Crashplan backup software

[justice]

Didn't find a dedicated topic to this very good piece of software, Crashplan. I have used many backup programs in the past and this one is the best I have tried. It's like Mozy, however with a spare harddrive or NAS you can use the free version to backup multiple pcs to that instead. Attach a drive, specify it as the destination, and let it go. It will even email you when it was 3 or more days that a backup last took place. You can even backup your friends/relative's pc on your datastore (encrypted of course).

If you have a local backup (say at home), then reattach the drive on a different pc at a different location (say at work), having Crashplan installed on both will allow you to continue the backup with only the differences being sent over the net.

Good readup at Lifehacker
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[Perry Mowbray]

Really? 8 hours for 2 GB??


...just noticed that that's not your graphic    How is the speed??

[justice]

Not sure, it just backs up, either when I'm away and I don't notice it, or when i'm not using the computer but I still don't notice it. I just notice every time i look at it at least 99.5% of stuff is backed up. Just notice that the graphic is showing Crashplan central (backup to their online servers) and I only ever backup to removable drives.

[Perry Mowbray]

Cool: I'm sure I looked at them before... but they sound irresistible now, so I'll give it a go 

Are you still in the 30 day free trial?

Maybe we should start a DC CrashPlan club and backup to each other's computers? Though $40/year isn't much for off-site storage.

[justice]

No I'm not on the 30 day trial, as this is for the online backup, I don't use that. The program is free with restrictions that you can get out from by buying Crashplan+.

Here's some screenshots so you can see what features are disabled and what you can configure (i just left this as they are)
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[tomos]

Looks interesting - especially unlimited online backup for $54 a year

I find the pro pricing confusing:
http://b3.crashplan.com/business/store.vtl

They offer "1 year Individual Unlimited" for $54, but is that for the software - or is the software only sold in 5 packs ($438) ?

[JavaJones]

I've been looking at these guys recently for backup after I ran into a rather dramatic data crisis recently. They're one of the few that offer a "data seeding" option where for a fee they'll send you a drive you can put most/all of your data onto and then you send it back and they "seed" your backup. You can do this with up to 1TB of data for around $125, shipping paid both ways, and when you have 1+TB of data this is actually a really valuable and potentially worthwhile service. Their service cost is also quite reasonable and they support "unlimited" data and I have good reason to believe they really will support 1+TB of data within their normal fee structure (which is cheap). They'll also send you a physical copy of your backup data if desired as an optional extra cost service, again very nice if you need to restore in a hurry after a total loss. Basically what I've been looking for is a way to get my data backed up in as many locations as possible, preferably at least one "off-site". These guys seem like one of the best, most cost-effective ways to do that.

- Oshyan

[tomos]

I had actually posted about this before - & forgotten about it

Pricing:- pro software is $60, plus online charges ($54/yr) if you're backing up online. Unclear if software needs to be upgraded or if there's subscription costs for it...

Business (5+ licenses) pricing is different again https://www9.crashplan.com/business/store.vtl

Here's an interesting one:
CrashPlan

I came across it here (a not very in depth review, in the Imaging Resource newsletter)

~ Basic backup software is free
~ Plus ('+') software is $60

Why should I buy CrashPlan+?

Purchase CrashPlan+ if:

    * You are a business. The free version of CrashPlan is for personal use only.
    * You need customer support. CrashPlan+ users receive email and phone support.
    * You want to restore files from the web. CrashPlan+ users can restore their files over the web when combined with CrashPlan Central (purchased separately).
    * You want continuous, real-time backup. The free version of CrashPlan backs up daily.
    * You like being super secure. The free version of CrashPlan is plenty secure but for enhanced security, CrashPlan+ uses 448bit encryption.
    * You want to be ad free! There are no ads in CrashPlan+

you can figure out from that the disadvantages of the basic software... Compare here. 

In review linked above, they say it needs 500MB memory for continuous protection (!)
It's one of those watch your files in the background apps
It does partial file updates

The online backup costs $54/year/individual, unlimited backup (that sounds good!)
Again in the review they say they'll send you a 1TB drive to do your first backup if you have over 100GB to backup  [edit]-I didnt see that advertised on their site, presumably only in the US-[/edit]

[mouser]

Just thought i would add some links to this topic.  Two other threads that talk about crashplan quite a bit:

• http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=26224.0
• http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=29964.0