Topic: Areca Backup an easy to use and reliable backup solution for Linux and Windows

[Software Santa]

Areca Backup is an easy to use and reliable backup solution for Linux and Windows

Areca Backup
Open Source, easy to use and reliable backup solution for Linux and Windows.

Areca Backup is an Open Source backup solution which is released under the General Public License (GPL) v2.

It basically allows you to select a set of files / directories to back-up, choose where and how (as a simple file copy, as a zip archive, ...) they will be stored, and configure post-backup actions (like sending backup reports by email or launching custom shell scripts)

It has been designed to :

    * Be as simple as possible to set up : No complex configuration files to edit - Your backup configuration (which is stored as an XML file) can be edited with Areca's graphical user interface.
    * Be as versatile as possible : Areca can use advanced backup modes (like "delta backup") or simply produce a "basic" copy of your source files as a standard directory or zip archive (readable by WinZip or other archivers).
    * Allow you to interact with your archives and the files they contain : Track different versions of a specific file, browse your archives, recover or view specific files, merge a set of archives, ...


Backup Engine Features :

    * Archives compression (Zip & Zip64 format)
    * Archives encryption (AES128 & AES256 encryption algorithms)
    * Storage on local hard drive, network drive, USB key, FTP / FTPs server (with implicit and explicit SSL / TLS)
    * Source file filters (by extension, subdirectory, regular expression, size, date, status, with AND/OR/NOT logical operators)
    * Incremental, differential and full backup support
    * Support for delta backup (store only modified parts of your files)
    * Archives merges : You can merge contiguous archives into one single archive to save storage space.
    * As of date recovery : Areca allows you to recover your archives (or single files) as of a specific date.
    * Transaction mechanism : All critical processes (such as backups or merges) are transactional. This guarantees your backups' integrity.
    * Backup reports : Areca generates backup reports that can be stored on your disk or sent by email.
    * Post backup scripts : Areca can launch shell scripts after backup.
    * Files permissions, symbolic links and named pipes can be stored and recovered. (Linux only)


Graphical User Interface :

    * Archives content explorer. (including a 'find file in archives' feature)
    * Archive description : A manifest is associated to each archive, which contains various informations such as title, date, description, and additional technical data.
    * File version tracking : Areca keeps track of your files' history (creation / modifications / deletion). Each version can be selectively viewed and recovered.
    * Backup simulation (check whether a backup is necessary)
    * User's actions history : Areca keeps an history of all user's actions (archives deletion, merges, backups, recoveries).


Command-Line Interface :

    * Areca comes with a command-line interface which can be used for backup automation.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/areca/files/