Finding a backup and synchronization solution [closed]
I'm having difficulties to find a backup and synchronization solution with the following characteristics:
- Cross-platform: Windows, Linux, Mac
- Transfer only new/modified bits of modified files
- Maintain multiple versions of files (even deleted files)
- Data deduplication
- Offsite backup (so Internet Backup)
- Secure: Data encrypted before leaving computer
- Folder synchronization integrated with backup and across multiple computers connected to the internet (not necessarily in the same LAN)
I think that the Folder Sync feature needs a better explanation.
The use case is this: you have a desktop pc and a laptop. The desktop pc contains a folder with some files and this folder is part of the backup (so it was selected to be backed up). The laptop does not contain that folder or that files at all.
Then you're abroad with your laptop and you need that folder. So you want to be able to open the backup program, select that folder from the backup (since it is an internet backup solution the backup and so the folder will be in some server in the internet) and download it in your laptop mantaining it synchronized with the backed up version. When you then come back home and switch on your desktop pc you want the folder we're talking about to be updated in the desktop PC.
Does anyone knows any service with all these features?
I've only found SpiderOak to support all the features I've mentioned but I'm not completely satisfied by the time taken to complete a backup. Sometimes it seems to hang for minutes with no reasons at all and folder synchronization occurs only after all files are backed up (instead folder sync should have a separated queue independent from other backup operations and synchronization should occurs frequently... for example every 5 minutes or less, independently from the frequency of normal backup operations)
Solution 1:
Dropbox.com is a commercial service similar to Mozy and Carbonite which does much of this. I use this at home for my Windows and Linux machines, and it works good for me.
- Cross-platform: Windows, Linux, Mac
I use Dropbox.com on Windows & Linux regularly. I have also used their Mac client a little bit. They also have clients for iPhone and Android Operating Systems.
- Maintain multiple versions of files (even deleted files)
Not so sure about this one, and this might be hard to fit into a single product with all the other features. However, Dropbox does let you restore deleted files.
- Data deduplication
- Transfer only new/modified bits of modified files
Dropbox only transmits the deltas. I'm not sure how much of this is file based, vs. block based.
- Offsite backup (so Internet Backup)
Yes, obviously.
- Secure: Data encrypted before leaving computer
Dropbox does this. They have more detail at dropbox.com
- Folder synchronization integrated with backup and across multiple computers connected to the internet (not necessarily in the same LAN)
The recent Dropbox client have a feature called 'lansync', which means that clients on the same network will sync with each other over the LAN, before they look for files on Dropbox.com . See https://www.dropbox.com/help/137