Can I backup a couple linux boxes by saving their backup to a mapped Windows folder?

[Rockworthy]

Hello Linux Forums! First off: I"m a total Linux noob. Here's what I want to do: I have a small office with about 6 computers in it. I want to be able to back them all up. I really, really want to use the Seagate GoFlex Pro. (This forum wouldn't allow me to link the review at Anandtech Please don't tell me to use something else if it's possible to use this, because I really like it for a lot of reasons that are beyond the scope of this post. Anyways, I want to use this NAS to backup Windows, Macs AND a couple Linux machines. It's built to be fully compatible with Windows and Mac. The NAS creates three shared folders on the network, so does that mean that the Linux machines can simply be backed up by using a basic backup program on their machines that will save their backup data to one of the shared folders, or am I missing something? Like I said I'm a noob with Linux and don't even know the simplest stuff about it. Thanks Forumers!

[Rubberman]

Yes, you can use it as the storage mechanism for backing up your Linux systems, as well as the others. There are a number of ways to do that, ranging from existing system tools to proprietary backup software. Which you use depends upon your comfort level with comman-line tools. However, since you indicate that you are a Linux "noob", a GUI-based tool that lets you specify what data backup and when (scheduler) would be most appropriate. Time to brush up on your Googling skills I think...

[jonsg]

You could use that device, but it's not ideal, particularly if you're backing up mission-critical data in a mixed-systems environment.

I think you should consider buying an NFS and Windows compatible device such as the ReadyNAS NVX, and populate all four drive slots so that you can hot-replace disks if one goes down without disturbing user access.

That way, you can export Linux-style NFS directories to your Linux boxes, Windows directories to your Windows boxes, and everyone's happy. You can also back up the device itself using its USB ports and portable drives, so you can keep a regular backup off-site. The first time burglars raid your offices, your boss will kiss your feet!

It'll cost more than the cheap Seagate unit, but - trust me on this, because I've been there - the insurance it buys your business is more than worth it.

[pdk]

You need to install an nfs client on windows first. On the other boxes you have to run portmapper and export the mount points to be able to see them on the windows machine.
Peter

[tinytux]

Depending on which distro you are using you'll find easy solution... Or not.
OS is not necessarily relevant for a NAS system but few file system are needed such as samba (or nfs) and sharing rights... For the shared folder(s). Then you will need to chose your backup application such as Rsync. Of course it would have be nice if you provided the forum whith the Windows specs. Is it a Server (or not) What is the software for the NAS ?
Good luck.

[whatshisname]

If it's a FAT32 share, you will lose your permissions if you're copying files over individually. You may want to consider tarring up the files first, preserving permissions as you do so.

[Rubberman]

Considering that the share is a Windows folder, I agree with whatshisname that you should tar the file first. That can be done inline along with compressing the output while storing the results in the shared folder. Unfortunately, that doesn't really allow for incremental updates where only changed files are stored. However, there are ways around all this. For example, you can create a data ISO image file in the shared folder of the size you will need to store your largest data set. Then, in Linux you can loop mount that image and store your backups there.

All this aside, I personally think your best option is to get a low-cost external data enclosure attached to one of the Linux systems and backup your data there, after formatting it with one of the standard Linux file systems such as ext2, ext3, ext4, et al. That can then be shared with your Windows users via Samba and they can also back up their data there.