Please criticize my data backup procedure and

[suggest an alternative (more) DDB]

Our office has a very simple (naive?) computer/network setup. 4 machines, all running either XP or Win7. All data files are stored on a single powered external USB hard drive, which is connected to one of the computers running XP. Current backup "plan" is that the XP built-in backup program does a backup of the entire USB drive each night, and saves the backup file to an internal SATA drive.

Other than the obvious issue of not having an off-site backup copy, is there a better way I should be doing this?

Thanks in advance.

[beyemvey]

...is having a single point of failure if your backup drive dies. Your solution should include "RAID" (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)

You don't need a large enterprise solution with that small of a network. I think one of the newer generation of backup appliances scaled correctly for the size you expect your data to be in 5 years. (allow for growth)

Look at the Barracuda Backup Server - either Model 390 or Model 490 would give you a capacity in the 1/2 TB - 1 TB range with offsite capability and deduplication.

...Barracuda Networks...

[DDB]

I'm not really looking to spend $1K+ for just the hardware. We're a small operation - headaches would be VERY minimal if we ever ran into a situation where we lost the last day or even the last week worth of work.

Thanks for the suggestion, though, that does seem like a very cool system.

- DDB

[@ Oz530iTAS]

be set up in RAID II and 5 configurations and gives you the bonus of access to all your data from off-site via a laptop and browser. These devices will only store data files, not run apps like a full server.







<a href="http://mydrive.roadfly.com/photos/pic.php?u=106744EebYY&i=3239"><img src="http://mydrive.roadfly.com/photos/pic.php?u=106744EebYY&i=3239" border="0"></a>

[beyemvey]

...perhaps something like this...
...Seagate small business NAS...

[M_Six]

External drives can be unreliable.

Also, at some point test the backup file by running a recovery. Make sure all your data is, in fact, getting backed up. If you buy a second external, use that as your test drive to restore your files.____________________________________________ ________________


Mark
<img src="http://www.bimmermail.com/boston2.JPG" height=77 width=449>
"Things break; it's scientific." - D. Byrne

[DDB]

I have tested the recovery process, and it does indeed seem to be backing up on a nightly basis. Under our current process, it seems that my main risks are site damage or that the external and internal drives fail at the same time.

[540sport]

How'd I do?
Vin
98 540 Sport with everything & extra hots
BMW CCA, Boston Chapter
"The 540 is the head-case supermodel girlfriend..." Eric S.
"The worst thing you could do with your money is save it." ~ Jackie Gleason
If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. Mario Andretti
The United States is a nation of laws: poorly written and randomly enforced. - Frank Zappa

[Donkey]

1. I use "Genie Backup Manager" at home and it does a very nice job: you can pick any source and any destination - network, local, wherever/whatever - and it's CHEAP. Much more flexibility than the Native windows stuff (especially that supplied with Vista).

2. I would do a complete backup once every N days to a DVD, and file that disk offsite (home fire safe, desk drawer, whatever). That way you have a disaster recovery plan that will only be N days out of date.

3. The external drive as primary storage scares me a bit from a security standpoint, since it is so easily stolen/concealed, and since I'm assuming you keep a lot of personal financial information on the drive. I sure as phock would be uncomfortable about it from a client perspective.


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[Donkey]

since you're such a big RAID fan (NB: "Inexpensive" is the more common definition for the "I" in RAID), any mainstream motherboard (Intel, ASUS, whatever) with an embedded controller can automatically serve as a RAID host. Just add two or more Inexpensive disks, configure the controller, and you're good to go.
My several-years-old XBX2 mainboard, together with less than $200 worth of SATA HDDs, can capture uncompressed 1080i video in real time. No need for expensive "packaged" solutions.

Practically speaking, for Bauer's needs there is no single-point failure, since if either the source or the backup fails, he has an up-to-date working set.<br />
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[M_Six]

Just leave the TrueCrypt volume mounted for normal backups. If someone disconnects and steals the external, they'll find nothing on it without the TrueCrypt password._________________________________________ ___________________


Mark
<img src="http://www.bimmermail.com/boston2.JPG" height=77 width=449>
"Things break; it's scientific." - D. Byrne

[beyemvey]

...you would know that "inexpensive" isn't always an applicable term. Now of course DDB doesn't need a system anything like this...



Doing RAID internally is indeed an option for him if his PC has a large enough case and his motherboard has a RAID controller... if not, a controller could be added to an expansion slot. Yes, that might be somewhat cheaper than a NAS, but the NAS has advantages too. If he is using his own workstation as the file server, that means everybody else is hitting his machine for storage. He would probably get better performance with an inexpensive Network Attached Storage solution, and this would be easy to set up, maintain, and later expand if needed.



"Practically speaking, for Bauer's needs there is no single-point failure, since if either the source or the backup fails, he has an up-to-date working set.", quoth Millar - 3/31/2010...

Many an overly confident Sys-Admin has made similar statements before experiencing catastrophic data loss and losing their job. :-)

[beyemvey]

[Donkey]

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[beyemvey]

I use it as an electronic briefcase.

...Western Digital...

[beyemvey]

...or a flood/fire, etc. Periodically manually backing up important data and storing it offsite would be a good idea, even if you can't afford to implement a network based offsite duplicate backup solution that automates the process.

[M_Six]

__________________________________________________ __________


Mark
<img src="http://www.bimmermail.com/boston2.JPG" height=77 width=449>
"Things break; it's scientific." - D. Byrne

[DDB]

[Donkey]

the asked question and attempt to steer the conversation into your comfort zone? WGAS about "enterprise solutions" in this context?

Writing a check to solve a problem is EASY. It takes ingenuity and creativity to come up with a solution on a limited budget.

Wait, that's right... you're in IT, not IC.

How's that for a little bey-humor?<br />
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[beyemvey]

Inner Circle? Integrated Circuit?... oh wait - INTENSIVE CARE!!!

I don't consider the $500 NAS solution I suggested to be a wallet buster, plus, he can then depreciate it on his taxes. It is just a small business class NAS, not an enterprise Fiber Channel SAN costing kilo-ducats.

BTW - Happy Easter!