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/
Re: [BackupPC-users] restore a backup to samba
Rob Shepherd wrote: The backups are not stored in a format suitable for direct access even if suitable network shares and permissions could be set up. They are compressed and all duplicates are linked together. You can still grab a copy from anywhere through the browser. Thanks for the reply. Forgive my ignorance, but if the files are not in a direct access format, then how does rsync work? rsync compares local and remote file trees before sending deltas etc. Does the rsync perl module do some translation magic or somesuch? Yes, it does some serious magic to uncompress on the fly while chatting with a stock rsync at the other end. Craig must be an insane programming genius to have tackled a project like that in perl and succeeded. I prefer to have the 'real' copies in a stable location like that but you might use it as an alternative instead - but it is going to be up to the user to keep track of where the current version is stored. Yes, real copies on ZFS would be nice, however I need to cater for users who work on the train, in the airport etc and can't necessarily VPN all the time. As you say, if it was left up to the user to sort out versioning, we may as well format C:\ now :) If they are doing things where versioning makes sense, you should provide a CVS or subversion repository and arrange things so the only way any work is considered 'done' is when it is committed. If it is more like spreadsheets and documents, something like 'unison' might work with a server location holding the matching copy. Unison is like a bi-directional rsync that keeps track of where the latest changes were done. It there a way of exploiting the BackupPC_Restore to dump to a local folder, even if piped through tar/gtar/star? Not through the web interface, but from _my_ terminal. The generic way is with the command line BackuPC_tarCreate which you can find in the documentation. You can pipe its output directly into a tar -x where you want it. -- Les Mikesell [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier. Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnkkid=120709bid=263057dat=121642 ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/
Re: [BackupPC-users] restore a backup to samba
Does the rsync perl module do some translation magic or somesuch? Yes, it does some serious magic to uncompress on the fly while chatting with a stock rsync at the other end. Craig must be an insane programming genius to have tackled a project like that in perl and succeeded. wow, maximum respect for that. Good effort Craig. If they are doing things where versioning makes sense, you should provide a CVS or subversion repository and arrange things so the only way any work is considered 'done' is when it is committed. If it is more like spreadsheets and documents, something like 'unison' might work with a server location holding the matching copy. Unison is like a bi-directional rsync that keeps track of where the latest changes were done. Tried to provide a group-wide svn structure to handle collab work and remove all the probs with group-shares. Seems unfeasable without copious training for users. Would be nice. The more techie oriented users deal with it no probs so it isn't canned completely. Someday maybe It there a way of exploiting the BackupPC_Restore to dump to a local folder, even if piped through tar/gtar/star? Not through the web interface, but from _my_ terminal. The generic way is with the command line BackuPC_tarCreate which you can find in the documentation. You can pipe its output directly into a tar -x where you want it. Thanks Les, I'll take a closer look. Cheers for your advice. Rob - Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier. Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnkkid=120709bid=263057dat=121642 ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/
Re: [BackupPC-users] restore a backup to samba
I've noticed that the backup on disk is not of a form which isn't suitable for exporting via samba directly. Doh, my bad with the double negative! Please read as... I've noticed that the backup on disk is not suitable for exporting via samba directly. Rob - Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier. Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnkkid=120709bid=263057dat=121642 ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/
Re: [BackupPC-users] restore a backup to samba
Rob Shepherd wrote: I'm about to deploy BackupPC for backing up laptops, using cygwin/rsyncd on the clients. I've noticed that the backup on disk is not of a form which isn't suitable for exporting via samba directly. i'd like to be able to quickly provide a user with access to their files over samba, as quickly as possible. does anybody have any thoughts on how i do this efficiently. Set up authenticated http access with each user listed as the 'owner' of his own machine in your hosts file. Then they will be able to browse their own backups, select files, and have a choice of grabbing a copy directly through the browser or having the restore done through the protocol used to do the backup. -- Les Mikesell [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier. Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnkkid=120709bid=263057dat=121642 ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/
