Windows Home Server Online Backup Solutions

Question

Does anyone have any good, well priced online backup solutions for Windows Home Server? I've looked at using s3 but the pricing ends up to expensive with the amount of data I have. Mozy and alike don't support WHS. I was considering just getting a cheap linux VPS and using rsync to backup, if thats possible with WHS.

Any thoughts or solutions you have appreciated.

Answer 1

I don't have WHS so can't confirm if any of these work on that, but below are some services that I have used successfully on 2000 and XP. I've listed geographical location, as I've found it can have a significant impact on speed:

• SpiderOak (US west coast) - needs their software and is both a sync and backup tool
• Dropbox (US and Europe) - needs their software, and is really meant as a sync tool, less flexible than SpiderOak
• Humyo (UK) - uses their software or WebDAV over SSL
• MyDisk (Sweden) - WebDAV with a Java-based backup client, or web folders.

Sorry for not linking, but I'm under the novice links limitation. The WebDAV ones will work as a mapped drive using Netdrive. All the above have a web interface to let you recovery individual files. Dropbox and SpiderOak have file version history.

Another possibility is Crashplan. Their software is now free, which could let you partner with someone else, so that you back up to them and they back up to you. All encrypted of course, but it does mean opening a port on your firewall.

Answer 2

You don't state what a reasonable cost is, but KeepVault seems like the most viable cost-oriented solution specifically for WHS. A review at WeGotServed seems to indicate it's a decent cost-savings compared to Amazon S3, and reputable.

Personally, I'm not backing up that much data and have been using JungleDisk for WHS with Amazon S3 as the backend. At the storage levels you're talking about though, S3's storage cost is almost twice as much as KeepVault and the transfer costs alone will be pretty horrible as well given your stated update frequency.

If my storage needs increase I'll be looking at this as well.

Answer 3

I think ASUS webstorage is worth looking at:

Pros:

• Free up to 1GB
• $39.99/yr for unlimited space
• Integrates directly in WHS console via plugin. Can select which shared folders to backup

Cons:

• Seems to only backup shared folders... not system drive
• Cannot select individual files in shares.

See this review article on HowToGeek.

Answer 4

A couple I don't recommend:

• Mozy (not supported, doesn't install without hacking the installer)
• Carbonite (not supported, will install, but has significant issues with any folders having duplication enabled)

Have you looked into CrashPlan? I haven't yet, but plan to.

Answer 5

Mozy advertises unlimited package at 4.95 a month. I have only used the free version with a 2gb limit but their service is good and easy to setup.