[dba-Tech] DeltaCopy Was Once and for all time: server backups

Gustav Brock gustav at cactus.dk
Sat Jan 16 10:01:47 CST 2010


Hi Mark

I use some remote (network) drives to be backed up. But network drive letters in Windows are not seem by Cygwin. Thus, these must be mounted the Linux way. This could be specified in version 1.5 with some fancy Registry entries, but this has changed completely as described in version 1.7.
It is probably very simple to set up - if you just know how.

A way around this is to specify the UNC path in the DC config file, like \\192.168.1.200\SomeFolder. You cannot write it directly via the GUI, neither will DC let you browse to those locations.

Another limitation I've found is that rsync won't copy hidden and system files. That you could live with (if you are not using MS OneNote) but when such files are met, rsync raises an error and your session is reported as in error and will be repeated if you have set up DC to try multiple times in case of error.

Now, SyncToy could be used instead for remote to local copy, but it doesn't support notifications - thus no e-mail reporting about the status of the backup.
Why can one util do it all?

/gustav


>>> marklbreen at gmail.com 16-01-2010 13:08 >>>
Hello Gustav,

First of all thank you for your feedback on Cygwin 1.7, I did read about it
and remarked to myself about the long  file names being a silly limitation
in DeltaCopy.

As I do not see any international characters here, I did not bother with
Cygwin 1.7, so I have no experience of it.

>But how do you mount drives with Cygwin 1.7?
What I did not understand from your email was what you are trying to do.
 Are you using DeltaCopy Server and DeltaCopy Client?  Or are you not using
the DeltaCopy UI at all?


When I use DeltaCopy Server, I configure a "server", which acts like a Share
really.

One last thing, I noticed a few days ago a slight bug in the Client software
in that when I browse for the servers, it was not picking up the Server name
correctly, IOW, I have a Server named "Pics from the Canon", but the client
could only see "Pics", yet that did not work, but when I pasted in the
Server name of "Pics from the Canon" it all seemed OK.

Let me know if I can help more,

thanks

Mark



2010/1/15 Gustav Brock <Gustav at cactus.dk>

> Hi all (Linux gurus included!)
>
> DeltaCopy and Cyqwin 1.7: Long directory paths and file names with
> international characters!
>
> Copy these file from the Cygwin 1.7 distribution (folder bin) to the
> DeltaCopy folder:
>
> chmod.exe
> cygcrypto-0.9.8.dll
> cyggcc_s-1.dll
> cygiconv-2.dll
> cygintl-8.dll
> cygpopt-0.dll
> cygwin1.dll
> cygz.dll
> rsync.exe
> ssh.exe
>
> and DeltaCopy will support long directory paths and file names with
> international characters.
>
> But how do you mount drives with Cygwin 1.7?
> Now you specify mounts in the file fstab in folder etc (_not_ in the
> Registry as previously).
> It is explained here in detail:
>
> http://cygwin.com/cygwin-ug-net/using.html#mount-table 
>
> but I can't get it to work. I've created a the folder etc as a subfolder to
> the DeltaCopy folder.
> I've also tested with the windows\system32\drivers\etc folder but negative.
>
> The setting used is like this where BackupOne is the share name of a shared
> folder on the remote machine:
>
> //192.168.10.210/BackupOne /backupshare smbfs binary,noacl 0 0
>
> Any ideas?
>
> /gustav
>
>
> >>> marklbreen at gmail.com 14-01-2010 10:53 >>>
> Hello Steve,
>
> Sorry, I did not make one point clear.
>
> machineB, as I called it can be any machine capable of storing a terabyte
> drive, or better again, two 1 TB drives in Raid 10 configuration.
>
> so 50 dollars for a cheap raid 10 card
> 200 dollars for 2 x 1TB drives
>
> install them in any old PC, does not have to be server even, and vollia,
>  you have hot backups using DeltaCopy (Check it out it is really good).
>
> it is cheap, but gives you full hot onsite backups and costs, less than 300
> usd.
>
> If you install hamachi and put another PC off site somewhere, you can keep
> the 2nd set of hot backups off site.
>
> A tip:  If you do the off site solution, first mirror the machines on site,
> then your off site sync process will only deal with the differences on a
> daily basis.
>
> BTW, I agree with all you say about backups and security - black art.
>
> Mark
>
> 2010/1/13 Steve Erbach <erbachs at gmail.com>
>
> > Mark,
> >
> > >> I saw there are already a lot of responses to this thread <<
> >
> > ...but there don't seem to be any clear-cut answers.  Backup is as much a
> > black art as security, methinks.
> >
> > That "hot" backup idea is good.  I'll chat with Janet about it.  Only she
> > will be able to tell whether the boss is willing to spring for a second HP
> > server.
> >
> > >> Sure I would have to map the printers again, and we might have no domain
> > controller for few days, but once everyone has access to machine B, you are
> > good to go. <<
> >
> > That is one of the things that simply astounds me regarding backup
> > "philosophies": isn't it better all around if the backup system has got all
> > of those things ready to go?  I mean, with an image backup of the server to
> > a drive in a docking station, you don't have to worry about conflicting
> > domain controllers or what have you; but all that's needed is for the backup
> > drive to be designated as the boot drive on the server and, mirabile dictu!
> >  The server is back up with ALL the domain controller and email and printer
> > definitions, etc.  What is so frickin' magical about servers that that type
> > of backup can't be done?  Sorry, not yelling at you...I simply am shaking my
> > head over this simple setup and the apparent impossibility of the backup
> > task as stated.
> >
> > Thanks for your input, Mark.
> >
> > Steve Erbach
> > Neenah, WI





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