automatically backing up data onto another pc

Question

I have a machine running ubuntu server that I have set up to Wake on LAN

I also have a few pc running Windows XP.

What I want is to set it up so that every day or every time I log in or out, for an XP machine to back up the data onto the server.

I can manually wake the server by sending the magic packet and I can then run the backup tool included in XP to backup the data.

I have tried running it as a scheduled task but i cant get the wol packet to send this way.

Anyone got any ideas or an alternative way of waking the server and backing up the data?

Cheers

Update: cheers guys all good stuff, I'll have a proper look through tomorrow. I was using a GUI tool to send the WOL packet so that might have been why it was so hard.

Would you say SyncToy or rsync is better for doing the backup portion? Cheers

Answer 1

You could load an rsync server on WIndows and run a rsync job from the server to sync the data on a regular schedule - even when no one logs in.

There is an open source windows build of rsync server called DeltaCopy.

\\Greg

Answer 2

Try Windows SyncToy for backup. Can you give more details of your wake-up tool? There should be a way to set it up as a scheduled task...

Answer 3

Create a batch file to run the WOL command, sleep for whatever amount of time you need for the target machine to be ready and then run the backup. Run that batch file via the task scheduler.

Answer 4

I would use a command line tool for sending the WOL packet. A GUI tool is hard to automate (or schedule). Scheduling a command line tool is straightforward.

Google: command line wake-on-lan