[ALUG] Backup solutions for "not very linux" server destinations

[Chris G]

On Wed, Nov 21, 2007 at 08:19:54AM +0000, Jenny Hopkins wrote:
> On 21/11/2007, Chris G <cl at isbd.net> wrote:
> > On Tue, Nov 20, 2007 at 10:53:59PM +0000, Jenny Hopkins wrote:
> > > On 20/11/2007, Chris G <cl at isbd.net> wrote:
> > >
> > > > So I suspect I need a backup solution which packs up the files to be
> > > > backed up into some sort of archive file and then just copies that
> > > > file across to the server.  Does anyone here use  a backup solution of
> > > > this sort and/or know any good ones?
> > > >
> > >
> > > Have you looked at dirvish?   If you back up in bundles you may find
> > > your disk filling up very quickly, but dirvish uses an incantation of
> > > rsync runes that 'simply work'.
> > >
> > ... but one of my basic issues is that rsync doesn't work for anything
> > except very 'ordinary' files when saving to my network server.
> >
> 
> I've been using dirvish over a secure network for a few years now: I'm
> not sure what you class as a 'non'ordinary' file but it certainly
> handles symlinks perfectly happily.
> 
That depends on the destination system surely.

My Network Drive is a Samba server which, among other things, does not
support "unix extensions".  I have to disable the unix extensions for
the drive to be mountable at all by doing:-

    echo 0 > /proc/fs/cifs/LinuxExtensionsEnabled

Having done this when you do an rsync copy of (for example) my home
directory to the network Drive there are lots of errors, I can reduce
them by telling rsync not to try and create symlinks but I still get
some other errors that I can't clear at all.  No doubt rsysnc is
actually copying nearly everything I want copied but I could do with a
'cleaner' solution.

-- 
Chris Green