Hamachi by LogMeIn Inc. is a powerful tool that is available for free and that allows one to create encrypted Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) without in-depth technical knowledge. Unlike most other VPN solutions, it does not require a dedicated VPN server. It rather works similar to Skype, using LogMeIn servers to mediate VPN connections between two PCs. Thanks to this technique it is possible to run a Hamachi VPN through most Firewall solutions and routers on the market.
You can freely access shared folders on distant computers via a Hamachi VPN, and it will adhere to the file access policy that is valid on the target system. Copying and mirroring data from a source to a target is very possible now, but we recommend doing some test runs with your Internet connections first; depending on the transfer speed of your DSL- or cable-modem connection, your task might take minutes or hours. We recommend using the Windows task scheduler and executing your backup or mirroring tasks overnight.
We used the Windows backup feature as well as Robocopy.exe. The latter is clearly more flexible and powerful, and it doesn't package the backup set into an archive that requires special tools to look into. However, the fact that only the backup file has to be transferred over the Internet is a huge advantage over Robocopy, which might have to copy hundreds of thousands of files, each requiring acknowledgement for successful copy, which can consume a noticeable portion of your available Internet connection bandwidth.
Patrick Schmid was the editor-in-chief for Tom's Hardware from 2005 to 2006. He wrote numerous articles on a wide range of hardware topics, including storage, CPUs, and system builds.
