Android UrBackup Client

Feature requests
1

UrBackup client for Android that backs up (and restores) e.g. /storage/sdcard0.

Compiling the backend should not be much of a problem, but the client needs a energy preserving mode where it only connects to the server if a backup needs to be done (notification via GCM ).
The frontend (GUI) needs to be written specifically for Android.

2

I think this is a great idea. I would also like to ask if anymore updates are coming to the android app to view backups. A way to restore files would be really convenient.

1 Like
3

Would be nice if it could also do a full backup of the storage. Would also pay for it. 7,99 € sounds reasonable.

1 Like
4

If you still developing the Android client, please do not add google’s gcm pre-load notification stuff, it doesn’t matter that there are no data – it requires the google framework.

I like open source and I like urbackup, please keep it clean.

5

Sorry to bump thread but did anyone try compiling this under Android as a cli app? Like compiling it under Termux?

All we need is an arm build I assume, so one could back up the sd card and the externals, not sure if we need any gui app, given that linux versions do not come with it by default anyway.

6

Maybe the binary client works… it’s compiled for ARM/ARM64 anyway…

To guarantee it works compile it with the Android NDK: https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/other_build_systems

7

Android is going more in the direction of iOS currently, so apps cannot access files which are not explicitly selected via file picker. So idk how much sense an Android client would make at this point (unless the device is rooted):

https://developer.android.com/preview/privacy/scoped-storage

8

Thanks, do you know if there is any compiled arm binarty that does not require installation? I tried it under Termux, but it is trying to install into the system so tha tis not going to work for Termux.

Uncompressing install data...
Assuming RedHat (derivative) system
Detected architecture armv6-linux-engeabihf
install: /usr: Read-only file system
/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/tmp/tmp.tcMv7h[524]: /bin/rm: not found

thanks

9

Perhaps it works in a termux-chroot?

10

Ok, I got it installed under proot under termux.

I added some folders and the server can see the client but having an error when I run the command below

urbackupclientctl start

Assertion failed: Unsupported .eh_frame_hdr version (../../src/c++/libunwind/src/EHHeaderParser.hpp: decodeEHHdr: 62) Aborted

Edit:
Some progress. I can start the backup from the server, it pretends that it goes through a full back. However there are no files in the backup, only empty directories.

Here are some lines from the client log

2019-06-10 03:00:29: ERROR: Error getting internal id for group with id 9997
2019-06-10 03:00:29: ERROR: Error getting internal id for user with id 10210

And Some lines from the server’s client log

Error getting complete file (the log is flooded with tese messages)

JxgylLY7sYq5AV8P8ujU|sdcard/open_gapps_log.txt" from PHONE. Errorcode: CANNOT_OPEN_FILE (3)

It seems to me that it is looking at for those files in some weird location. The correct path for the file above should be /mnt/sdcard/

Bear in mind that I can browse and open all those files (/mnt/sdcard) in chroot no problem.

Here is how it is added

/mnt/sdcard sdcard symlinks_optional,one_filesystem,share_hashes

1 Like
11

Start client backend with debug logging (-v debug) and please look at the debug log output

12

Anything new here? Especially, saving the DCIM folder would be enough for a few of my family members (would exceed Google Photos free storage limit) :smiley:

1 Like
13

If you need a quick-fix solution in the meantime, I can suggest you this set up:

  • Create a synchronized folder with syncthing (Open source folder sync application on all platforms) between your phone and the server machine (or any machine that you want to store those and backup from there)
  • Make Urbackup backup that synchronized folder.

There’s lot of online tutorials for syncthing that would explain it better than me, so I don’t get too much into it. But still, here’s a few tips:

  • You can make a subclient that only backup that synced folder. This allow for a backup folder separate from the machine that sync it (like “my-machine[My-phone]”), which makes it seems like a separate client for your phone
  • If you use BTRFS or ZFS (With “Copy on write” enabled) for the backup storage, sync the folder directly on it. Urbackup and the disk will coordinate to not have duplicated data (The synced folder and the backup will be hardlinked)
  • Don’t hesitate to do multiple synced folders, it’s free!
3 Likes
14

Nice software, I will consider to use it, maybe :slight_smile: