Planning to create a Syncthing app for Virtualmin

General
1

Hi!

Two of the components of WikiSuite.org are Virtualmin and Syncthing.

We already have a basic integration and it’s time to take it to the next level.

I want us to add Syncthing in the list of Virtualmin backup options. This will permit automatic/unattended P2P backups to just about any device.

Please see:

Are there any Virtualmin users here who would like to be Beta testers?

Thanks

Marc
WikiSuite founder

3 Likes
2

Nice to see integrations like that!

One general point I’d like to highlight - quoting from a doc I found that relates to wikisuite and syncthing backups (WikiSuite | Tiki Manager and Syncthing for automated offsite backups):

Syncthing by default is set to sync multiple folders so they get to the exact same set of files and folders. So if you delete a file in one folder, the deletion is propagated. In the contexts of backups, this could cause issues. Examples:

  • Ransomware on any device: Then, all the devices would receive the corrupted data which replaces the valid data.
  • One of the devices runs out of space, and its user decides to clear out old backups.

The solution is:

  1. On the device sending the backups: set Folder Type to “Send Only”
  2. On the device(s) receiving the backups: set File Versioning. Recommended setting is “Staggered”

I would not recommend trusting syncthing’s versioning for any critical data. It’s a nice simple option to likely retain remotely deleted/changed data, but it’s by no means robust/tested enough that I’d trust it for backups.

tl;dr: Please don’t use this method as your only means of backup.

3

I agree that there should be more than one means of backup.

I have been using Syncthing for years to backup like this (but I always have at least one other method)

Thanks!

1 Like