crashplan - where does the data go?

[Walter Gunter]

So, I was wondering, now that I am out of the weeds of getting the freenas crashplan plugin working with the Crashplan Client GUi running on linux....and it is an option as a destination in Crashplan;
I created a storage (read only), so where does the data go?
I selected the files that will be backed up to both the crashplan_1 (freenas) and the cloud...where is this stored?
I know it seems like a logical answer, but I have two volumes:
1 - 2TB
2- 3TB
3TB is where my jails are located, so when selecting source and destination for jail storage, I had to select the 2TB as source and 3TB/media as the destination. Is the data going to the 3TB?
I am confused...

 

[pirateghost]

What?

That's not how this works.

The storage mount is a pointer to actual storage. Nothing moves anywhere unless you tell it to.

 

[Walter Gunter]

What question are you answering?
Which part of the storage mount?

I did some more research, and I think what I am referring to was a volume that I setup, but didn't add new storage areas (not sure what they are called).
When selecting a data location for the jail, I didn't have but one area setup on my 3TB volume, which is where i Have the jails. I also have a 2TB volume that was available and ready to be selected. If i didn't select
Source: 2TB (something outside of the jail) - it could be another area on the 3TB volume, but i Need to set that up.
Destination: 3TB mount

I am just wondering if I am thinking of crashplan plugin the right way. If the storage for the crashplan jail is read only, how do i put data on it? Do i need to mount it in a local machine that will then connect to it? Is that where crashplan backs up the data? Or is that even the right thinking?

Crashplan currently shows up as a destination on my crashplan GUI (right next to the Crashplan cloud option).

Just need to know which way the data is going?

Also, it says to turn off port forwarding once you are setup (is this never used again, no more port forwarding? I am confused since crashplan is pointing to a port that isn't connected? Do, I also need to change the ui.properties on the GUI machine?)

 

[pirateghost]

What question are you answering?
Which part of the storage mount?

where your jails live makes no difference. The jails dataset is merely the installation location of the OS. Think of it like your C drive on your Windows box.

I am just wondering if I am thinking of crashplan plugin the right way. If the storage for the crashplan jail is read only, how do i put data on it? Do i need to mount it in a local machine that will then connect to it? Is that where crashplan backs up the data? Or is that even the right thinking?

When you MOUNT STORAGE on a jail, you are mounting an actual dataset on your pool, to a path within the jail.

example:
source: /mnt/zpool/dataset1/files <--actual dataset on your pool/volume
destination: /media/files <--'symlink' within the jail, viewable and usable by the jail, that actually stores data on the source

If you set your storage as read-only, you won't be able to save ANYTHING to that location from the jail. You can save anywhere else in the jail, but it will reside INSIDE the jail, and subsequently inside the JAILS dataset, and you would technically have 2 copies of your data. Don't do this. It is not the right way to do things, at all.

I don't know what your end goal is, but your idea of how it works is really wrong.

Are you using their Cloud service? What are you trying to backup? What are you trying to accomplish?

Crashplan can be an endpoint for computers on your(or your friends) network to back up to, or you can use it to backup files from your NAS to another location (local/friends crashplan/their cloud service).
You need to decide HOW you want to use it, because that determines how you should set it up.

 

[Walter Gunter]

Good point. I was on the craze after almost losing some data (wife's family pics - not good).
My goal was to create a central location NAS so that I could store all our data on it. Boom. FreeNAS, of course.

I was hoping to make a raid (or equivalent), so that I could take one of the drives out of the backup (replace it with a clean drive and it would restore itself) and store the pulled out drive in a fire safe (maybe), and also backup that data to the cloud. I do have Crashplan subscription for the family, so I am using that right now.
So, I thought that backing up all of my data to the FreeNAS and then Crashplan plugin would put it in the cloud. That doesn't seem to be the case, unless I am seeing it wrong.

I just got into the weeds of setting up FreeNAS and then saw that I could do crashplan (and didn't put alot of thought, but did a whole lot of muscle getting it setup), IN the process, fell in love with FreeNAS and the more I learned , the more I realized I didn't know very much. HA! My son saw the MineOS and thought it would be cool to set that up...and some other portions.

 

[Walter Gunter]

So, A little bit of scope creep, but now I am thinking:

1. NAS for our data
2. Plex for movies
3. MineOS for crasy minecraft server fun for the kids
4. OwnCLoud - seems cool?
5. Maybe setup a Time Machine for backing up the wife's lappy
6. At the same time, back up the data to the cloud.
So, right now I think i am backing up to crashplan and then to the cloud?

I have a ubuntu machine that is running the GUI and connecting to the remote machine (FreeNAS).
I am thinking of adding more drives now, but still need to change the way I think of storage and grouping drives and such.

 

[pirateghost]

There is a trick to getting your data backed up to the cloud.

You cannot backup your backups to the cloud (running crashplan on your desktops pushing to the freenas box will not allow you to save THOSE backups to the cloud). You have to use some other method.

My preference is to use RSYNC jobs and push the data from my wife and kid's computers (profiles) to their own datasets on the server. Then Crashplan jail mounts those datasets as storage, and backs up that storage to the cloud. This has been working really well for a few years for us (similar setup before the crashplan plugin was available)

Your notion of pulling your mirrored drive out and storing it elsewhere is not a great idea, either. You should look at some other method.

 

[Walter Gunter]

like another backup? or follow the RSYNC method? I am just trying to avoid using more of these pricy, non-dependable external NAS (WD My cloud and such). I like them, but don't want to depend on them.

 

[Walter Gunter]

There is a trick to getting your data backed up to the cloud.

You cannot backup your backups to the cloud (running crashplan on your desktops pushing to the freenas box will not allow you to save THOSE backups to the cloud). You have to use some other method.

My preference is to use RSYNC jobs and push the data from my wife and kid's computers (profiles) to their own datasets on the server. Then Crashplan jail mounts those datasets as storage, and backs up that storage to the cloud. This has been working really well for a few years for us (similar setup before the crashplan plugin was available)

Your notion of pulling your mirrored drive out and storing it elsewhere is not a great idea, either. You should look at some other method.

Is this using the crashplan GUI? So, do you need to setup the interface between each computer and the FreeNAS just like I did this one?

 

[pirateghost]

like another backup? or follow the RSYNC method? I am just trying to avoid using more of these pricy, non-dependable external NAS (WD My cloud and such). I like them, but don't want to depend on them.

I have seen others on the forums have success with using zfs replication to a USB or eSATA device, utilizing some scripts to ensure the data is safe. Don't just swap drives out of your mirror, you are putting unecessary strain on the drives as they resilver

 

[pirateghost]

Is this using the crashplan GUI? So, do you need to setup the interface between each computer and the FreeNAS just like I did this one?

No.

There is only the crashplan plugin, and some system/client that you manage it from. You do not install crashplan on all the other systems...it is unnecessary. You use a DIFFERENT method to backup to the storage on your freenas and use crashplan to backup that storage.

 

[Walter Gunter]

I have seen others on the forums have success with using zfs replication to a USB or eSATA device, utilizing some scripts to ensure the data is safe. Don't just swap drives out of your mirror, you are putting unecessary strain on the drives as they resilver

ah. That makes sense. I will look into those ideas.

 

[Walter Gunter]

No.

There is only the crashplan plugin, and some system/client that you manage it from. You do not install crashplan on all the other systems...it is unnecessary. You use a DIFFERENT method to backup to the storage on your freenas and use crashplan to backup that storage.

okay. this is where I might be losing the understanding. I am attaching a screenshot of my Crashplan GUI on the lInux machine that I have connected to the FreeNAS Crashplan plugin.

 

[pirateghost]

okay. this is where I might be losing the understanding. I am attaching a screenshot of my Crashplan GUI on the lInux machine that I have connected to the FreeNAS Crashplan plugin.

I don't need that.

What I am telling you is that you CANNOT backup your clients to your FREENAS Crashplan and have it backup those backups to the cloud. They DO NOT ALLOW that. Pick one or the other.

 

[Walter Gunter]

is it possible to do both? Or am I even doing one?
I see the linux machine data in the crashplan cloud, but not he crashplan_1 data.

 

[pirateghost]

is it possible to do both? Or am I even doing one?
I see the linux machine data in the crashplan cloud, but not he crashplan_1 data.

I literally just said you CANNOT do both.

Let me break this down:

You have 2 options for backing up your clients to the cloud.
1. Set each of them to back up to the cloud (using your family licenses)
2. Set up a backup job (NOT IN CRASHPLAN) to back up clients (I use RSYNC) to your FreeNAS server. Mount this backup as storage in your crashplan plugin, then you can backup THIS storage to the cloud.

That is it. Crashplan does not allow you to backup your backups (if these backups are done with crashplan client pushing to your server)

 

[Walter Gunter]

this is what my crashplan account shows:

 

[Walter Gunter]

I literally just said you CANNOT do both.

Let me break this down:

You have 2 options for backing up your clients to the cloud.
1. Set each of them to back up to the cloud (using your family licenses)
2. Set up a backup job (NOT IN CRASHPLAN) to back up clients (I use RSYNC) to your FreeNAS server. Mount this backup as storage in your crashplan plugin, then you can backup THIS storage to the cloud.

That is it. Crashplan does not allow you to backup your backups (if these backups are done with crashplan client pushing to your server)

So, when I follow the crashplan plugin instructions, and create that jail storage? How do i back that up to the cloud? or is that the result of all that work I am doing in the instructions?
I know it isn't magic, but not seeing the connection yet.

 

[pirateghost]

this is what my crashplan account shows:

Here are a couple of screenshots from MY setup.

First up we have the datasets where I use RSYNC to backup my client machines profiles to.

Then we have my Crashplan backing up these datasets to their cloud.

 

[pirateghost]

So, when I follow the crashplan plugin instructions, and create that jail storage? How do i back that up to the cloud? or is that the result of all that work I am doing in the instructions?
I know it isn't magic, but not seeing the connection yet.

Pick a dataset you want BACKED UP to the cloud.

Set that dataset as SOURCE for your jail/plugin storage

Set the DESTINATION to be something like: /media/crashplan

In crashplan, connected to your server, you select /media/crashplan as the directory you want backed up to their cloud.

You are making this more complicated than it is.