[Samba] BackupPC 1.4.0 (backup to disk for WinXX/Linux/Unix)

[Craig Barratt]

BackupPC version 1.4.0 has been released on SourceForge, see
http://backuppc.sourceforge.net.

BackupPC a high-performance perl-based package for backing up Linux
and WinXX PCs and laptops to a server's disk.  BackupPC is highly
configurable and easy to install and maintain.  It uses Samba's
smbclient or tar to extract files from clients.  No client SW is
needed for WinXX, linux or unix clients.

Given the ever decreasing cost of disks and raid systems, it is now
practical and cost effective to backup a large number of machines onto
a server's local disk or network storage.  This is what BackupPC does.

Key features are pooling of identical files (big savings in server disk
space), compression, and handling DHCP clients (eg, laptops that are
intermittently connected to the network and whose IP addresses change).
Features are summarized below.

BackupPC is free software distributed under a GNU GPL license.

Enjoy!

Craig Barratt

BackupPC features:

  - A clever pooling scheme minimizes disk storage and disk IO. Identical
    files across multiple backups of the same or different PCs are stored
    only once resulting in substantial savings in disk storage.

  - One example of disk use: 95 latops with each full backup averaging
    3.6GB each, and each incremental averaging about 0.3GB.  Storing
    three weekly full backups and six incremental backups per laptop
    is around 1200GB of raw data, but because of pooling and compression
    only 150GB is needed.

  - No client-side software is needed.  The standard smb protocol is used
    to extract backup data on WinXX clients.  On linux clients, tar
    over ssh/rsh/nfs is used to backup the data (or alternatively
    Samba can be installed on the linux client to provide smb shares).

  - A powerful http/cgi user interface allows administrators to view log
    files, configuration, current status and allows users to initiate and
    cancel backups and browse and restore files from backups.

  - Supports mobile environments where laptops are only intermittently
    connected to the network and have dynamic IP addresses (DHCP).

  - Flexible configuration parameters allow multiple backups to be performed
    in parallel, specification of which shares to backup, which directories
    to backup or not backup, various schedules for full and incremental
    backups, schedules for email reminders to users and so on.  Configuration
    parameters can be set system-wide or also on a per-PC basis.

  - Users are sent periodic email reminders if their PC has not
    recently been backed up.  Email content, timing and policies
    are configurable.

  - Tested on Linux and Solaris servers, and Linux, Win95, Win98, Win2000
    and WinXP clients.

  - Detailed documentation.

  - Open Source hosted by SourceForge and freely available under GPL.