Network Backup - Working Solution?

Aurora · l33t Joined: 26 Sep 2003 Posts: 658 Location: Classified

I know there was a post recently discussing this very topic, but I didn't want to hijack the other member's thread.

I'm looking for a working network backup solution. I run a relatively large laboratory with at least 35 identical rack-mounted servers. They're all running Gentoo, and I have a "master" Linux server that runs most of the main stuff in the laboratory.

My goal was to create a partimage image and then restore the small rack-mounted servers as necessary over the network. The master Gentoo server (which is quite beefy) would house all the images and serve out the images as necessary to the smaller servers. At first I tried to use partimage's built-in network features, but it is pretty unreliable. Problems left and right with having to kill and restart the process, logins denied (when the usernames and passwords were correct), etc. I eventaully figured I would give up and just use NFS to transfer the images over the network (still using partimage) and that doesn't work, either; permission problems arise due to the fact that partimage setuids to partimag, even when root is the user who starts the partimage client (for security reasons).

Does anyone have a GOOD solution to a working network backup? I'd be happy to try to get partimage up and running -- it's a nice tool. But it doesn't seem to be cooperating with me. To get any of the servers up and running I have to shut down the main server, and use knoppix on both ends to actually get partimage to cooperate.

Using tar go backup the servers is likely not an option; I tend to avoid doing things like that. I want the ability to have one big image file that can be restored as necessary. Network is a huge plus; I really would rather avoid having to use a CD to create a "stage4" installation. Burning CDs is a hassle, especially since I update the images regularly.

Any thoughts/ideas appreciated.

Thanks!
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ectospasm · Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:36 am Post subject:

I've never used it, but I hear Amanda is pretty good. A new stable version was released just a few days ago.
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starachna · Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 7:00 am Post subject: backuppc.sourceforge.net

give backuppc a try, it's the best backup software i have ever see! i found exactly what i was looking for

backuppc.sourceforge.net

ciao/riaan
ps. i use it to backup machines from the UK to US and visa versa and it work very good
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ectospasm · Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:36 pm Post subject:

You could also use what I use, and use rsync and shell scripts, but of course that doesn't result in a single backup image...
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sschlueter · Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:05 pm Post subject:

If you want to create and restore images of the partitions at block level (not filesystem level) and partimage does not work for you (which is strange btw.) then you can try g4u: http://www.feyrer.de/g4u/

If that doesn't work, then I'd guess that you have some hardware or network related problem.