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What I'm looking for is a backup solution that:

  1. is easy to setup (user friendly)
  2. does automatic and instant backups whenever a file is added/deleted/modified (I don't want multiple copies/versions, just a mirror image)
  3. works on Linux and Windows

I'm running Ubuntu (9.04 64 bit) and Windows (Vista Home 32 bit) dual booting. I have a RAID setup via motherboard and formatted in Windows, and I also mount it when I run Ubuntu. I have a backup plan for my RAID on Windows (via Memeo backup that came with my external WD) that automatically backs up to an external drive. When I'm running in Ubuntu though, any changes I make to the RAID will not be backed up to that external because I don't have a Linux backup plan. I'm looking for something that will allow me to backup the same RAID no matter which OS I boot into.

What is the best way to go about solving this? Can I even do this since the path of the RAID is different between Linux and Windows (ie. Z:\Media on Windows and /media/Z on Ubuntu)?

If its rsync, what is the best GUI for it that will account for this?

I tried Crashplan but it doesn't do automatic backups, just scheduled ones, and it doesn't allow you to physically access the files I think it compresses them.

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  • The question is a little unclear. Do you have a RAID which works in both Windows and Ubuntu? Are changes likely to be made to the RAID while you're running Ubuntu? Couldn't the backup wait until the next time you boot Windows? Does Memeo really backup files as they are modified, or is it simply scheduled to run at intervals, when it checks for modified files and backs them up? (This would be a typical way of using rsync) If you scripted all of this, it would be truly automatic and you wouldn't need a GUI.
    – pavium
    Nov 20, 2009 at 1:27
  • The RAID runs on both, I updated the question to clarify. Yes changes will be likely while running both OS's as its where I store my Media and documents. I'd rather not wait until the next time I run Windows (thats how it works now so thats not a solution). I'm pretty sure Memeo works automatically as whenever I move a file to my drive I see the pending status and then a backup complete.
    – GiH
    Nov 20, 2009 at 1:51
  • Do you have positive experiences using Memeo? There seems to be an angry & vocal (former) user base out on the internets.
    – DaveParillo
    Nov 20, 2009 at 5:16
  • Memeo is pretty awesome in that it automatically updates on the fly. However, I've had lots of issues with errors and duplicates. So far though its definitely the best software I've tried out and the interface is pretty good but could use a couple of improvements.
    – GiH
    Feb 7, 2010 at 20:30

1 Answer 1

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Personally, rsync really does very well without a UI. That said:

A really good choice under ubuntu is Sbackup. It's well supported, free and simple to use - it handles both the backup & restore for you. It's tabbed interface gives easy access to the most common features. It's intended for desktop backup & restore.

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Regarding rsync options: Under Gnome there is GtkRsync. If you use Kommander there is Krsync

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  • this looks like it does daily backup not instant backups.
    – GiH
    Nov 20, 2009 at 3:11
  • True, it doesn't do "instant" backups, but you can set sbackup, rsync (or any backup solution that cron can run for you) to run every minute if you desire. You need a higher fidelity than 60 seconds?? The only solution with higher fidelity would be an agent-based solution like Bacula or Amanda that would be running in the background all the time - that seems like a lot of overhead for a single desktop backup environment.
    – DaveParillo
    Nov 20, 2009 at 5:10
  • its not that I need a higher fidelity than 60 seconds, I'm just more confident when things are backed up as soon as any changes are made. Its just my preferred method, I'm gonna give sbackup and GtkRsync a go though.
    – GiH
    Feb 7, 2010 at 20:33

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