Comments on: Online Offsite WHS Backup Solutions

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:18:59 +0000

Yup Mesh is good. Have you looked at SkyDrive from MS too? Someone wrote an app called SkyDrive explorer that allows cool access to the online 25Gb – another storage (free) option but there are file size limits and possible/probably security issues as always with placing things in the cloud.

By: xYike

xYike — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:49:20 +0000

I hear ya – it is just an opinion I guess. I’m thinking mostly about home videos and pictures of my kids, scanned paperwork and tax receipts which are disposed of after scanning, etc. Things that I do not want to store electronically if they cannot be reasonably safeguarded from loss. I cannot see us picking up a hard drive daily or multiple times a week and hauling it around as a regular thing – I barely remember to wear pants every day.

On a side note, I use Windows Live Sync and love it. Not for everyone though. Live Mesh has its uses too. They aren’t good fixes for everyone though.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:20:22 +0000

xYike, see your point, I guess it depends on how you are using your home server. For most home use then periodic backups to an external drive stored offsite or in a fireproof safe is fine – the same for say a small business that uses a Home Server for backing up workstations. If you are looking at a HOME server in a BUSINESS environment with critical data and the like a) you do not have an entirely suitable product b) you should be looking at a proper disk.tape backup solution with offsite and maybe online backup solutions (for periodic/disaster recovery)

Remember this is a home server not a Windows 200x server which has adequate backup solutions available and more scalable solutions.

By: xYike

xYike — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:56:35 +0000

Local HD backups and carrying the drive off-site? I feel that (1) is unrealistic as an off-site strategy and (2) doesn’t provide the backup granularity that most people want.

This reminds me of making people have 24-character complex passwords with 30-day expiration dates. (in other words, how long is this going to be effective – not very long)

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:48:54 +0000

I would recommend an external drive and making backups of the server periodically and taking the drive offsite again.

At least that way you get your data back in a timely manner. Imagine trying to download anything from an online backup in any short period of time.

By: David

David — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:05:59 +0000

Is there any update to this article since 2007. Prices seem to be going up everywhere.

By: DataBackup, file hosting, file send « swyda_techblog

DataBackup, file hosting, file send « swyda_techblog — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:25:54 +0000

[...] http://mswhs.com/2007/06/25/online-offsite-whs-backup-solutions/ [...]

By: xYike

xYike — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:07:05 +0000

Chris,

How about using Macrium Reflect to do hot backups while the OS is running and FTP the resulting backups off-site? This is not exactly an “image” but you can do incremental/differentials using this method and shoot them off-site to safety.

Restore using different Reflect boot CD options and restore. I have not tried this, just an idea.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:28:22 +0000

I have Windows Home servers sitting on networks as backup devices for workstations and it works great.

The backup options for the WHS do not work for this scenario though I would imagine as the backup data is separate from the other data on the server.

Anyone have ideas for disaster recovery other than something like NT Backup from a remote desktop session?

Disaster scenario is building goes up in flames so PC’s and server are destroyed. I have a need for automated image of the server vs pushing the files to a remote server.

Any ideas?

Chris
http://helpitcrashedagain.com

By: alcos

alcos — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:47:11 +0000

NOTA: There is not WHS plugin.

I installed it on my main PC and setup to backup my WHS shared folders.

By: alcos

alcos — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:46:00 +0000

Personally I use ADrive.

There is a 50GB free and after I installed the software on my PC, I chose the folders I wan’t to back and TADAM!

I backed up all my folder.

The transfer speed is a little slow, but for a free service, I use it as 3rd backup in case my house burn and my other backups are destroyed.

By: Kenneth

Kenneth — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:30:40 +0000

My Question is when using KeepVault or Carbonite do they also backup the backup database or are they just backing up the shared folders?

If they are not backing up the backup database then its a waste as far as I’m concerend.

By: Clark

Clark — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:20:45 +0000

I have the same problem now with Carbonite with new data after having successfully used it for about 6 months. I have a feeling it’s due to PP1. The problems started last month after I installed the Beta.

By: alan

alan — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:20:19 +0000

Hi all. Saving my most essential data has become a must!!!! I finally found a great guide to online backup with useful and simple information on this service. Get it!!! mini guide to online backup

By: Magoo

Magoo — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:46:39 +0000

Hi Philip,

I installed Carbonite and it does not seem to backup. Folders/files are suppose to go green but they stay orange. I change the service to start as a local admin and that does not seem to work. It sees the files but states “File is pending backup when accessible due to permissions”.

Did you do anything special ? I am about ready to go to I-drive but wanted to give Caronite a fair trial. They do not seem to have a 150gb limit.

Thanks!

By: CadErik

CadErik — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 05:15:33 +0000

To note, Proxure (Keepvault) free accounts are now only 3 gigs and they are at least twice as expensive as the other services.

By: Philip Churchill

Philip Churchill — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:05:11 +0000

Totaly agree Limited I wish that when suppliers of services say unlimited that it meant just that!

By: Limited

Limited — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 05:38:57 +0000

IDrive-E claims their $4.95 plan is unlimited storage, but if you take a few minutes to read their conditions of use, you find that unlimited is redefined to mean 150GB. Huh? Last time I checked, unlimited meant no limit. How can anyone trust a backup company that buries something like that in their legal agreement????

If you don’t believe me, here it is straight from the horses mouth (http://www.idrive.com/terms.htm#2)

A note on the concept of ‘unlimited storage’ for IDrive-E-Pro
http://www.idrive.com/pricing.htm – In addition, it is important to understand the definition of ‘Unlimited’ Storage. No storage system can really be unlimited. The concept of ‘Unlimited’ storage is to facilitate a low one-price plan to backup a PC’s critical data that meets the requirement for majority of users for personal use and not to burden users with multiple plans. Any usage of storage and bandwidth that is several multiples of average paid IDrive-E user may be considered as unfair use, this limit from storage point is currently fixed at 150GB and subject to changes. Users exceeding the 150GB limit may choose to upgrade to a business plan; In case of non-action by the users on notification of excess usage, accounts may be cancelled and data removed.

A note on the concept of overuse over chosen/allocated quota for IDrive-E-Pro
For usage beyond the opted plan for business plans, there may be an overuse charge at the rate of $0.50/GB/Month. While it is not necessary, we encourage users to upgrade to one of the higher storage plans from http://www.idrive.com/pricing.htm if their usage exceeds the opted plan to avoid the overuse charges.

By: eisenworks

eisenworks — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 19:49:57 +0000

I wrote screencasts on both Mozy and IDrive-E, which you can find here:

http://mainstream-guides.com/Mozy
http://mainstream-guides.com/IDrive-E

By: Trev

Trev — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:07:21 +0000

For those running Windows XP, 2000 or Vista, you can use the non-pro Mozy account which is a flat $4.95 per month, unlimited storage and transfer. Win 2k3 is only supported by MozyPro which is the more expensive cost structure that Philip talks about above.

Mozy pro and non-pro differences are here: http://www.mozypro.com/mozy_pro/comparison

By: MS Windows Home Server More Online Offsite Backup Solutions for WHS «

MS Windows Home Server More Online Offsite Backup Solutions for WHS « — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:39:10 +0000

[...] for WHS July 3rd, 2007 — Philip Churchill Following my write up on different online offsite backup providers it was bought to my attention that although IDrive-E offers unlimited backup their pricing [...]

By: Philip Churchill

Philip Churchill — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:43:25 +0000

Hi Mike Zemina,
Over the next few weeks I aim to do a full test, including a restore with IDrive-E and Candidate number 4 as well.

By: Philip Churchill

Philip Churchill — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:40:06 +0000

Hi JohnCz, Windows Live Folders Beta is defiantly one to keep an eye on. It only provides 500MB of online file storage at the moment but what the future holds is anyone’s guess.

By: Mike Zemina

Mike Zemina — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:33:54 +0000

Since you believe that IDrive-E is the method to use, have you tried a restore? To me, this is where the problems start to happen!

By: JohnCz

JohnCz — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:07:48 +0000

It will be interesting to see if Windows Live Folders (as it is currently named in beta) will offer unlimited storage plans.

By: I have a Windows Home Server Vision « Random Musings

I have a Windows Home Server Vision « Random Musings — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:07:17 +0000

[...] out a detailed look at the problem here and a further look at setting up IDrive-E with WHS ( the chosen solution) [...]

By: MS Windows Home Server Tutorial - How to backup WHS using IDrive-E «

MS Windows Home Server Tutorial - How to backup WHS using IDrive-E « — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 23:02:13 +0000

[...] How to backup WHS using IDrive-E June 27th, 2007 — Philip Churchill After my review on Online Offsite WHS Backup Solutions, the winner of the gold award was IDrive-E. A few installed it and are [...]

By: MS Homeserver Blog » Blog Archive

MS Homeserver Blog » Blog Archive — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 20:25:54 +0000

[...] Churchill hat in seinem Blog einige entsprechende Onlinedienste mit Hinblick auf Kosten, Speicherplatz und Komfort [...]

By: Philip Churchill

Philip Churchill — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 10:55:21 +0000

The Judge judgeschambers posted the following over at Microsoft’s Windows Home Server Forum:
I’ve posted a suggestion for an Add-in using Handy Backup. It has a great FTP feature that allows you to back up to your own remote server. But there have been no takers on the suggestion…

Handy Backup will allow you to back up via a network drive or FTP to your own server! It is Server 2003 compatible. It also has a great tab that you can throttle it on or off to run as a service too.
I normally used it on my other pc’s before WHS. Now I run it as a service on WHS and have it FTP WHS shares to my remote web server during the weeeee hours of the night. It runs all on it’s own even if I’m not logged in…just as it should. Now I have some of my most important files redundantly backed up off site. That rocks!
I have a web server with 300 gig of unused storage for next to nothing a month ($7.00!). I host 4 web sites and run a small game server on it too. So, for way less than what Idrive and those other remote server backup companies charge, you can get your own web server and store your stuff on it way cheaper! And you don’t have to even put a web site up to use it……

I sound like a billboard for them both, but some of you may find alternatives useful.
http://www.handybackup.net
http://www.bluehost.com

By: gadgetaddict

gadgetaddict — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 04:19:59 +0000

Philip, thanks for the review. I used the Carbonite free trial in the past after learning that the basic Mozy wasn’t compatible with Server 2003. I like that iDrive allows you to keep your encryption key to keep prying eyes within their company (or externally) off my data.

By: Drew

Drew — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:12:37 +0000

Wow i guess i started something, but at least it had something good come out. Good post.

I do have a dedicated web server with plenty of space to spare. Is there a program that you could suggest that would allow me to sync files over the internet to another PC?

What would be cool is if someone created an add-on to where two buddy’s that had WHS could use the other buddies as a secondary storage for that “just incase” scenario.

By: Woody Leonhard

Woody Leonhard — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:46:51 +0000

Good stuff. Bravo.