Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Mac and Linux Support Added

After many months of development and testing, we have now added support for running Backup Nexus on Mac and Linux computers.

Both Mac and Linux packages are available at the download page.

The Mac package is distributed as a DMG image and it is as easy to install as any other Mac software. Simply download and mount the DMG image, then drag the Backup Nexus.app bundle to the Applications folder. You can then launch Backup Nexus from your Applications folder.

The Linux package is a little more complicated, but we have bundled the whole package as a self-extracting installer to help with the installation. Once you download the bin file, do:
  1. cd /where/you/saved/the/BackupNexus.bin
  2. chmod a+x BackupNexus.bin
  3. sudo ./Backupnexus.bin
This will make the installer executable, then use sudo to run it.

For now, we are only supporting Backup Nexus in a desktop setting, meaning that Backup Nexus will run after you have logged into your desktop environment (GNOME or KDE). Running Backup Nexus as a background daemon service is not officially supported.

For the Linux package, you will also need to have a Java 6 runtime installed. For example, if you are on Ubuntu, you can install the Sun Java runtime by:
  • sudo apt-get install sun-java6-bin sun-java6-jre sun-java6-jdk
We are looking for feedback for the two new platforms. If you encounter any problem running Backup Nexus on Macs or Linux, please do let us know.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Backup Monitor and Reminder Service Now Available

We have noticed quite a few cases where, backup stopped working for technical reasons, but users were unaware of it, because they have become accustom to how quiet Bun is when running, and don't realize that backup is no longer happening.

To resolve this, we recently rolled out a new backup monitor and reminder service that runs on the Backup Nexus network itself (instead of on your computer, where it may stop working without anyone noticing). The reminder service regularly checks that you are connecting Bun to the Internet. If your Bun installation stops working for any reason, whether it is because your new firewall blocking connection or you forgot to turn on your computer, you will receive a reminder email to check on your backup status.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Backup Nexus Calculator

We have released a new tool on backupnexus.com. Along with a new welcome page, the Backup Nexus Calculator helps your figure out how safe your data is. You can plug in your own computer usage, and it will tell you what risks your files are being exposed to. For example, do you back up your files to an external hard drive and run anti-virus software? You are covered for virus infection and hard drive crash, but what about power surges that toast everything plugged into your computer?

There is another section of the calculator that is more complicated, but it figures out for your how much your data is worth and how much risk you experience every year, in dollar value, if you do not back up your files.

The most interesting part of the calculated result is the value of risk. Most people talk of the thousands of dollars in losses, if their hard drive crashed and they don't have back up. But what if you were lucky enough to never have experienced a hard drive crash, does that mean you are loss-free? As it turns out, even if you don't lose data, you still suffer the risk of data loss. The calculator will show you how much risk you suffer, in dollar term, even if you don't actually lose data.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Preview Program Details

We have just launched the new web site for Backup Nexus, with updated information on all the latest features that are in the new version. You can check it out at http://backupnexus.com/.

At the same time, we have now finalized the details for the preview program. The preview program is the time by which we decide how to package the different features of the program. During the preview program, you will have 20 GB of free backup space and have access to all the advanced features of the backup software client.

At the end of the preview program, as a token of appreciation for your early participation in the preview program, you will get 6 free months of premium service. In addition, the 20 GB of free backup space will be yours to keep forever. All that you have to do is to sign up before April 1, 2009.