Local Cloud

Lot of words for the Linux side{1}, but the Windows side will be pretty easy in comparison. While Linux has several, small, moving parts to configure, Windows has essentially one program, Acrosync. I fell into this software accidentally and it works pretty well all things considered, but please feel free to use your preferred Windows tool to execute rsync backups over SSH. With Microsoft adding Windows Subsystem for Linux to recent builds of Windows 10, perhaps it might be easier to simply install that and then work through the Linux Client instructions? However, I have not tested that method yet.

Acrosync is certainly a fine tool, but it does cost $30 for a single license. Checking my receipt from a couple years back tells me I paid $25 and it has been worth every penny. Even at the current price, it would be a worthwhile purchase. Then again, I have the one Surface Pro 3, my daughter's primary computer, as such, buying a single license is hardly a budget buster. For users with multiple Windows systems or commercial users, the licensing fees can be daunting. However, remember there are a numbers of ways to accomplish this same task on Windows and I encourage anyone to explore whatever best suits, their level of ability, time frame, and budget.

Configure Acrosync

Note, to launch Acrosync in a mode capable of accepting changes, you need to right click the app and then select "Run as administrator"

• Create a New Profile for Acrosync
  1. Server: YourServerIPAddress (E.g. 10.0.0.100)
  2. Username: serveruser1
  3. Password: Because we are using public key authentication, this field should contain the password to unlock your private key, if any, otherwise leave blank.
  4. Remote Directory: The location of your directory on the server //media/serveruser1/Backup_DATA/WindowsUser1_Backup
  5. Local Directory: C:/Users/WindowsUser1
  6. Sync Mode: "Upload" should be fine{2}
  7. "Run at scheduled times" should be selected. {3}
  8. Advanced Options
     • Port: 22 (assuming you keep the default SSH port on the server).
     • "Over SSH" should be checked
     • "Public Key Authentication" should be checked.
       • This is where you will copy the contents of your encrypted private key file we created in Step 2 of "SSH Key Creation and Sharing".
     • "Propagate deletion" should be checked if you want the backup directory to mirror the source exactly.
     • "Create incremental snapshots" should be checked. Essentially, instead of a bunch of archive directories, you get snapshots of each backup that appear to be exact copies of the source directory at time of backup. Yet, the files do not duplicate, instead files that do not change between backups are simply hard links to the same file.{4}
     • "Enable Volume Shadow Copy" should likewise be checked. Essentially, "Shadow Copy" is a tool on Windows to allow for backups/snapshots even if the files/volumes are in use.
  9. Back to our Scheduler Options.
     • "Automatically run this profile on logon" should be checked.
     • "Don't stop profile when a connection error occurs" should be checked.{5}
     • "Run at a specific time" is my preference and I configured this backup to run at 12:00:00 AM every day of the week, but your preferences may differ.
     • I did not configure the Email Setup, but it is convenient if you so desire.
  10. Close the Acrosync window and then right click on the Acrosync app icon on the right side of the taskbar to select quit. The Acrosync service will remain paused until we completely close out of Acrosync running as an administrator.