Using Dreamhost and Rsync for cheap backups

My friend ObiShawn jumped on the off-site backup bandwagon. I suggested to him getting a Dreamhost account, and use Rsync to backup all of his files. Using Rsync makes it super easy to only copy over the files changes. If no files changed, it only takes seconds to back up.

People are always peddling Dreamhost promo codes, because you can save money when you sign up. Any Dreamhost user can create promo codes, and customize them as needed. I see that they now allow you to also offer account upgrades. So, if you want to start with double the space, use the code "SUPERSPACEME". That means you can get 1 TERABYTE of space for a reasonable price. Of course it grows 2GB/week. That should handle most users backup needs.

I'm using them to backup my server and my laptop on a regular basis.

Remember, Rsync is enabled on dreamhost by default, you simply need a client. It's easy to get for Linux, or you can get a Windows version called cwRsync. The Windows version is the Linux version, but with the necessary Cygwin files. For the Mac, apparently there is RsyncX.

If you want good instructions on how to set up automated backups in Windows, there is a good guide here.

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posted @ Friday, October 12, 2007 10:00 PM

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# re: Using Dreamhost and Rsync for cheap backups

Left by Shawn Riesterer at 10/14/2007 9:17 AM
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I tried RsyncX but I didn't immediately see how you could back up to remote address. However, rsync is already included as part of OS X and I found these instructions (http://addisonrd.com/WordPress/2007/03/09/how-to-backup-your-mac-to-a-dreamhost-server-part-1-of-2/) that describe how to rsync to Dreamhost from a Mac. I found it better to write a bash script and run that by hand (maybe even automate it using Automator). This way I can cancel it at any point and I can see the progress. You can't exactly see the progress or easily cancel it using AppleScript.

# re: Using Dreamhost and Rsync for cheap backups

Left by Mithras at 10/17/2007 5:37 PM
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Too bad they just "clarified" that you can't do that:

http://blog.dreamhost.com/2007/06/29/sold-out/

Bummer!

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