Backup Software - Need to b/u Win Server, wipe, install Linux, restore

[SoonerLater]

Thank you, all of the CyberStuds who help in this forum.

I need some backup software (hopefully open source or inexpensive) that I can:

1. Install on a Windows Small Business Server 2003 box;
2. Backup to an external USB hdd (with write verify and ability to backup locked or open files);
3. Install on a Linux server (will be same box as #1, after wipe and new OS);
4. Restore the data to the new server (with write verify, etc.).

Any and all suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[cyberjock]

Umm.. you moving it to different hardware? You know windows has a freakin' major cow when you change its hardware... you aren't necessarily going to have a viable Windows server when you are done.

Also, programs like Acronis TrueImage and the like, while they are able to backed up or open files, you run the risk of the file being corrupted if it is written to while it is being written. The end result is the same.. possibly non-viable server.

Not sure what your long term plans are, but Server 2003 is just a little over a year from EOL. That means no more updates, which will be a dangerous place to be.

My advice would be to take the server down and do an image with clonezilla. It's free and very reliable, but you will have to boot from the CD to make the backup.

 

[SoonerLater]

Cyberjock,

I apologize for being unclear. I am not moving to new hardware. Rather, I am changing my operating system. I am replacing Win Small Bus. Server 2003 with Linux (exact flavor TBD). Let me explain why. When I purchased this server in 2008, I had seven employees. We needed a windows domain controller and exchange server for outlook. Now I have one employee and our email has been hosted by Google for over three years. There is nothing on this server that I need to keep but Word .DOC and Excel .XLS files. I don't need this server to do anything but be a simple file server (and FTP server). If this server died today, I wouldn't even replace it with a "real server". I'd just replace it with a NAS (probably FreeNAS, since I have a FreeNAS box at home and am comfortable with it). But as long as this runs (and is safely backed up), I will continue to run this hardware. I'm just sick of Win Sm. Bus. Server and want the ease of Linux. I might install FreeBSD, but I don't really know it (apart from using FreeNAS) like I know Linux. Besides, I don't think that IBM ever released drivers for FreeBSD for this hardware (system x3200 M2).

Clear as mud?

 

[bigphil]

hell, just use robocopy in Windows to copy the data to your external drive. This way there will be no issues with backup software compatibility when you move the files back to your new server. For in-use/locked files, just create a shadow copy in Windows. For Server 2003, right click on the disk where your files are located > properties > shadow copies. Click Create Now and then access the shadow copy with a client pc (previous versions tab in Windows Explorer).

 

[aufalien]

I'm sorta confused. If all you have are doc/xls files, then why not make a fat32 USB format and copy the files over by hand, no middle ware needed. Then install whatever OS, I'dtry FreeNAS btw, wouldn't hurt and copy back. heck, eliminate the USB and simply FTP/SCP files back and forth.