How do YOU back up your data?

Post by **ka24boos13t** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 6:34 pm

I was just wondering about everyone's favorite method (or at least, the one that they use) to backup their data.

Right now I'm kind of on a redundancy kick. I'm using an external hard drive to store backup files for both my laptop and my desktop. Within each backup file I also have the hard drive image for each, and on each computer I have the other computers hard drive image.

I know there are much more simple ways, but I wondered if anybody else was like me and had an awkward way to backup their systems.

Post by **szh** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:48 pm

Saved to an external drive, I use "ShadowProtect" from http://www.storagecraft.com.

This is an absolutely outstanding and fast disk imaging program, with incrementals and all.

Amazingly easy to backup and retrieve and add files to the image.

Z

Post by **PoorManQ45** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:54 pm

I just use a Raid1

Post by **szh** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:37 pm

PoorManQ45 wrote:I just use a Raid1

This choice quality depends on your purpose for backup. There are multiple purposes that may need to be served: catastrophe prevention (a Raid 1 setup helps this) or archiving/versioning (real-time incremental backups).

What you have allows you to deal with a bad disk. However, it does not protect you from deleting files (or accidentally over-writing them) and then bringing them back! On a Raid 1 setup, when you delete a file, or write over one, both "copies" are removed and then not retrievable.

ShadowProtect allows me to retrieve versions of files I am actively working on. I have it set to auto-save incrementals every hour - takes about 30 seconds of time to do the work. I keep a running one month worth of backups (separate full disk image once a week), so I can step backwards in time through the changes I make, if I need to.

ShadowProtect can also do Bare-Metal restores, allowing you to easily install and begin using a new disk, if your current one dies or has been upgraded to a larger capacity, etc.

Z

Post by **audtatious** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:15 pm

Things like personal pictures and stuff I have replicated on two systems and we also have them burned on DVD's which are kept in our safety deposit box. I also have a copy of Symantec Netbackup and use it to backup the data to another partition at the moment until I install my 1TB drive that has been sitting on my desk at which point I may end up using Bare Metal Recovery as well. At some point I may install Netbackup PureDisk for remote backup using data deduplication and possibly point it to a system in Cincy for remote backup purposes.

Whenever I get the time and initiative to set it all up.

Post by **PoorManQ45** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 3:54 am

szhosain wrote:What you have allows you to deal with a bad disk. However, it does not protect you from deleting files (or accidentally over-writing them) and then bringing them back! On a Raid 1 setup, when you delete a file, or write over one, both "copies" are removed and then not retrievable.

ShadowProtect allows me to retrieve versions of files I am actively working on. I have it set to auto-save incrementals every hour - takes about 30 seconds of time to do the work. I keep a running one month worth of backups (separate full disk image once a week), so I can step backwards in time through the changes I make, if I need to.

ShadowProtect can also do Bare-Metal restores, allowing you to easily install and begin using a new disk, if your current one dies or has been upgraded to a larger capacity, etc.

Z

No doubt, Shadow protect sounds like a great program. I like the idea of having multiple versions. In my particular case I have a Raid1 and an external drive.

This is on a business computer that uptime is very important. That's why the raid1.

In my case the main program used is Quickbooks for accounting. Daily backups are done with each backup saving as a new file. So if worst comes to worst we can revert to the day before.

I will have to look into that shadow protect though. That could be very useful where the end user is the one that is causing data destruction

Post by **szh** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:10 pm

PoorManQ45 wrote:I will have to look into that shadow protect though. That could be very useful where the end user is the one that is causing data destruction

Exactly right! Raid 1 has its place for quick safety of a drive failure, and programs like ShadowProtect have their place for recovery of accidents ...

Good understanding, Brien.

Z

Post by **audtatious** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:39 am

Hardware or software RAID?

Post by **PoorManQ45** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:55 am

Software. Using an addin card.

I chose not to drop a couple hundred just on the card. CPU usage isn't too bad. Maybe jump 3% versus non-raid.

Post by **audtatious** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 4:23 am

Historically I've only used hardware RAID. One issue with hardware RAID is with disk replacement. Say you have 3 500GB drives in a RAID5 and a drive fails. You replace it with a newer 1TB drive as it is cost effective. When rebuilt you will lose 50% of that 1TB drive. The problem with software RAID is it needs more memory and CPU at times which can be problematic on a system that already is stressed. My question concerning software RAID is whether or not, in the example above where you replace a drive, you can dual-partition the drive in order to use the "extra" 500GB as another partition. I doubt it but as I said I usually don't use software RAID.

Post by **PoorManQ45** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:10 am

You can do that with partition magic

I understand the added stress completely. In a high load environment I'd use and LSi card personally

Post by **hitbychance** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 1:27 pm

I put everything on a jump drive thats important (like resumes, assignments etc) the rest is replaceable.

Post by **szh** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 11:59 am

Dtsn280zx wrote:I put everything on a jump drive thats important (like resumes, assignments etc) the rest is replaceable.

My stuff would not fit on a jump drive!

For me, the ease of repair is also important - at my age, time is important! So, being able to do a bare metal restore is a big deal.

Z

Post by **hitbychance** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:19 pm

szhosain wrote:
My stuff would not fit on a jump drive!

For me, the ease of repair is also important - at my age, time is important! So, being able to do a bare metal restore is a big deal.

Z

external hard drives are a possibility, very cheap and available in large drives now

Post by **szh** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:18 pm

Dtsn280zx wrote:external hard drives are a possibility, very cheap and available in large drives now

Agreed. That is what I use with ShadowProtect - to do my backups on.

Z

Post by **MinisterofDOOM** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 3:48 am

One of these would be very nice for backup purposes.

http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-N...r=8-1

Post by **marlin29311** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:15 am

Backups are for wusses.

Post by **MinisterofDOOM** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:21 am

marlin29311 wrote:Backups are for wusses.

Oh no they're not.

I've lost 2 hard drives since I bought this computer 4 years ago. Nothing sucks more. Not just the lost data but SO MUCH REINSTALLING. Tedious, time consuming, and irritating. I keep telling myself I'm going to back up my non-OS drive but haven't bought an external hard drive to do so yet.

Post by **marlin29311** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 5:17 am

MinisterofDOOM wrote:
Oh no they're not.

I've lost 2 hard drives since I bought this computer 4 years ago. Nothing sucks more. Not just the lost data but SO MUCH REINSTALLING. Tedious, time consuming, and irritating. I keep telling myself I'm going to back up my non-OS drive but haven't bought an external hard drive to do so yet.

Lol....internet sarcasm FTL...

For the most part I don't mind having to the reinstalls, its moreso the whole music thing that would kill me...having to re-rip 100's of CD's back onto my computer would probably kill me, not to mention some of the projects that I did in school that I really liked and look over every now and then would be lost...

I just do a copy over to an external HD about once a month...I don't really change much stuff, and if I don't, there isn't much reason to continually re-backup what's been backed up.

My dad is a fan of CD's - can't lose data unless you break it or lose it

Post by **szh** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 2:25 pm

MinisterofDOOM wrote:One of these would be very nice for backup purposes.

http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-N...r=8-1

Yes.

Here is a cheaper one though: http://www.geeks.com/details.a...t=CSE.

Z

Post by **RCA** » Sun May 10, 2009 2:49 pm

ka24boos13t wrote: How do YOU back up your data?

Usually on one of these bad boys...

http://www.fukung.net/v/2552/harddrive.jpg

Post by **PoorManQ45** » Sun May 10, 2009 6:59 pm

Dude, you could get a custom bios for $300!!!

Post by **RCA** » Sun May 10, 2009 9:22 pm

^

You best believe I have the Cameo Data Systems Controller...

Post by **Beancooker** » Mon May 11, 2009 3:09 pm

Copy/paste important crap to an external HD. All those files are also stored on my laptop and my desktop.

I don't image the HD, because if something craps out, as much as a reinstall sucks, it's nice to have a fresh PC. I reformat every 6 months or so anyways...

Post by **RCA** » Mon May 11, 2009 7:24 pm

Beancooker wrote:Copy/paste important crap to an external HD. All those files are also stored on my laptop and my desktop.

I don't image the HD, because if something craps out, as much as a reinstall sucks, it's nice to have a fresh PC. I reformat every 6 months or so anyways...

Wow that isn't a PITA enough for you not to do?Like how many hours do you spend reinstalling?

Post by **PoorManQ45** » Mon May 11, 2009 7:27 pm

Depending on what programs you use it doesn't take that long.

On my gaming systems I reinstall every month. They get windows, updated video drivers. The rest are slipstreamed into the install.

Then I install steam and let it download the games.

Doesn't take more then an hour and a half.

Post by **Beancooker** » Fri May 15, 2009 7:21 pm

Takes about 25 minutes to install Vista. 5 minutes to install LAN/BUS drivers. Takes about 10 minutes to install all my other drivers, which I keep in a file on my external.

Maybe 20-30 minutes to install necessary programs like Photoshop, itunes, zune, nero and photomatix.

Back online in a little over an hour.

The first time I did it, it took a while. I have done it so many times, that now it's like tying your shoes.

How do YOU back up your data?

How do YOU back up your data?

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