pCloud as WebDav backup location

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With few steps free 7-8gb of disk space on web is available on subscribing pCloud. (Not providing the URL as choice).
Subscribe for 4, 1gb more for an upload, 1gb more for installing the desktop client (which works far better than Google crap-a-like clients for gDrive), 1gb more for installing the mobile client (you can always use BlueStacks for emulate your own Android). Still did not try to use one-shot email address for steal more gb.
Now… WebDav is part of pCloud.

You need the right URL (which is https://ewebdav.pcloud.com for persons which have the european flag loggin’ into the account via Web, and https://webdav.pcloud.com for the fellows with stars and stripes flag), your username, and your pCloud password.

There are few payed plans, with “lifetime” option. 10GB is not “that much”, but could be nice/enough for a retention of 4-6-8 months on a pretty configured firewall, with a lot of logs (squid, OpenVPN, nDP, and so on).

Ok. So why i’m writing here? That’s quite simple: it doesn’t work. Or at least… sometimes works, sometimes don’t. Duplicity as engine.

Disclaimer: I used WinSCP for testing WebDAV access, and it worked quite well. Also… same account, different folder has been used as WebDAV destination by a nice QNAP NAS with HBS. It worked too.

So, here are the logs…

Backup: pcloud_test01
Backup started at 2021-06-08 17:58:44
Pre backup scripts status: SUCCESS
mkdir /mnt/backup-pcloud_test01: File exists at /etc/e-smith/events/actions/mount-webdav line 61.
Can't mount /mnt/backup-pcloud_test01
Action 'backup-data-duplicity pcloud_test01': FAIL
Backup status: FAIL

Interesting thing is that… If i want to edit the backup, i cannot go through the validation of the account…

Also… If I manually invoke /etc/e-smith/events/actions/mount-webdav the answer is

No event given at /etc/e-smith/events/actions/mount-webdav line 38.

There’s another backup configured into system, which is a Duplicity over CIFS via LAN. Should not bug the procedure, IMVHO. Currently pcloud_test01 is the name of the operation

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To test it you should pass it 2 params:

  • the event name (it can be fake)
  • the backup name

Example:

/etc/e-smith/events/actions/mount-webdav fake-evt mybackup
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Although free (as in free beer) is considered better than paid. But for my backup I chose a paid WebDav storage of 1 TB for EUR5,- per month at the Dutch provider TransIP. Look for “Stack”.
At the moment I have 3 NethServer backups through webdav and restic protocol. Each server has it’s own directory on the WebDav webstorage and since restic is used, all data is pre-encrypted before it arrives at the backup location.
If I ever run out of diskspace on the backup location, it is easy enough to extend the storage to 2TB or even 10TB.

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pCloud provide some “life-time-plans”, an encryption option integrated into service, and some other perks.
But… Why i choose the free version?

  1. I would like to check, before consider the provider as an option, the interaction with the service from various sources (QNAP told me “ouh, yeah” at first shot)
  2. I would like to verify the performances of the service, also under bigger loads (multiple connections from different sources/sites)
  3. I currently don’t trust that provider “that much” for provide credit card data, at least until now. Also, fiscal compliance as provider should be validated by accountancy division. Therefore, I would like to provide a short list of viable options. Avoiding spending for test run currently is possible…

(@giacomo thanks, i will check in few days)

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Back on this topic…
“Interesting” thing is that pCloud ad every login tried by NethServer adds one of this lines as “connected devices”.

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Even if NethServer says “configuration error, try again”. Sorry for the italian screenshot.
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And fun fact… Cannot save a backup process if you’re not receiving a validated state. At least once was validated. Yesterday

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But backup never successfully run.

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I have the same problem, could you solve yours?

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Not Yet.

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NethServer 7/8 and pCloud works or not?

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Was the post upper yours that reported a “not yet”…