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Online Website Backup Options?
pdcull writes "I can't be the only person on the planet who has this problem: I have a couple of websites, with around 2 GB of space in use on my hosting provider, plus a few MySQL databases. I need to keep up-to-date backups, as my host provides only a minimal backup function. However, with a Net connection that only gets to 150 Kbps on a good day, there is no way I can guarantee a decent backup on my home PC using FTP. So my question is: does anybody provide an online service where I can feed them a URL, an FTP password, and some money, and they will post me DVDs with my websites on them? If such services do exist (the closest I found was a site that promised to send CDs and had a special deal for customers that had expired in June!), has anybody had experience with them which they could share? Any recommendations of services to use or to avoid?"
Presumably, much of that 2 gig of data is static, so perhaps you could look into minimisation of exactly *what* you need to back up? It might be within the realm of your net access.
I record my sleeptalking
After looking at the available options, I decided that there was nothing which met my criteria for convenience, efficiency, and security. So I decided to create my own.
I'm looking for beta testers: http://www.daemonology.net/blog/2008-05-06-tarsnap-beta-testing.html
Tarsnap: Online backups for the truly paranoid
And if you dont feel like writing scripts yourself, you can use rsnapshot, which will do all of the work for you.
Similarly, I'm not using DVDs etc. for my server backup. A few years back, seeing how much my provider would charge me for a decent amount of backup space, I opted to get an additional server instead; the second server now provides
secondary DNS, secondary MX to my regular system, but also has all data for a cold-standby ( I would still need to change addresses in DNS manually in case of a disaster, and bring up services, but pretty much all the data is in place).
The data is synchronised between both servers several times a day - first backed up locally to a second disk on the same machine, then rsynced between the two...
The solution was cheaper than the cost of the backup, and gives me extra flexibility in terms of what I can do. The only 'cost' is that both machines sacrificed disk space to be back-up for the other (since both machines have >400GB in disk space, giving up even half the disk space of each machine isn't a big limitation - at least, not for *my* needs. YMMV).
OK, I keep hearing "use rsync" or other software. What about those of us who use shared web hosting, and don't get a unix shell, but only a control panel? Or who have a shell, but uncaring or incompetent admins who won't or can't install rsync? I know the standard slashdot response is "get a new host that does" but there are dozens of legitimate reasons that someone could be saddled with this kind of web host.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
While I certainly don't claim using Gmail for backup is a smart thing to do, can you point out where in the ToS this is stated, as I looked through it and see no mention of either restriction?
Because most sites have 2 failure points.
1 - they buy the super cheap service with no backup.
2 - the site is designed poorly with no backup capabilities.
If your site has a DB, your site better have a admin function to sump the DB to a tgz file you can download. Mine generates a password protected rss feed and encrypted tgz file (in a password protected area.) I simply have a rss reader/retriever configured to watch all my sites and retrieve the backups when they are generated.
I get that DB and any user/customer files, all is well. the site it's self I uploaded so it's silly to back it up works great and I don't care if all I get is 150kbps because it can go for 3 days for the weekly backup, and incremental take less than 2 hours.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
That's why I'd want somebody realiable. My hosting provider could steal my info too if they really wanted too, although I certainly trust them not to. Oh, I'm paranoid alright... it's just that living in a Rio de Janeiro slum, as I do, my paranoia is more about things like flying lead objects...