I am looking to back up several Linux machines to a local Windows machine.
The machine resides on a LAN behind a router connected to a high-bandwidth cable modem with a static IP address. I can configure the router for port forwarding, if necessary.
I am currently exploring using rsync, specifically [cwRsync][1], to perform this backup. I have some questions:
- When using rsync, which machine is the "server" and which is the "client"? Is the backup source the client and the backup destination the server, or vice-versa?
- A cwRsync FAQ page hints that an OpenSSHD service should be running on a Windows machine for that machine to be able to be sent files via rsync. If OpenSSHD is truly needed, then which specific distribution or version do you recommend?
- Can you think of a simpler and more effective way to effect this backup? I've used rsync across Linux machines with little trouble before, but it seems that getting this to work with a Windows machine involves quite a bit more work.
Thank you for your help!