BackupPC

BackupPC is a Free backup software suite with a web-based frontend. It runs on "A linux, solaris, or unix based server with a substantial amount of free disk space," according to the BackupPC documentation. It is published under the GNU General Public License.

It has several backup methods available, these include amongst others:

1. SMB Networking
2. rsync over SSH
3. tar over SSH

Benefits

1. Less configuration on client machines required when backing up systems that have rsync and ssh available natively. On windows cygwin is usually required.

Drawbacks

1. Rsync passes can generate high CPU and I/O usage levels. Client machines using rsync will use more cpu time than client machines using other BackupPC backup methods. The tradeoff is total data transfer versus total cpu usage. With slow links between systems, the rsync cpu usage is not the dominant factor.
2. Windows backup methods are somewhat spotty. The use of the smbclient software will not allow you to copy open files (this is also a windows limitation) that are locked, like the Outlook mail store.
3. High I/O loads may require a dedicated server system, perhaps with advanced disk storage hardware.

External links

• Sourceforge project page
• BackupPC Documentation Page