What's the best Ubuntu backup solution for a non-technical user?
A friend was asking about setting up backups, and I don't want to tell him "just use rsync". I'd like a tool with a simple GUI, and automated backups. Advanced features aren't really necessary. What are some good choices?
Edit: A lot of people seem to be recommending Dropbox-esque tools. While Dropbox is great, it isn't really the sort of thing he's looking for. He wants to be able to restore his system if something goes horribly wrong. Dropbox is better for keeping track of documents--I'm looking for something closer to Apple's Time Machine. Also, he's on dial-up, so online solutions are a no-go.
Solution 1:
I recently wondered about the same thing and discovered these through a Google search.
- Back in time
- TimeVault
- Flyback
Currently I'm using Back in Time but I find it a little quirky and haven't tried doing a full restore yet. I haven't tried TimeVault yet so I can't really say anything about it. Flyback looked promising but I wasn't able to get it to work with a network share. Apparently it's only prepared to use external hard drives via USB or Firewire for backup. From the screenshots it looks an awful lot like Apple's Time Machine.
Solution 2:
I have dropbox installed on all my machines, it's a cross-platform synching tool that comes with 2GB free storage which you can use to back up all your essential files. The files are automatically synched to other machines. It is fast and cross-platform. You can buy additional space or get free space by referring other users.
Try dropbox today: dropbox
Solution 3:
This is a tough question (typically because of the too much choice paradox, see the BackupYourSystem wiki page) but, for a non technical user, I'd definitely recommend Déjà Dup:
Déjà Dup (day-ja-doop) is a simple backup tool. It hides the complexity of doing backups the Right Way (encrypted, off-site, and regular) and uses duplicity as the backend.
It really a nice application to backup your home folder (not a full system) the right way, as they say. You may want to browse the maintainer's blog to learn a bit more about it.
Back in Time would be my second choice if you need something more "elaborated" (nice UI, pretty easy to configure, smart remove strategy). But a non technical user won't be able to do the setup himself without assistance for a full system backup IMHO.