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Workstation Backup to Local file server Solution 1

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arell12

Technical User
Feb 17, 2005
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Hello, I am starting to research products (free ones preferably as the company I work for does not have a budget for this) to replace a in house made script to backup certain locations of users workstations (ie Desktop, Documents, Pictures...). I would like the software to automatically find computers on the local LAN and add them to the list of computers to be backed up. Also I would like to be able to backup laptops during the day and desktops at night to the Local server. I would prefer not to have client software installed on the workstations. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to start looking?
 
Not exactly what you asked for ("automatically find computers"), but why not do a scheduled (via task scheduler) robocopy script on each computer to back up the stuff you want. Probably more work than you wanted, but it would work - and FREE.

Batch file sample where the server has a share called BACKUP
robocopy.exe "C:\Documents and Settings\" "\\server\backup\computer1" /MIR /FFT /TEE /ZB /R:2 /W:5 /LOG:"\\server\backup\computer1.log"

If your computers are left logged in, you could use a mapped drive letter instead of UNC path.

I would add the following switches especially for Windows 7
/XA:SH to exclude the hidden & system files

/XD AppData to exclude the entire AppData folder

/XJ to exclude all the junction points
(Use the /XJ switch in Windows 7 and the /XJD switch in Vista to exclude junction points)


 
BackupPC
Backup server based on Linux, configuration is quite easy, management and monitoring with Web interface. Workstations you should add manually. No additional software needed on workstations for Samba based backups. We are using it 2 years without problems, it simply works :)

===
Karlis
ECDL; MCSA
 
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