How to backup Rackspace Cloudsites Automatically, Incrementally, using Free Software

So you’ve moved 10 of your low-traffic domains to Rackspace Cloudsites and you realized you have no backup plan for all of the sites data.

Rackspace does do hourly and nightly backups automatically for you, but there is only 1 day retention. To view these backups simply login to cloudsites ftp @ ftp://ftp3.ftptoyoursite.com; Once logged in, type “.snapshot” as the remote dir (replacing “/”). Please see this screenshot

Cloudsites recommends creating scheduled Cron jobs for backups if they need to be automated, and does facilitate this need in the manage.rackspacecloud.com control panel. Rackspace unfortunately does not provide sufficient documentation to accomplish this.

UPDATE 08-02-2010: Rackspace has some docs up for cron jobs now, check them out here.

Here is what I wanted my backup solution to accomplish:

• Automated daily backups of all domains directories located @ Cloudsites.
• Customizable Retention of backup files
• Compression, preferably to .ZIP or .rar (not propietary like symantec .v2i)
• Software should be cheap or free
• Email notification upon success/failure

I tried different FTP clients that have a sync/backup feature and none of them worked except for Cobian Backup 10 which I ended  upchoosing. Why such random software? Its free, facilitates all of my above requirements, and it works (unlike WS_FTP).

I have used Cobian in production for about 3 months now and it was a true “Fire and Forget” solution, other than reading email notifications and checking restore periodically.

IMPORTANT TIP: If you choose to use Cobian Backup, make sure you check the “Passive Transfers” checkbox or your backup task will not work. (see below)

ADVICE: Any backup solution that is not 100% automated, with notifications, that in any way relies on human intervention, is #fail. This is why most backups still suck, don’t be caught with your pant’s down.

“Backups aren’t technology. They’re a methodology, and they are, for the most part, methodology designed, implemented, and carried out by humans. We’re imperfect creatures, and we do things imperfectly. We’re quite easily fooled, we believe what we want, and we suffer from all sorts of cognitive biases.” – Matt Simons, Click here to read his post on why backups still suck.