[Gloucs] Remote backups

[Andrew Oakley]

Nick wrote:
> My scripts could be very easily adapted to do remote backups - after 
> all they use rsync - however I've always put off doing so due to 
> security & cost concerns; that is how do I know that my data on 
> another's server will be safe, and who would I rent server space 

I rent a VPS in north America. They're cheap, around US$10 per month, 
and give you 5 gigs or so space (you can pay more, or less, and get 
more, or less). Being a VPS, you get root SSH access and can 
install/configure whatever you like. Usually I go for Ubuntu Server, but 
you can get Fedora, Debian, Centos, Gentoo, pretty much whatever you like.

VPS hosts I've used and recommend:

www.tektonic.net
www.futurehosting.biz
www.vpsville.ca (Canada)

I then have a tar gz script which plonks all my important data into one 
compressed file. I extensively use a variety of options to exclude 
particular directories, limit recursion to one filesystem, and not to 
attempt compression already compressed files such as .mp3 or .jpg . A 
cron job fires this tar script, and deletes any backups over 7 days old.

Once a week, the remote server also has a cron job to rsync/scp the file 
from my home machine using passwordless key certficate SSH. Once 
completed, the script deletes all but the two most recent backups.

I don't have any data which requires significant privacy. None of my 
backup data contains any personal information that can't already be 
discovered by someone examining the electoral roll or my birth 
certificate (which by law any member of the public can demand to do), by 
looking over my shoulder in the queue at Tesco, or by placing a black 
box between the card swipe machine and the till. Privacy is an illusion 
anyway.

-- 
Andrew Oakley