Linux Backup Software

Backing up your computer is very necessary in this age with all the outside threats there are such as hacking, cracking, viruses, etc. It's important that you use the right kind of backup software. Most businesses backup their data on a daily basis for their own protection in the event of fire, theft or some other disaster. They are then able to retrieve or restore the files later. Backup software is based on the operating system that is used so if the operating system in Linux, then the backup software for Linux would be the most appropriate software to use.

Backup software for Linux is a little different from the backup software for Windows since the two operating systems are different. Linux is a more technical operating system than Windows and the Linux backup software is more complex as well. Linux uses its own backup utility called tar (tape archive) which is a highly complex system only designed for those with a lot of experience in this field. The Linux tape backup software creates a single archive file from a group of files specified by the user and then puts them in a zip file where they can be opened with the use of WinZip. The use of tar is probably the more complex of the utilities used for backup. Backup Linux software has many other methods for backup-some that are almost as user friendly as Windows.

It is important that you choose the Linux backup software designed for the task at hand, meaning that there are different types of back ups and different types of backup software. You need to get the right one for the job you want done. One of their products, Amanda, is very useful in backing up your data to one centralized server over a Local Area Network. In addition, a combination Window/Linux backup system allows users to take care of all their administrative needs for one product. This is a very popular type of backup software for Linux.

The basic Linux backup software needs to be combined with other software in order to work such as:

• The basic Linux shell program, Bash, is needed to run the backup script when you begin the backup.
  
• Tar, the tape archiver that takes all the files and puts them into one single file
  
• Gzip compresses and crunches the backed up files into a small file
  
• Graphical user interfaces are created by a set of libraries with the use of GTK, GIMP toolkit.
  
• A Linux scheduler called Cron will enable the backups to be run automatically at the times you have specified.
  
• Java is needed to run the programs.
  

The prices of the Linux backup software vary in a wide range from cheap to very expensive, again depending on your needs and technical knowledge of Linux. There is some free Linux backup software available for trial basis to see what kind of product you will want to purchase for long-term usage.