Dear Lazyweb….

Following from my previous post about my projects for the year, I could do with some help on identify the most suitable backup solution.

The setup is that there are a number of Windows clients, and a Linux server (probably with software RAID running a mirror setup over 2 drives, allowing for drive failure). The Windows machines may or may not be on the network at specific times (because they’re either laptops, or they’re powered down), and as there is no on-site sysadmin there is also no guarantee that there will be 100% (or 99.999% for that matter) uptime for the file server either. I want to backup important files from the Windows clients to the Linux machine in the most seamless, transparent (for the end user) way.

Originally I had set my heart on iFolder, which would allow me to simply set up “My Documents” on each client as an iFolder, and they would synchonise whenever both client and server are on the network. However, although iFolder is a fantastic piece of software, the project seems a bit dead in the water, and thus I’m not sure I want it in a production environment (plus there aren’t any Ubuntu or Debian packages for it, so I’d need to run CentOS, which I’m less familiar with).

So, I’m stuck for a decent solution. Ideally, as I say, I want it as transparent as possible - I could setup network drives with Samba (in fact, I had it this way in a previous incarnation), but that is not particularly transparent, and would require me (ideally) to setup all the users on the fileserver so that Windows will log in to the drive automagically. Plus, I’d still need some sort of client running to do the backing up, and I would still end up with the problem of it needing to be done on an “adhoc” basis, rather than a schedule.

Any thoughts?

mrBen

Hopefully I’m not the only person who has dozens of unfinished projects lying around both physically and virtually. I thought that maybe if I wrote some of them down I would actually get around to completing some of them:

• MythTV - despite seeing PVRs drop in price (sub £100 now), I would still like to get my MythTV box back up and running, this time with Mythbuntu rather than Knoppmyth. Sadly their website is down currently, which is a PITA
• Church office - there are 3 projects in the church office that need done:
  • Fix the display machine - it’s got a weird bug, possibly hardware, that is causing it to crash when displaying for any length of time. Needs a bit of onsite PD at some point…
  • Build the file server - I have a fileserver box sitting in the flat, which was originally set up with a nice software RAID, which I had hoped to turn into an iFolder server. Sadly iFolder hasn’t developed as quickly as I had hoped, and I’m worried about putting it on a production box. So I need to find another seamless backup solution for a mixed OS network.
  • Upgrade the firewall - Smoothwall 2.0 is running fine, but Smoothwall 3.0 has been out for a while.
• Linkpot - I have a load of ideas for the completion of Linkpot (well - the next phase anyway) but just haven’t got around to it. What may happen here is that I build up a bigger team around the project to get it all done. Watch this space
• Church website - another half-finished Django project that needs some time and TLC.

And if I get all that done, there’s always:

• MythTV wiring and frontend - having a Myth backend is all well and good, and being able to watch content on my desktop is great. But the eventual aim is to get ethernet downstairs and a silent box of some sort into the TV so that it’s actually, well, “useful”
• I’d love to play a bit with Asterisk/Trixbox……

Of course - I have many household/family duties which undoubtedly come waaaay before any of this tinkerage. But here’s hoping that I can properly schedule myself to get these done.

mrBen

Left my Kangaroo Poo beanie on the bus this morning while on the way to church.

Gah.

It left me in a distinctly bad mood, one that not even the lovely people of the church could get me out of. And, no, I didn’t ask God for help when I was there because I fancied some self indulgent misery for a while.

Well, it passed the time.

So if you see a brown/gray/black beanie with a Kangaroo Poo tag on the First Glasgow 62 service, grab it and let me know.

But this does give me an excuse (and a really weak one at that) to break out the stupidly long Doctor Who scarf I have (the one that Ruth knitted for me but won’t let me wear out the house as I look to much of a tit in it…)

BigAl

In no particular order:

Time off Work

I’ve had almost the whole two weeks off work and although it has been good I really have slumped into “holiday mode” because of it. There has been the odd day, or morning, where I’ve nicked in to the office to get some stuff done but apart from the bare minimum I’ve found it too hard to work any enthusiasm up.

Perhaps it’ll all change on the 7th. The festive period will be over for good then.

GuildMadness

Edgy now has GuildWars. And he’s hooked. And I think he’s going to blame me for the all the free time he no-longer has… Oh, well…

JediMoose sued?

Again JediMoose has been threatened with legal action over a post I made two and a half years ago. We had already been threatened with legal action over the same post six months ago and I had thought it was all sorted out.

Apparently not. Good to see that this guy is the reasonable type.

MrBen and I are awaiting the next stage of this with baited breath…

Sci-Fi wonder

Deep Space Nine season 1 was a late addition to the Christmas haul this year, but a welcome one. It’s no Firefly but it does have The Sisko in it so that’s forgivable.

And Doctor Who season 16, The Key To Time, was invested in. Makes up for the piss-poor episode this Chirstmas Day.

Hogmanay

It came and went quietly this year with Ruthy and I heading over to Edgy’s with Billy in tow. Enzo was there having produced enough food to keep an army on the march for the season. It was a good evening with good company, a few beers and a game of Zombies to round it off.

Podcasting and other creative nonsense

mrBen and I have been bouncing this idea about around for a while now, my doing a regular PodBook thing in an attempt to try and encourage me with my writing. Fortunatly on that front I’m taking things a lot more seriously at the moment. Who knows what the New Year will bring?

Have a good one.

BigAl