Time machine backup via rsync for any unix machine.

rsync_time_machine.sh

#!/bin/bash

# Title:        rsync_time_machine.sh
# Description:  Time machine backup via rsync for any unix machine
# Usage:
#
#   - Set the following variables:
#       `HOME`: the home directory on the local machine to be backed up
#       `HOST`: the SSH destination to send the backup to
#       `REMOTEBACKUPDIR`: the location on the remote destination to store the backup
#
#   - Setup SSH keys for automatic login from the local server to the remote server via
#       [ssh keys](http://linuxproblem.org/art_9.html)
#
#   - Setup a cronjob to run your backup automatically. An example:
#       # On the 1st and 15th of the month, at 4AM, backup via rsync_time_machine.sh
#       0 4 1,15 * * sh /home/localuser/scripts/rsync_time_machine.sh >> /home/localuser/logs/rsync_time_machine_backup.log
#
#   - Create a `~/.rsync/exclude`, Include at least these directories and any large files to ignore:
#
#       /proc
#       /sys
#       /lost+found
#       /mnt
#       /tmp
#
# Credits to: http://blog.interlinked.org/tutorials/rsync_time_machine.html

date=`date "+%Y%m%d-%H%M"`
HOME=/home/localuser
HOST=remoteuser@remoteserver.com
REMOTEBACKUPDIR=/media/somedrive/remote_snapshots
SOURCE="/" # Backup the entire OS
PREVIOUSBACKUP="$REMOTEBACKUPDIR/current"
CURRENTBACKUP="$REMOTEBACKUPDIR/snapshot-$date"
CURRENTINCOMPLETEBACKUP="$REMOTEBACKUPDIR/incomplete_snapshot-$date"
EXCLUDEFILE=$HOME/.rsync/exclude

rsync -azPE -e ssh --delete --delete-excluded \
  --exclude-from=$EXCLUDEFILE \
  --link-dest=$PREVIOUSBACKUP $SOURCE $HOST:$CURRENTINCOMPLETEBACKUP \
  && ssh $HOST "mv $CURRENTINCOMPLETEBACKUP $CURRENTBACKUP \
  && rm -f $PREVIOUSBACKUP \
  && ln -s $CURRENTBACKUP $REMOTEBACKUPDIR/current"