[ILUG] x10-like controller of an external drive

[Pádraig Brady]

Brendan Kehoe wrote:
> I've got an external disk which I've found myself using more and more as
> backup storage.  Using rsync to mirror my home directory, my Maildir,
> and specific files off other systems.  But, the habit is hard to
> maintain because I have to turn it on to do it; using it so rarely, I
> don't want to leave it turned on and spinning all the time for no real
> reason.

Is it USB connected at the moment?
If so your backup script could easily do:
mount,backup,umount,spin down

http://www.pixelbeat.org/systems/usb_backup/

Pádraig.