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Forum Discussion
How to back up home folders with rsync?
I need a way to incrementally back up user home folders from our ReadyNAS Pro 6 main server to our ReadyNAS 104 backup server. Both are firmware current at 6.8.1. I've tried setting up rsync back...
Here's a screenshot of the backup job pulling from the 104:
and this is the error when testing the connection:
What's the correct way to specify the home share on the destination?
Thanks!
This is a push backup (the source is local, the destination is remote). Of course you'd need to have rsync enabled for "home" in the RN104.
This could be tricky since the NAS itself creates the "private" shares in home when new users access the NAS. The simplest approach is to create a HomeBackup share on the RN104, and make that the destination of the push backup that runs on the Pro.
The example above was a failed attempt at a pull backup from the 104.
I tried a push backup from the Pro 6 and get a different error. Here are screen shots:
This is the Pro 6 source entered using the browse button:
This is the 104 destination. Rsync is enable for the backup share and test connection is successful:
Here's the error log:
I'm stumped. Thanks for your help!
dhl wrote:
The example above was a failed attempt at a pull backup from the 104.
By definition, if the source is local and the destination is remote, it is a push backup. And your screen shot clearly has a local source and a remote destination. It looks like it was backing up /home on the RN104 to the pro. A pull backup has a remote source and a local destination.
On the larger question - can you try switching your backup protocol on the Pro-6 backup job to SMB, and re-run it? Just to see if that works.
StephenB - To clarify, the first failed example was initiated by the 104, attempting to pull the home directories from the Pro 6
The second example was a backup job on the Pro 6, attempting to push a single home directory to the 104.
The 104 has an Rsync enabled backup share with a home directory for the backup target. The destination connection is successful on the Pro 6.
The error is an rSync socket error:
rSync error
SMB is not a backup option.
Sandshark I'm testing Windows Timestamp right now and it seems to be working.
Question - will Windows Timestamp do incremental backup? It's important for these backups to be incremental or they'll take too much time.
Thanks!
StephenB wrote:
dhl wrote:The example above was a failed attempt at a pull backup from the 104.
By definition, if the source is local and the destination is remote, it is a push backup. And your screen shot clearly has a local source and a remote destination. It looks like it was backing up /home on the RN104 to the pro. A pull backup has a remote source and a local destination.
On the larger question - can you try switching your backup protocol on the Pro-6 backup job to SMB, and re-run it? Just to see if that works.
StephenB wrote:This is a push backup (the source is local, the destination is remote). Of course you'd need to have rsync enabled for "home" in the RN104.
Which is not possible in the UI, it's greyed out. It's probably possible via SSH, but Netgear has probably disallowed it for a good reason (somethng to do with permissions or other security, perhaps). And any changes made in SSH are subject to being overwritten by the NAS and/or mess up something you didn't intend.
This could be tricky since the NAS itself creates the "private" shares in home when new users access the NAS. The simplest approach is to create a HomeBackup share on the RN104, and make that the destination of the push backup that runs on the Pro.
Or use a protocol other than rsync. Is there a reason Windows Timestamp doesn't work for you? It's less efficient than rsync, but can get the job done.
A more complicated way that might work is to create symlinks to the home folders in a share to which only admin has access but rsync is allowed. Rrsync can access a local home folder, just not a remote one where the protocol is not enabled, so the links need to be on the remote system regardless of whether it's a push or pull. But I'm not sure what rsync does with symlinks on the ReadyNAS -- follow the link or copy the link. Rsync has options for both, and I don't know what options are default on the NAS.
The only advantage I can see to this over the separate folder on the 104 is if the users need access to their backup directories and you have way too many users or constant flux in users where creating separate shares outside of home (for permissions control by user) and separate backup jobs for each of them is not practical.
I believe there is a suggestion in the Idea Exchange to allow rsync in home folders. I'm pretty sure that OS 4.x had it.
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