Re: using bittorrent for backup of personal files

[Rob Owens <rowens@ptd.net>]

On Wed, Mar 07, 2012 at 09:53:31AM -0800, Kelly Clowers wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 6, 2012 at 16:18, Rob Owens <rowens@ptd.net> wrote:
> > I want to keep this data private.  What are my options, besides a VPN?
> > I hesitate to use a public torrent even on encrypted data, because the
> > computers of tomorrow may easily crack today's encryption using brute
> > force.
> 
> Not sure off the top of my head what encryption BT uses, but if it is any
> good, it shouldn't be any easier to break than a VPN's encryption...
> 
I have read that BT's encryption was not intended so much for security,
but more to help prevent ISPs from throttling your torrent downloads.
I should look into it more, though.

> I don't know what BackupPC does internally, but I would just
> use rsync over ssh, with appropriate options. It ought to be pretty
> robust
> 
I have BackupPC configured to use rsync over ssh.  It works well, but
its main problems are:

1)  It typically maxes out my internet connection.  Plain old rsync
would do this too, unless there is a throttling option that I don't know
about.  Rtorrent, which I use, has a throttling option.

2)  If the transfer is interrupted, BackupPC allows you to pick up where
you started just once.  This is a simplified explanation, and there are
workarounds, and it only applies to the first full backup.  But that
first full backup is sometimes huge and could take days or weeks.  Throw
in a user or two who dual-boots to Windows, and that complicates the
issue even further.

Thanks for all the ideas, everyone.  Keep 'em coming.

-Rob