BackupPC is a free backup software suite with a web-based frontend. It is a high-performance, enterprise-grade system for backing up Linux, Windows and Macs and laptops to a server’s disk.
Features include clever pooling of identical files, no client-side software, and a powerful Apache/CGI user interface. It is an entirely disk-based backup and recovery system. BackupPC incorporates a Server Message Block (SMB) client that can be used to back up network shares of computers running Windows. It also supports DHCP clients as long as the client is registered with a name service such as DNS, Active Directory, or LDAP.
BackupPC is highly configurable and easy to install and maintain.
The software can be configured to do a full backup at a regular interval. BackupPC can be configured to keep a certain number of full backups. Exponential expiry is also supported, allowing full backups with various vintages to be kept (for example, a settable number of most recent weekly fulls, plus a settable number of older fulls that are 2, 4, 8, or 16 weeks apart). BackupPC also supports multi-level incremental backups.
BackupPC is written in Perl and extracts backup data via SMB using Samba, tar over ssh/rsh/nfs, or rsync. It is robust, reliable, well documented and freely available as Open Source.
Features in more detail:
- Pooling scheme minimizes disk storage and disk I/O.
- Optional compression support further reducing disk storage. Since only new files (not already pooled) need to be compressed, there is only a modest impact on CPU time
- No client-side software is needed. tar over ssh/rsh/nfs is used to backup the data. With version 2.0.0, rsync is also supported on any client that has rsync or rysncd
- A powerful web (http/cgi) user interface allows administrators to view log files, configuration, current status and allows users to initiate and cancel backups and browse and restore files from backups.
- A full set of restore options is supported, including direct restore (via smbclient, tar, or rsync/rsyncd) or downloading a zip or tar file.
- Supports mobile environments where laptops are only intermittently connected to the network and have dynamic IP addresses (DHCP).
- Flexible configuration parameters allow multiple backups to be performed in parallel, specification of which shares to backup, which directories to backup or not backup, various schedules for full and incremental backups, schedules for email reminders to users and so on. Configuration parameters can be set system-wide or also on a per-PC basis.
- Users are sent periodic email reminders if their PC has not recently been backed up. Email content, timing and policies are configurable.
- Detailed documentation.
Website: backuppc.github.io/backuppc
Support: Documentation, GitHub Code Repository
Developer: Craig Barratt and contributors
License: GNU General Public License v3.0
BackupPC is written in Perl. Learn Perl with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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