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What BackupPC does on a VPS
BackupPC is a server-side, disk-based backup system. It pulls data from client machines and stores the backups on the VPS’s local volume or attached network storage. The project describes it as “a high-performance, enterprise-grade system for backing up to a server’s disk.”
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For Unix and Linux clients, BackupPC can transfer data with rsync or tar over SSH. It can also use SMB for compatible clients. The server keeps full and incremental backups, pools identical files across backups and hosts, and can compress stored data. Pooling means one unchanged file shared by several backups is stored once, but it does not remove the need to budget for growth, metadata, logs, filesystem overhead, and space needed during restores.
A VPS is only one failure domain. If the VPS, its storage volume, and the host provider fail together, BackupPC cannot supply an independent disaster site. Keep a second recovery path or an off-site copy for data that must survive that event.
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Plan the VPS before installing BackupPC
Choose an operating system and storage layout
Use a supported Unix-like operating system and check the BackupPC release documentation and your distribution’s package repositories before installation. Package names and versions vary by distribution. The backup volume needs a substantial amount of free disk space and a filesystem that supports BackupPC’s data-store behavior.
Expandable LVM or RAID-backed storage is preferable where your VPS provider offers it. Plan expansion before the volume is full; moving a live data store after an emergency is slower and riskier than extending it in advance. Keep the BackupPC data store on one suitable filesystem when possible. Moving data across filesystems can become an expensive copy operation rather than a cheap rename.
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Put the BackupPC pool, logs, and temporary restore space on persistent storage that can be expanded independently of the VPS boot disk. Leave room for:
- Retained full backups.
- Retained incremental backups.
- New data and expected change rates.
- Filesystem metadata and BackupPC’s pool structure.
- Temporary files created during restores.
- Logs and operational headroom.
Do not size the volume to the current source dataset alone. A backup server that reaches 100 percent utilization may stop accepting new backups and may not have enough working space to restore files.
Estimate how much storage BackupPC needs
Use retained backup sets, not just source size
Start with a simple uncoupled estimate for each host:
raw retention = (average full-backup size × retained full count) + (average incremental size × retained incremental count)
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Understand pooling and compression
BackupPC’s pooling and compression can make the stored footprint much smaller than the sum of every backup. The project documentation gives this historical illustration: 95 laptops, each full backup averaging 3.6 GB and each incremental averaging 0.3 GB, with three weekly full backups and six incrementals per laptop. The raw total is about 1,200 GB; pooling and compression reduced the example to about 150 GB.
That figure is an illustration, not a guaranteed ratio for your VPS. Files that change frequently, are already compressed, or are unique to one host will pool less effectively. Treat the first weeks of measured usage as the basis for resizing.
Install BackupPC and protect its service account
Install the distribution package or current source release
Install BackupPC and its required Perl components using the method supported by your operating system. A current source installation requires BackupPC::XS and rsync-bpc; repository packages may split these into separate package names. Check the target distribution and the current BackupPC release notes rather than copying package names from an unrelated operating system.
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The package may create the BackupPC service identity automatically. If it does not, create a dedicated account and group with no interactive administrative privileges. The service account should own the data store, logs, runtime files, and private SSH keys it needs, while configuration files remain writable only by administrators.
Lock down configuration and command paths
BackupPC configuration comments warn that ordinary users must not be able to write privileged command paths or configuration files. Apply normal Unix ownership and mode controls to the configuration directory, pool, logs, and service account’s SSH directory. Do not place writable directories earlier in the service account’s executable search path, and do not allow untrusted users to modify scripts invoked by BackupPC.
After installation, confirm that the daemon starts, the CGI interface loads, and the service account can access its data directory. Resolve permission errors before adding clients; otherwise an initial backup can fail after transferring a large amount of data.
Prepare each Linux client for rsync over SSH
Install compatible rsync
Install rsync 3.x on every Linux or Unix client. Install rsync-bpc on the BackupPC server; it is the BackupPC-aware rsync binary used for the transfer. Verify the actual paths on your distribution and use those paths in the host configuration.
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Create a dedicated backup account
Create a regular client account for BackupPC rather than enabling unrestricted root SSH. The account must be able to read every path selected for backup. If some files require elevated access, grant narrowly scoped sudo permission for the rsync command only.
# Run on the client, adapting the account and binary path to your system
sudo useradd --create-home --shell /bin/bash backupreader
sudo visudoA sudoers rule should permit only the exact rsync executable and arguments required by your BackupPC configuration. Do not grant a shell, a wildcard command, or unrestricted root access. Confirm that the rule cannot be used to run an arbitrary program through a writable rsync module, script, or option.
Exchange and restrict the SSH key
Generate the key as the BackupPC service account, install its public half in the client account’s authorized_keys, and test a non-interactive login. Restrict the key where practical with options such as a fixed source address, disabled agent forwarding, disabled port forwarding, and a noninteractive session. The exact restrictions depend on your network and whether BackupPC needs to invoke rsync through the account.
# Run as the BackupPC service account on the backup server
ssh-keygen -t ed25519
ssh [email protected] trueSSH supplies authentication and encryption for rsync and tar transfers. Keep the private key readable only by the BackupPC service account and administrators who require emergency access.
Add a host and select the transfer settings
Define the host in BackupPC
Add each client in the BackupPC host configuration and assign its hostname or address. Select XferMethod = 'rsync' for a Linux client using rsync over SSH. Set the client rsync path, the server’s rsync_bpc path, SSH arguments, the share name, include and exclude rules, and restore arguments in the per-host configuration.
Use a per-host configuration when machines have different filesystems, credentials, retention needs, or exclusion rules. Keep common defaults in the global configuration and override only what differs. After every change, run a backup and inspect that host’s log rather than assuming the setting was accepted.
Select the right share scope
You can back up a complete root filesystem, but a root share includes pseudo-filesystems and volatile paths that should not be copied. Exclude paths such as /proc and /run, along with transient or sparse log data that does not belong in a file-level recovery set.
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An alternative is to back up each real filesystem separately with --one-file-system. This avoids crossing into mounted filesystems and makes the recovery plan explicit, but it requires you to list every filesystem that must be protected. Choose the approach that matches how you will rebuild the client.
Compare BackupPC transfer methods
The method affects encryption, privilege requirements, metadata fidelity, firewall exposure, client compatibility, restore behavior, and operational complexity.
| Method | Encryption | Unix metadata | Network and operational notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| rsync over SSH | Provided by SSH | Strong fit for Unix and Linux files | Uses the SSH path; supports a restricted account with narrowly scoped sudo |
| tar over SSH | Provided by SSH | Strong fit for Unix and Linux files | Uses SSH and is useful when a tar-based transfer matches the client’s recovery model |
| rsyncd | No encryption on a direct connection | Suitable for rsync-compatible data | Requires authentication and additional exposure; use an SSH tunnel or another secure wrapper if unavoidable |
| SMB | Depends on the SMB security configuration | Generally less suitable than rsync or tar for Unix metadata | Useful for compatible clients, but requires its own share and credential setup |
For Linux servers, rsync over SSH is usually the simplest secure baseline: one encrypted transport, a dedicated account, and no directly exposed rsync daemon.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Set schedules, retention, and concurrency
Choose full and incremental frequency
Set full and incremental schedules according to how quickly the data changes and how much history the business requires. Retention counts determine the number of full and incremental generations kept; they also determine the capacity estimate. A server with a small source tree but high daily churn can require more storage than a larger, mostly static tree.
Limit simultaneous backups
VPS CPU and disk performance determine how many backups can run simultaneously. Start conservatively, observe CPU, I/O wait, memory, and transfer logs, then increase concurrency only when the storage subsystem remains responsive. Running too many jobs at once can make every backup slower and can interfere with restores.
Configure notifications
Set email notifications for failures and other events that require attention. A green dashboard is not a substitute for reading per-host transfer and error logs, particularly after changing exclusions, SSH arguments, sudo rules, or filesystem mounts.
Run the first backup and verify it
- Confirm that the BackupPC service account can make a non-interactive SSH connection to the client.
- From the host configuration, verify the client rsync path, server
rsync_bpcpath, share name, SSH arguments, and sudo command. - Start an initial full backup. The first run reads the complete selected dataset and establishes the baseline for later incrementals.
- Open the per-host log and check transferred files, exclusions, permission errors, vanished files, and the final completion status.
- Run an incremental backup after representative files have changed and confirm that the expected changes appear.
- Use the CGI interface to browse the backup, download one file, restore a directory, and test a permissions-sensitive file.
Browsing and downloading proves that BackupPC can read its pool. A direct restore proves that the restore arguments, ownership handling, destination permissions, and client-side SSH path work together.
Restore one file or a directory
Single-file restore
In the CGI interface, select the host, choose the backup generation, browse to the file, and use the download or restore action. A download is useful when you need to inspect the content without overwriting the live client. A direct restore is appropriate when the destination and ownership behavior have been reviewed.
Directory and permission-sensitive restores
Test a representative directory containing nested files, symbolic links, and permissions that matter to the application. Also test a file whose owner or mode is security-sensitive. Confirm the destination path, whether existing files are replaced, and which account performs the restore. Record the procedure so another administrator can repeat it during an incident.
Security and failure-domain checklist
- Use a regular SSH account and narrowly scoped sudo instead of unrestricted root SSH.
- Ensure the account can read every selected path, including files that require elevated access.
- Protect the private key, BackupPC configuration, pool, logs, and CGI administration.
- Expose the web interface only through normal VPS administrative controls and a TLS-capable reverse proxy.
- Keep direct rsyncd connections off untrusted networks unless an encrypted wrapper is used.
- Confirm the backup volume can be expanded before it reaches capacity.
- Maintain a second recovery path or off-site copy when the VPS is not an acceptable single failure domain.
Troubleshoot common setup failures
SSH works interactively but the backup fails
BackupPC runs non-interactively. Check the service account’s key permissions, host-key verification, SSH arguments, hostname resolution, and whether the client account prompts for a password or sudo password. Test the same command as the BackupPC service identity, not as your administrator account.
Files are missing from the backup
Check include and exclude rules, mount points, and the selected share. A root backup may skip mounted filesystems when --one-file-system is used, while a broad root share may intentionally exclude /proc or /run. Confirm that the dedicated client account can read the missing path.
The pool fills faster than expected
Compare actual full and incremental sizes with your estimate, then inspect retention counts, high-churn directories, already-compressed files, and duplicate content that is not pooling. Reduce retention only after confirming the required recovery window, and expand the volume before an emergency restore needs the remaining space.
Backups slow the VPS or each other
Reduce simultaneous jobs and observe disk latency, CPU, memory, and network throughput. Backup duration and throughput are workload- and provider-specific; the project does not publish one universal VPS size, price, speed target, or guaranteed completion time.
Operate BackupPC as a recovery system
After deployment, review every host for a recent successful full or incremental backup. Read transfer and error logs after the first run and after configuration changes. Repeat single-file, directory, and permissions-sensitive restores on a schedule, not only when data is lost.
Document which filesystems are included, which paths are excluded, how to expand storage, where the SSH keys are controlled, and how to rebuild a client. BackupPC is the backup engine; it is not an independent disaster site. A second copy in another failure domain is the safeguard against losing both the VPS and its backup volume.
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