Searching for a simple way to use an existing PC as a backup target using a dyndns provider and Windows

Support
#1

Is there any really simple but reliably way to use another PC as a backup storage using a dyndns service to access the actual machine?

F.i. back when using Crashplan I simply made an additional account, installed the software on my parents notebook and added them as storage. This worked great as all they do with their PC is browsing some websites so it, in addition, was a great use of the used energy and storage capacity as well.

I tried using their rooter as it supports USB drives accessed by FTP but it’s just not reliable, after a few days the server just wasn’t reachable anymore so that’s not an option.

Whenever I visit them, I swap a external drive I use as a local backup, but that’s about ever 6-12 weeks, it’s only an additional safety net when everything else does not work for whatever reason.

Is there any simple tool to implement a cloud storage on an external notebook that does not need any maintenance once it’s installed and running and supports access using a dyndns service (so far I’m a dyn.com customer for ages, so that would be my first choice as I could use my existing account)?

I do use two OneDrive accounts for cloud storage already so I do have multiple backups but I’d still love to use this additional option as it’s just a waste of resources not doing so.

#2

I’m not sure about that since ordinary PCs/Laptops use quite some energy when you leave them on 24/7. Just a quick calculation: Let’s say the thing uses 30 Watts when idle, then the monthly consumption will be 30 x 24 x 30 = 21.6 kWh. A NAS or Mini server is probably the better option.

That said: you can simply setup your parents’ machine as an SFTP server (using the built-in OpenSSH server or some other software), make it accessible from the internet via a dynDNS provider and upload your backups there. Instead of SFTP you could also install a Minio server and access it using duplicacy’s s3 backend. Another option would be WebDAV (e.g. via NextCloud). I have not done any of this myself and can’t even say what the advantages of SFTP vs Minio vs. WebDAV are, but I’m. sure others can chip in here (See also here).

For a detailed instruction of how to use Minio as your backup storage, see the following topic (note that it is written for duplicati users, so you obviously have to adapt some things to duplicacy.)

2 Likes
#3

Of course running the PC 24/7 would cost more than what it would be worth - the idea is that I just try to do a backup when my parents are using their PC anyway (of course there’s no guaranteed availability, but either one of them is online for 1-3 hours most evenings and all that’s actually needed, after the initial backup, is probably less than 15 minutes to backup the daily changes).

I’ll have a look at Minio and NextCloud … in the end the prio for me would be that it’s as simple and maintenance free as possible, I know it’s not realistic as these kinds of tools tend to be as flexible as possible and that just needs a basic level of complexity - but f.i. the extreme minimal tool would be something like a portable .exe and just a config file. But well even then I’d need to config their router with some portmapping etc.

Still if someone knows some really barebones solution I’d be happy to learn about these too.

Thanks a lot for your suggestions

#4

Check to see if their router model is flashable with OpenWrt. With a relatively modest amount of effort, such a box with a superior up-to-date Linux-based OS such as OpenWrt, could run SFTP, a dynamic DNS client and provide access to the USB drive. A small learning curve sure, but once set up properly, could function really well.

Alternative and similar to this idea, a cheap Raspberry Pi stashed next to the router and attached to a hard drive. Again, Linux-based, cheap and relatively low power.

Any solution you come up with will definitely require a bit of research and tinkering to get right…

I personally favour Cygwin’s OpenSSH for an SFTP server and Duck DNS for dynamic IPs. However, in order to set up properly (securely!), there’s a few things you need to research and unfortunately a lot of the documentation out there is a bit stale at present.

Stuff like disabling password authentication in favour of public keys. Port forwarding. And making sure you patch it regularly. (Only this week it was announced there’s been a 20 year old vulnerability in OpenSSH which allows usernames to be enumerated). It’s not terribly difficult to set up, but certainly not point and click.

2 Likes
#5

I am doing the R-Pi, with SFTP and duckDNS route… FYI.

1 Like
#6

That sounds interesting too … the router actually is supported (I didn’t expect this at all) as it’s a pretty basic one offered from the isp (Speedport W 701V) but there’s a note on the page for that device that it’s not recommended due to the low specs - still a good suggestion I keep in the back of my mind for a potential usage in the future.

I might give the PI a chance as they seem to consume almost no energy, combined with a cheap ssd this might be a good option and also a reason to finally do my very first steps in the world of Linux (as someone using computers since the VC20 and working as a developer since 20 years it’s about time :slight_smile: )

#7

I think you will like the Pi. It is a simple way to get started and has a ton of support.

1 Like
#8

Nothing against the Pi, but for the record, it’s worth mentioning that it’s not really designed for this kind of usage (running 24/7 with the need for high reliability).

1 Like