SYNC YOUR PC BACKUPS TO SEAFILE

1 Set up the Seafile client

To use Seafile as a file server, you need to install the client that matches your desktop operating system. Apps for Linux, Windows and Mac desktops can be all downloaded from www. seafile.com/en/download. Connect to the client over your local network using your Raspberry Pi’s IP address and the credentials you established in the docker-compose.yml file.

2 Create a backup

Various data types can be archived in a backup. This example uses a full disk backup generated with the Gnome Backups tool on Ubuntu, but any backup file can be synchronised with Seafile. For simplicity, use your operating system’s built-in backup tool (third-party solutions add overheads when it comes to recovery).

3 Save the backup to your sync folder

Connect the client to Seafile using the Pi’s IP address, and the username and password credentials you established in the docker-compose.yml file. When the client connects to the server, you can send the backup. In the Seafile client, click Select, browse to the backup directory, and click Open.

4 No sync? Restart

Network issues can disrupt a Seafile sync. If it appears to have stopped or failed, with no upload or download rate displayed in the bottom-right corner of the client, restart it. Clicking X to close keeps it running in the background, so use pkill seafile in your terminal to restart.

5 Review the synchronised data

Whether you are synchronising for the first time or have done so many times, it is always worth reviewing synchronised data. You can view all data uploaded to Seafile in your web browser. Just input the Raspberry Pi’s URL, sign in, and click My Libraries to review the data.

6 Disable reverse synchronising

Because synchronising can ruin a backed up file (say, if a failed backup process damages the local copy), it is wise to disable automatic syncing. In the Seafile client, right-click the synced directory and click Disable Auto Sync. This prevents bad backups overwriting good ones.