rsync to 2000/NT servers?

[Steve Mallett]

Craig Barratt wrote:
>>Watch out for pagefile.sys (i think!)... it's won't copy. (let me know about 
>>any other's)
> 
> 
> Most important files won't copy.  The registry files are locked and
> can't be read by rsync/cygin (nor are they served by smb).
> 
> Similarly, the outlook.pst file used by Outlook (which contains all
> the email, attachments, calendar and address book info of an outlook
> user) is locked whenever outlook is open (which is most of the time).
> Exchange databases, SQL databases will be locked too.  Any file open
> by a windows app is likely locked too.
> 
> So you can get 99% of the files, but the 1% you miss are the most
> critical.
> 
> 
>>Now, can you think of a way to sync the win 2000 OS? (the WHOLE flippin' 
>>system) so that if it were to go down one could restore the full installation
>>(bootstraps, bootloader, ect!!?) by means of the rsync'ed "backup".
>>please? thank you. ;-)
> 
> 
> I wish this was possible, but I don't know how to do this.
> Commercial products use an OFM (open file manager) to allow
> locked files to be accessed.  Products are sold by companies
> like St. Bernard or Columbia Data Products.  Apparently Veritas and
> Legato bundle this product with their commercial backup products.
> 
> See for example
> 
>     http://www.stbernard.com/products/docs/ofm_whitepaperV8.pdf
> 
> What we need is an open source OFM that is compatible with rsync.
> Then bare-metal WinXX recovery would be possible.
> 
> Craig
> 
> 
I'm thinking more along the lines of those files that someone wanted 
backed up being put in a file for a scheduled backup rather than ssh'ing 
in and getting them directly.

Steve Mallett