[Veritas-bu] BackupPC 1.4.0 released (backup to disk for WinXX/Linux)

BackupPC is a free, open source package for backing up Linux and WinXX
PCs and laptops to a server's disk.  BackupPC version 1.4.0 has been
released on SourceForge, see http://backuppc.sourceforge.net.

BackupPC is highly configurable and easy to install and maintain.  It
uses Samba's smbclient or tar to extract files from clients.  No client
SW is needed for WinXX, linux or unix clients.

Key features are pooling of identical files (big savings in server disk
space), compression, and handling DHCP clients (eg, laptops that are
intermittently connected to the network and whose IP addresses change).
Features are summarized below.

BackupPC is free software distributed under a GNU GPL license.

Enjoy!

Craig Barratt

BackupPC features:

  - A clever pooling scheme minimizes disk storage and disk IO. Identical
    files across multiple backups of the same or different PC are stored
    only once resulting in substantial savings in disk storage.

  - One example of disk use: 95 latops with each full backup averaging
    3.6GB, and each incremental averaging about 0.3GB.  Storing three
    weekly full backups and six incremental backups per laptop is
    around 1200GB of raw data, but because of pooling  and compression
    only 150GB is needed.

  - No client-side software is needed.  The standard smb protocol is used
    to extract backup data on WinXX clients.  On linux clients, tar
    over ssh/rsh/nfs is used to backup the data (or alternatively
    Samba can be installed on the linux client to provide smb shares).

  - A powerful http/cgi user interface allows administrators to view log
    files, configuration, current status and allows users to initiate and
    cancel backups and browse and restore files from backups.

  - Supports mobile environments where laptops are only intermittently
    connected to the network and have dynamic IP addresses (DHCP).

  - Flexible configuration parameters allow multiple backups to be performed
    in parallel, specification of which shares to backup, which directories
    to backup or not backup, various schedules for full and incremental
    backups, schedules for email reminders to users and so on.  Configuration
    parameters can be set system-wide or also on a per-PC basis.

  - Users are sent periodic email reminders if their PC has not
    recently been backed up.  Email content, timing and policies
    are configurable.

  - Tested on Linux and Solaris servers, and Linux, Win95, Win98, Win2000
    and WinXP clients.

  - Detailed documentation.

  - Open Source hosted by SourceForge and freely available under GPL.