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Tee · Apr 16, 2009, 05:06 PM

So there are tons of free online backup services. Unfortunately, they all have some sort of gotcha, such as limiting the size of individual files or having a web-based uploader which makes managing files impractical.

I have been combing through various options but I have yet to find something that offers the following features (which I do admit are rather presumptuous on my part for a free offering):

Free
15GB+ Storage
500mb+ file size
Accessible via FTP or WebDav

turtle777 · Apr 16, 2009, 05:38 PM

I have never seen that much free online storage.

-t

shifuimam · Apr 16, 2009, 05:41 PM

You're not going to see 15GB+ for free. Disk space and bandwidth cost money.

Use Dropbox if you want an online storage solution that allows you to mess with files while offline.

If you want a backup solution, try Cobian Backup. It's a free backup utility that will let you backup to an FTP server of your choice. It can also do backups automatically.

Tee · Apr 16, 2009, 05:45 PM

Not to shill for them, but adrive.com does offer 50GB for free. It's pretty close to meeting my specs, but they charge for anything other than web based transfers.

Tee · Apr 16, 2009, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by shifuimam

If you want a backup solution, try Cobian Backup. It's a free backup utility that will let you backup to an FTP server of your choice. It can also do backups automatically.

Isn't that a Win app?

turtle777 · Apr 16, 2009, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by Tee

Not to shill for them, but adrive.com does offer 50GB for free. It's pretty close to meeting my specs, but they charge for anything other than web based transfers.

I'm having a hard time trusting a company making such an offer.
You know the old saying: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is..."

And plus, let me add, w/o FTP, this is downright useless.

-t

turtle777 · Apr 16, 2009, 07:24 PM

For free 2GB backup space, use Mozy.

-t

steve626 · Apr 18, 2009, 09:11 PM

Generally speaking, you get what you pay for.

jmiddel · Apr 21, 2009, 08:27 PM

So would anyone suggest a reliable and affordable BU option for aprox 200 Gigs?

Wiskedjak · Apr 21, 2009, 08:51 PM

SkyDrive

25GB storage
50mb file size

Rumor · Apr 21, 2009, 10:50 PM

$100 a year will get you 50GB and no size limit with DropBox.

However, for that, you could buy your own web hosting.

RAILhead · Apr 21, 2009, 11:46 PM

Why do people always want something for nothing?

B Gallagher · Apr 22, 2009, 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by Rumor

$100 a year will get you 50GB and no size limit with DropBox.

However, for that, you could buy your own web hosting.

A few hosts specify in their EULA that your website hosting can not be used specifically for backup purposes.

shifuimam · Apr 22, 2009, 05:21 AM

Originally Posted by B Gallagher

A few hosts specify in their EULA that your website hosting can not be used specifically for backup purposes.

VPSes generally do not have this limitation.

However, VPSes generally also don't have as much disk space for the price.

We're going to be moving to a 50GB Dropbox for a remote backup solution for the boyfriend's game stuff (he hosts a few online MORPGs). It's an easy way to maintain a backup compared to using a normal hosting provider (VPS or shared), especially since it does things like provide a revision history of files, a deleted files history and recovery, the ability to easily allow other users to access files in the Dropbox, and the backup is completely automated.

All in all, it seems like a good, easy way to backup files for a pretty low price ($100/year isn't too bad).

One thing worth mentioning about ADrive - the free version has no encryption whatsoever on file transfers, since it only supports FTP. While I'm not entirely paranoid, it seems really dumb in this day and age to not provide SFTP (particularly since SSL can be implemented for free in any Linux or UNIX distro, and options are available for other OSes).

I wouldn't trust uploading my personal stuff on a regular basis over an unencrypted connection.

besson3c · Apr 22, 2009, 11:03 AM

I fully understand the convenience of online backup, but have you guys thought about upload speeds? It would take *for f-ing ever* to upload 15 gigs over the capped speeds that you get with most residential broadband.

besson3c · Apr 22, 2009, 11:06 AM

I think it's safe to recommend not putting any sensitive data on these sorts of services. Last I checked the iDisk or whatever it is called now is just straight WebDAV which, along with FTP, also doesn't encrypt traffic. About the only way you could upload safely with services like this is w. a VPN connection.

Another option is Amazon S3, which I use as a means of offsite backup for my important data.

besson3c · Apr 22, 2009, 11:16 AM

Also of note is that for me and the amount of data I backup on my servers, I found Amazon S3 to be cheaper than both Dreamhost and a Linode/Slicehost VPS.

Doofy · Apr 22, 2009, 12:07 PM

Meanwhile, over in the Pirate Bay thread, folks are trying to convince me that they don't want everything for free.

Phileas · Apr 22, 2009, 09:37 PM

We use dropbox for business. Excellent, reliable, affordable service.

shifuimam · Apr 23, 2009, 06:17 AM

Mozy seems decent for a backup-only service, although I'm not sure how fast it is to retrieve your files once you've backed them up.

Wiskedjak · Apr 23, 2009, 07:30 AM

Originally Posted by RAILhead

Why do people always want something for nothing?

Lots of companies give us stuff for nothing, especially Internet related stuff. As a result, we've come to expect Internet related stuff to be free. Don't blame the people who expect free stuff, blame the companies who've helped set that expectation.

RAILhead · Apr 23, 2009, 09:22 AM

jmiddel · Apr 24, 2009, 05:05 PM

Thank you Rumor. DropBox is very easy to use, totally Mac friendly, it is an interface for Amazon's robust BU system and I am certainly willing to pay for a good service, since for due diligence reasons I need off-site BU. 100 clams a year for 50 gigs, that is very reasonable.

Love Calm Quiet · Apr 25, 2009, 08:33 AM

At Hacker News there's a lot of praise for getDropbox.com ( see hacker comments: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=578459 )
They provide 2GB free (in hopes you'll like it's sync features enough to get a "pro"-level storage.
I'm having trouble getting their (beta) Mac client's dmg to open on my PB 10.4.11 - but would like to know if it's worked for anybody?

RAILhead · Apr 25, 2009, 09:11 AM

I've been using Dropbox since it was alpha, and I use it on 4 Macs and 2 PCs -- with no problems.

adamfishercox · Apr 25, 2009, 12:01 PM

Still havent really figured out how to use Dropbox in my workflow (I'm just not a "cloud" guy") but it is a great product.

turtle777 · Apr 25, 2009, 12:27 PM

The problem with dropbox is that your data is not encrypted.

You can, however, set up a TrueCrypt container in your dropbox.
Since the TrueCrypt container uses a sparce image type of fileformat, only changed data will be synchronized. So if you have a 1 GB TrueCrypt container, and you change only 1 MB, only that 1 MB needs to by synchronized. Pretty cool.

-t

besson3c · Apr 25, 2009, 01:04 PM

I think the question that is worth asking WRT looking for free options is how this company is making their money? No company will provide you with something out of the goodness of their hearts that incurs expenses for them, there is always a catch. What is that catch?

Phileas · Apr 25, 2009, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

The problem with dropbox is that your data is not encrypted.

turtle777 · Apr 25, 2009, 07:39 PM

Ok, that must be new. It wasn't encrypted when I started using it last year.

But still, if you have confidential data, would you trust any provider ?

-t

Phileas · Apr 25, 2009, 09:03 PM

Dropbox is an integral part of our IT setup at work. We encourage all of our suppliers and collaborators to adopt use, with great results. It has completely removed the need for FTP transfers, multiple file versions and distributed information. Now, everybody works with the latest version of everything, all the time.

Things I am waiting for: Support for external drives and personal encryption keys.

Eug · Apr 30, 2009, 09:18 PM

OK, I'm currently on Dreamhost and they're charging me $191 every two years. That seems OK for what they offer, but all I really need is 5 GB space and FTP support, with webhosting. Actually, even just 1 GB would be fine. The only reason I have 3 GB on there now is because I never bother erasing the old files I don't need.

I host:

1) Pictures for MacNN forums etc. (seriously)
2) A few iWeb sites for family and friends, but I'd just need a few hundred MB for those, and they don't need to stay up forever.

I'm contemplating closing it altogether and just using some free pic-hosting site. Which would you recommend? What I really hate is those sites that force you to go their website. I want to be able to do clean embeds like this:

shifuimam · May 1, 2009, 11:39 AM

Google Pages. It's where I host little stuff when I don't want to use my web hosting.

Eug · May 4, 2009, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by shifuimam

Google Pages. It's where I host little stuff when I don't want to use my web hosting.

I checked it out. It no longer is taking new people, but you can now sign up for Google Sites. However, AFAIK you can't put iWeb websites up on there.

Is there any place that will host small personal websites for free or really cheaply? Like I said I only need a few hundred MB and bandwidth usage will be very low. (Just friends, family, etc.) And by cheap, I mean way less than the $100 I pay per year now.

shifuimam · May 4, 2009, 11:38 AM

That's balls.

Oh well.

Also: I think dreamhost starts at $5 a month for personal shared hosting.