Automating Your Backup Routine: A How-To Guide

Automating Your Backup Routine: A How-To Guide

Backing up your files regularly is one of the most important things you can do to protect your data. Setting up an automated backup routine takes a bit of work upfront, but saves you time in the long run and gives you peace of mind knowing your files are safely stored. This guide will walk you through the steps I took to set up a completely automated backup solution.

Choosing a Backup Drive

The first step is choosing a drive to backup your data to. Here are a few things I considered when selecting a backup drive:

  • Storage capacity – I wanted a drive with enough space to store all my important files, with room to grow. I opted for a 2TB portable external HDD.

  • Reliability – I read reviews and chose a drive from a reputable brand known for reliability. WD and Seagate are good options.

  • Connectivity – I made sure to get a USB 3.0 drive for fast transfer speeds. USB-C or Thunderbolt are even better options.

  • Portability – I chose a portable drive so I can easily take my backups offsite.

Choosing Backup Software

Next, I needed backup software to automatically copy my files to the external drive. I decided on CryptoSync after comparing a few different options:

  • Encryption – CryptoSync encrypts my backups for security.

  • Incremental backups – It only copies new/modified files which makes backups faster.

  • Scheduling – I can schedule backups to run automatically on a schedule.

  • Versioning – Old file versions are retained for a certain number of backups.

  • Data verification – Backups are verified to ensure integrity.

Setting the Backup Source

Within CryptoSync, I specified the folders and files I wanted to backup by adding backup sources:

  • My user folder – Backs up my personal documents, photos, downloads, etc.

  • System folders – I added /etc and /var/log to backup system configuration.

  • Application data – I added folders for app data I wanted backed up.

I excluded folders I didn’t need backed up, like my downloads folder, to save space.

Configuring the Backup Schedule

CryptoSync lets me configure an automated schedule for backups. Here’s the schedule I set:

  • Daily incremental backups – Run nightly to capture that day’s changes.

  • Weekly full backups – Runs weekly capturing a full snapshot.

  • Monthly verification – Runs an integrity verification on the 1st of the month.

I also enabled versioning to retain 4 weeks worth of incremental backups.

Storing Backups Offsite

For an extra level of protection, I recommend keeping a copy of your backups offsite in case of disaster. A few options:

  • Use a portable drive and rotate it to a trusted location.

  • Use a cloud storage service like Backblaze to automatically mirror your local backups.

  • Consider a professional offsite backup service.

Testing Your Backups

Once everything is set up, it’s important to regularly test that your backups are working as intended. Here’s what I do to test my backup system:

  • Restore random files from various dates to test integrity.

  • Perform a complete bare metal restore to a spare drive to verify the full process.

  • Monitor logs from the backup software for any errors.

  • Periodically take the portable drive offsite and verify it can be accessed.

Automating your backups takes a bit of work up front, but I’ve found it provides immense peace of mind. My computer now has rock-solid file protection without me having to think about it. I hope this guide helps you set up your own effective automated backup routine! Let me know if you have any other questions.

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