Rsync is a powerful backup tool initially developed for Linux OS. But today, there are several Windows backup software that utilize Rsync. Well rsync is a simple and lightweight solution if you need to perform incremental backup. Today we are going to review the Acrosync, a Rsync backup tool for Windows. it comes with pretty simple user interface. This program will backup your data to remote computer (cloud computer) using rsync. OK, so this tutorial will show you how to backup Windows using Acrosync. Unfortunately it does not supports cloud storage such as Google Drive, Amazon S3 etc.
Download Acrosync
First, you may want to download and install Acrosync. Please note that Acrosync is not free. You can try Acrosync Full Version for 15 days for free. You can download it from this link.
Steps to Backup Windows Using Acrosync
Open Acrosync and then type the server IP address or domain name. This can be a local network server or a public/private cloud server. For example, if you have cloud server instance at Linode, AWS, or Digital Ocean, you can easily set the Acrosync to backup your data there.
After you enter the remote domain name or IP address, you have to enter the username and password to login to your remote server. You may also change the SSH port (default is 22) if your server uses different port than 22.
Specify the Backup Destination
Click the button next to Remote Directory to open and select the remote directory. If you don’t see any folder, you need to type “/” and then press the button. You should now see the root directory of the remote server.
Select the backup destination and press Select to return to the main window.
Specify the Backup Source
Now, its time to provide the backup source. Click the blue button next to Local Directory and select which folders to backup.
Now we have the backup source and backup destination set.
Configure the Backup Schedule
If you want to a regular backup, tick the Run at Scheduled Time. This will bring up the backup schedule settings. Here, you can set several things such as the backup time, email notification etc.
Don’t forget to click Save.
Additinal Options:
- Dry Run
If you want to test it first, click the Dry Run option from the main window. This will simulate and test the backup process without actually copy the files. - Propagate Deletion
Use this option if you want to delete any files in the remote directory that does not exist in the source. Use it carefully
Final Thoughts
Acrosync is an interesting backup software that uses rsync in Windows. It is very easy to use and very useful for you who has an active remote server. You can put your backup on your own server. But, the fact that it does not support cloud storage is a down side. Thanks for reading this how to backup Windows using Acrosync. See you in the next article.
