backup Solution

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freitasm

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#252675 2-Sep-2009 17:28

Overclocker01: I... run two ext HDD that will be on a daily rotation policy. This should achieve everything that is required at the moment

Manual intervention required? No offsite backup?

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Overclocker01

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#252677 2-Sep-2009 17:30

No offsite backup at this point in time. I will use synctoy to automatically backup the reception PC files at the end of each day...

amanzi

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#252682 2-Sep-2009 17:51

Overclocker01: I think im just going to direct "my documents" folder on the laptops to shared folders on the Recption Computer (make them available offline) then run two ext HDD that will be on a daily rotation policy. This should achieve everything that is required at the moment

You still need something to backup from the reception computer to the hard drives. I'd recommend ShadowProtect or some other backup software, so that you can backup incremental versions. This will reduce your backup times and will give you multiple backup versions too.

These drives are good: http://ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?ItemID=368865
And if you buy the docking station, it comes with a protective pouch that you can use to protect the spare drive when taking it offsite. http://ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?ItemID=368865

jaymz

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#252696 2-Sep-2009 18:38

If you are only backing up files then you can save yourself the cost of ShadowProtect by simply using NTbackup. It allows you to schedule your backups.

Also, be aware that only having two devices in your media set means you can only restore a document from 2 days back (assuming a daily change of the devices)

You already know my views on single HDD backup options XD

jaymz

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#252700 2-Sep-2009 18:42

Also you might want to look at going for a DIY USB HDD kit, rather than a Seagate one. That way if the USB interface was to fail on you, you can easily extract the hard drive and recover the data that way.

I beleive the seagate free agent drives are sealed (feel free to correct me on this one though)

rphenix

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#252755 2-Sep-2009 21:30

sleepy: I use cobian backup of files to my laptop at the end of the day which is then backup up at home to a external drive using norton ghost incrementally with a full backup weekly.

This would duplicate your fathers company files on his laptop and also a backup disk at home

hope this helps.

Cobian is great for free backup software supports open file copy, schedules, etc..

Otherwise if your keep to try linux I recommend rsync based backup's (rsnapshot etc..)

rphenix

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#252757 2-Sep-2009 21:34

jaymz: Also you might want to look at going for a DIY USB HDD kit, rather than a Seagate one. That way if the USB interface was to fail on you, you can easily extract the hard drive and recover the data that way.

I beleive the seagate free agent drives are sealed (feel free to correct me on this one though)

I highly recommend the Vantec EZ Swap EX. like a tape drive they just plug the drives in and out of a pc/server. Whats great is you can put any 2.5" sata hard drive into them. Vantec pack a carry case for each enlcosure & usb cords so taking data off the drive is easy even if you dont have the mounting bracket (in the case of a fire).

amanzi

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#252762 2-Sep-2009 21:54

A couple of notes based on comments above...

The Seagate drives have a 5 year warranty and are well manufactured. If you're going to make a DIY drive then you're introducing other risks and points of failures. And the only USB interface failures I've seen have been on cheap DIY enclosures.

Using some *proper* backup software will allow you to do multiple, incremental backups to the hard drives. This means that a single hard drive would have several versions of the files available for restores. You would still use two or more drives though, so that you could take one offsite and store it securely.

ShadowProtect is hardly expensive. You can get a copy with the installation media and 1 year maintenance for about $150, or if you don't want the media (you can download this) you could get it for even less than that. If the reception computer completely died, you could restore it from the image in anything from 15 minutes to an hour depending on how much data was stored on there. And you would be able to use the incremental backups to allow the laptops to restore old versions of files that had been synced to the reception pc.

The Seagate docking station sits on top of your PC and plugs into the USB ports at the back. The USB drives just just click into place in the docking station and require no internal installation in the computer. And they look good too! http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/external/freeagent/freeagent_go/

rphenix

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#252774 2-Sep-2009 22:37

amanzi: And the only USB interface failures I've seen have been on cheap DIY enclosures.

Been using the Vantec EZ Swap EX for quite awhile at several locations no signs of wear to be honest I think they are quite hardy. I prefer being able to choose the drive size for the job be it a cheap 160GB 2.5" or a 500GB 2.5". Because the vantec can use sata the backup speed is far faster than USB 2.0.

amanzi: Using some *proper* backup software will allow you to do multiple, incremental backups to the hard drives.

What is the definition of "proper" cobian backup which is free does all the above. I've used Acronis, Backup Exec, Shadow Protect etc... but I dont think bare metal restore is a concern in this case, a simple drive backup solution like cobian is fine.

amanzi:
ShadowProtect is hardly expensive. <snip> about $150, you could restore it from the image in anything from 15 minutes to an hour depending on how much data was stored on there

True! Price is good for what you get however you could use Clonezilla to make a recovery image on dvd or usb stick for the OS, then cobian to restore the data files in the event of complete system failure all for free.

amanzi

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#252778 2-Sep-2009 22:43

rphenix: What is the definition of "proper"

Proper was the best word I could think of, but it includes any software that can do full or incremental backups, logging, alerts, single/multiple file restores, etc... It should also be maintained and supported and provide thorough documentation. I haven't used Cobian before, but if it fits most of these criteria then I'd call it *proper* backup software. :)

rphenix

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#252782 2-Sep-2009 23:03

amanzi:
rphenix: What is the definition of "proper"

Proper was the best word I could think of, but it includes any software that can do full or incremental backups, logging, alerts, single/multiple file restores, etc... It should also be maintained and supported and provide thorough documentation. I haven't used Cobian before, but if it fits most of these criteria then I'd call it *proper* backup software. :)

Yep does all that except maybe the documentation cant say I've had a need for it (pretty easy to workout). Cobian is one of the few free ones (other than *nix utilities) that I'd trust my data with. No tape support is a shame though. Also found the emailing features a little frustrating it will give you full information on how the backup went but no simple "failed/succeeded" in the message subject which seems an obvious flaw it might be fixed now though havent updated in awhile.

Overclocker01

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#252830 3-Sep-2009 08:43

Back to the drawing board, windows XP home and vista home prem do not support offline files

rphenix

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#252834 3-Sep-2009 08:53

Overclocker01: Back to the drawing board, windows XP home and vista home prem do not support offline files

You could use unison or similar to "sync" changes from the laptop back to the network share (so if a file has changed on the server/network it gets copied to the laptop and vice versa. If a file has changed at both ends then you can either have it error or have it overwrite one however you prefer (newest, largest, or trust one side more than the other ie in a conflict perhaps the network always wins).

I've never liked offline files much anyway myself first thing I used to turn off, you still get conflits like you will with unison when a file is edited at both ends.

Robert

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