Re: [SAGE] Backing up remote PCs

[Leeland Artra <leeland@heronetwork.com>]

Dilan Arumainathan wrote:
> I am working on a solution for backing up data from desktop PCs (running
> Windows, of course) in small remote offices consisting of 2-3 users. We have
> 10 of these type of offices. My core objectives are centralized control of
> user security and data security and budget. After that ease of deployment of
> the client tool, minimal impact on the client during scheduled backups will
> be important.
> I am hoping to hear from those of you who have done this before. Your
> experiences during the design and implementation of a solution for a similar
> problem will be appreciated.

Requirements:

1) unison (http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/unison)
2) A remote backup server (any flavor) with SSH
3) ssh (preferably v2+)
4) A little scripting time

Method:
1) Define the items not already on CD (software, OS, etc.). Easier to identify 
the "important data items" if they are not isolated from the rest of the mess 
sorry this will be harder.
2) set up a ssh key pair for UNISON only (shared password or no password on the 
private end of the key)
3) set up a shared "account" on the backup server for backups to go to.
4) add the unison ssh key to authorized keys and configure to only allow 
running the unison server side command.
5) run a few tests
6) Add a scheduled job at any frequency you want to the desktop box's cron 
equivalent (every OS has some scheduled job software these days)
7) Figure out how to backup the backup server to tape or CD or what every you want.

Gotchas:
1) unison does not need root level access to run but it does need both the 
client and the server/remote version to be absolutely identical versions. So do 
not just upgrade one side or the other haphazardly.
2) For non-computer happy users a no-password ssh key pair makes the scripts 
run magically but does pose a small security risk of the key pair is 
compromised (some one could run unison on the backup server and if they guessed 
the directory structure could swipe a copy of all the files.) Keep the unison 
logs on the server and have something that watches them for unison runs from 
somewhere unexpected.

Costs:
1) Time its all free stuff

--- the end? ----

Shameless Plug:
1) Hero Network provides colocation FreeBSD servers for $70/mo which are being 
used as "remote" backup servers using the above method for small offices.

Cheers,
Leeland

-- 
Leeland Artra
President
Hero Network / 24x7 DNS
Shoreline, Washington
phone (206) 367-1675
http://www.heronetwork.com/

Hero Network is now providing colocation disguised as economycolocation.net. We 
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