Hello all, I'm not quite sure this is the right place to ask, but I'll happily take a re-direct if you'll be kind enough to share one... (i.e. I _like_ RTFM'ing, if I can just find a FM! ;) So..... Spring is here, and I'm finally trying to restore some sanity to my storage. The Objective: Consolidate everything from the rsync'd directories to the Ghost images to the CDs to the floppies, to the 10-year-old DC2000 tapes (If the drive still works & the bits havn't rotted off) into one cohesive structure without duplicates. Then, maintain it that way. Bonus: Allow for secure imaging/replication/retore/upgrade of remote (Parents / friends) systems on broadband links without known file replication. i.e. without copying Windows 15 times. Double bonus: Allow said imaging/replication/retore/upgrade to occur on a live system, or at least off a bootable CD/partition The Environments: *ix (SuSE 7 & 9), W9x, W2K, WXP The Constraints: Server - <$300, no technical constraints Client - $0, ability to insert CD Forensic-level reliability Minimal on-going configuration/support on server. (i.e. HD upgrades & [C,DV]D-R swaps) What I've got so far: Mmm, not an awful lot... I've Googled & Freshmeat'd & SourceFor[a]ged, but nothing really pops out. There may be just the thing on the distro, but I can't seem to find it. Tripwire doen't seem appropriate, nor does Amanda. I tried going old-school with md5sum/md5deep, but even once that's consolidated it still doesn't do much beyond data acqusition. The M$ systems pose a challenge, esp. the NT derivatives WRT backup/restore of the SAM/registry files (exclusive opens). There seem to be some interesting tools in the forensic community for the initial data acquisition. http://SleuthKit.Org appears to have some pretty interesting tools, but nothing really beyond the acqusition phase. OTOH , the HashKeeper/NSRL databases look promising WRT identifyimg files that don't need preservation. (Assuming HashKeeper ever comes back up) I'm ignorant, not stupid ;) so I'm willing to spend some time/cash doing this either through purchasing books/code or extending an open package that does some (hopefully most) of what needs to be done. TIA, Bob _________________________________________________________________ Check out MSN PC Safety & Security to help ensure your PC is protected and safe. http://specials.msn.com/msn/security.asp