Backing up to Google Drive with Rclone on Ubuntu

1. Install Rclone

sudo apt install rclone

2. Configure Rclone

Start the configuration process:

rclone config

Follow these steps: - Select "n" for new remote - Name your remote (e.g., "gdrive") - Choose "drive" for Google Drive storage - Accept default client ID and secret by pressing Enter - Keep default scope settings - Select "1" for full file access - Leave advanced options empty - Select "n" for advanced config - Choose "n" for auto config - Open the provided URL in a browser, authenticate with Google, and authorize Rclone - Paste the authorization code into the terminal - Select "n" for team drive - Confirm and save the configuration with "y"

3. Create a Backup Script

nano /var/www/backup.sh

Paste this content (update LABNAME):

#!/bin/bash

source_dir="/var/www/vlsm"
remote_name="gdrive"
remote_dir="LABNAME"

rclone sync "$source_dir" "$remote_name:$remote_dir"

Save and exit (Ctrl+X, Y, Enter).

4. Make Script Executable

chmod +x /var/www/backup.sh

5. Run the Backup Script

/var/www/backup.sh

Rclone will synchronize your /var/www/vlsm folder to Google Drive.

6. Automate Backups

Schedule automatic backups using cron:

(crontab -l 2>/dev/null | grep -q "@reboot /var/www/backup.sh" || echo "@reboot /var/www/backup.sh") | crontab -

(crontab -l 2>/dev/null | grep -q "0 */6 * * * /var/www/backup.sh" || echo "0 */6 * * * /var/www/backup.sh") | crontab -

This runs backups on system restart and every 6 hours thereafter.