# Need help setting up a backup schedule

## Bigun

I've got two servers, both Gentoo.  I have one as a production machine that runs a FTP service and Web service.  I have the other setup as a backup server with plenty of redundant storage for weekly rotating backups.  I only plan on backing up three things from the production server: /var/www, /home, /etc.  That should cover the bases of my server adequately (if you can think of anything else, let me know).

I need help with several things I have never done before:

1)  I need assistance with automated mounting of a remote filesystem to setup a transfer.  Which network protocol do I use? Samba? NFS? FTP?

2)  I need assistance with automated cycling/scheduling of backups.  Is there a script recommended to use with Gentoo?  Or perhaps a recommended package to use in portage?  I know how to use vixie-cron, so that part doesn't need to be explained if I have to use it.

I guess that is about it, I just feel a little overwhelmed and do not mind doing a lot of the legwork in research and setting up, I just need a little guidance to get started.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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## cwr

I'd be inclined to use some variety of rsync, rather than mounting filesystems.

Have you looked at unison?

Will

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## Bigun

 *cwr wrote:*   

> I'd be inclined to use some variety of rsync, rather than mounting filesystems.
> 
> Have you looked at unison?
> 
> Will

 

Looking over the overview it looks very promising.  I'm starting to read the manual now and see if it's hard to setup or use now.

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## Bigun

 *Bigun wrote:*   

>  *cwr wrote:*   I'd be inclined to use some variety of rsync, rather than mounting filesystems.
> 
> Have you looked at unison?
> 
> Will 
> ...

 

Looks like it would take care of the basic transfers, although I'm not quite sure how I would handle a weekly rotating schedule outside of creating Sunday through Saturday directories and backup to each day directory accordingly.

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## Bigun

Eeek... just thought of this, how to I setup MySQL backups?  I've never done that either.

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## Bigun

 *Bigun wrote:*   

> Eeek... just thought of this, how to I setup MySQL backups?  I've never done that either.

 

Nevermind, a quick google search and some modification, I can make a nightly dump to a home directory, that will be backed up nightly once I get unison working.

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