Which method (rsync-based) is better for backing up Linux servers to Synology NAS?

[Bri Hatch]

tl;dr: rsnapshot is usually the best plan.

Details:
rsnapshot copies files from remote machines and stores snapshotted
directories locally. If you want to get the CentOS servers copied to the
synology then you need to run rsnapshot from the synology. Synology doesn't
have rsnapshot out of the box but it looks like there's a third party
package available.

If you don't want to install rsnapshot on the synology you have a hackish
option that may work, but I haven't tried. Have a separate dedicated backup
server, mount the synology's backup drive on that server over NFS, and run
rsnapshot from it. rsnapshot attempts to be efficient by hard linking files
when not changed, and NFS supports these, while SMB and other mount options
do not. You run rsnapshot from this linux machine to pull down the CentOS
files to the synology filesystem via the NFS mount.

The other option you reference requires running rsync from the CentOS
machine to the synology. This can work, though since synology does things
weird you'd need rsync --rsync-path=/usr/bin/rsync ... so it uses the real
rsync daemon on the synology side. (Not needed when running rsync *from* the
synology.)

Regardless which option you use you'll need to set up ssh keys on one side
and authorized_keys on the other, and may want to consider protecting the
access via authprogs <https://github.com/daethnir/authprogs> or sshdo.



On Sun, Aug 8, 2021 at 11:45 PM Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming via rsync <
rsync at lists.samba.org> wrote:

> Subject: Which method (rsync-based) is better for backing up Linux
> servers to Synology NAS?
>
> Good day from Singapore,
>
> Our customer has 2 CentOS 7.9 Linux servers with cPanel web hosting
> control panel installed.
>
> We would like to backup the 2 CentOS 7.9 Linux servers to Synology NAS.
>
> Which method (rsync-based) is better for backing up Linux servers to
> Synology NAS?
>
> We are looking at 2 methods.
>
> Method 1
> ========
>
> rsnapshot
>
> Method 2
> ========
>
> Guide: Backup a Linux PC to a Synology NAS using Rsync!
> Link:
> https://www.wundertech.net/how-to-backup-a-linux-pc-to-a-synology-nas-using-rsync/
>
> Both methods are based on rsync.
>
> If we choose method 1, we are able to have retention periods. If we
> choose method 2, we can't have retention periods. But rsnapshot is
> much more difficult to configure that method 2.
>
> We are looking forward to your advice.
>
> Thank you very much.
>
> Mr. Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming, 43 years old as of 9 August 2021,
> is a TARGETED INDIVIDUAL living in Singapore. He is an IT Consultant
> with a System Integrator (SI)/computer firm in Singapore. He is an IT
> enthusiast.
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Bri Hatch, Systems and Security Engineer. http://www.ifokr.org/bri/

The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.
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