You can use the usenet to store your backup data online for free. This method is called usenet backup or uBackup. Besides a computer with a (high-speed) internet connection, you would also need to have usenet access (during upload). If you have that, then you have unlimited free online storage. Because anyone can potentially download your private data, you need to encrypt it. Your data is copied to every usenet provider around the world, so you can restore your data from a different usenet provider. Currently some usenet providers have retention times of more than 4 years, which translates into more than 9500 terabytes of storage!
1Usenet access: If your internet service provider does not include usenet access, then get a paid usenet account. You only need usenet access for the time it takes to upload your files.Ad
2Compress, encrypt & split your data. You could use the free program 7-zip to compress, encrypt and split the files.
3Parity. You could use the free program QuickPar to create parchive files. These are needed to repair the files if some bytes are corrupted. You could skip this step if you use the built in option 'Create .PAR2 files' in Camelsystem Powerpost under the tab 'Checksums and NZB' to create parchive files.
4Upload. You could use the free program Camelsystem Powerpost to upload your data.
5Check. You could use www.binsearch.info after 1 or 2 hours to locate your post. Optionally you could test your post by downloading, repairing and extracting it.Ad
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- If you want to have support and a more automated way to back up your data online, then you could choose a commercial provider which delivers this service.
- You should store the password and filename (and highly preferably also your .nzb file) on a different location then your original data. You need them in case of a disaster (eg. your building burns down).
- Try to download this 700 Mb or this 75 Gb uBackup example with password= W+hFJ*qjW$4kAuWJM?qB9Ar$
- Use a neutral file name like the example below, so you can find it, but someone else does not know what it is (format: yyyymmddhhmm)
- Use a (required) neutral username when uploading your files, or leave it default. This way it's harder for someone else to find your files.
- To test your download you could use the free usenet service Just4Today.net.
- You could use WinRar, the 'de facto standard' on usenet (or other packaging software), in stead of 7-zip, but that is not freeware software and the encryption option is not in the main screen.
- In stead of the 'de facto standard' QuickPar you could use MultiPar, which is faster because of multithreading.
- You could upload the file set multiple times, so you won't need to created that much parchive files (you must create some).
- If you trust e.g. Gmail or Dropbox, then you could store your password and file-name (and preferably also your .nzb file) online. With this information you can get access to your data from anywhere in the world.
- Don't put all your files in one large backup set (e.g. max. 20 Gb per set). Then you won't need so much disc space, because temporarily you need double the disc space (for the compressed and original uncompressed data). This also saves restore time, because if you want to restore (1 file) you will have to download, repair and extract the whole set.
- You can also use this email-friendly link to this uBackup article.
- You could use this method to distribute your (large) files securely. Warning A: You could then email the nzb file or Binsearch link, but is it safer to use another method like SMS to communicate the password. Warning B: It is illegal to distribute copyrighted material!
- Encrypt your data with a professional and secure algorithm like AES256 bit (e.g. not ZipCrypto).
- Generate a save  and complex password like the 20 character example above, otherwise it is still easy to hack.
- Also encrypt the file-names, otherwise, anyone can read all the names of your documents.
- Everyone can potentially download your data (but cannot access it because it is encrypted).
- You do not have any control over your data once it is uploaded.
- In theory, it is possible that the encryption algorithm can be broken/cracked (in the future).
- Regularly back up your (changed) data.
- This method is not for archiving data, because the files will be deleted after the retention time.
- Do not delete your original data! A restore of a backup should only be necessary in case of accidental data loss (human error, fire, etc.).
- Regularly check if your uBackup is still online. It is possible that your files are deleted before the end of the retention time.
- Test if you can download and extract your uploaded files.
Sources and Citations
- ↑ A well generated 20 character password takes distributed.net, with the CPU power of 76 billion passwords per second, max 10256626932926585000 years to Brute Force.
- ↑ In 2001, distributed.net was estimated to have a throughput of over 30 teraFLOPS and in June 2012 the fastest single supercomputer reported 16 petaFLOPS. A 16000/30=533 times faster system however is still too slow. And will an expensive system really be used to (find and) brute force your data?