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Re: Preferred Backup Method?



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On 12/04/07 15:09, Michael Pobega wrote:
> What is d-u's preferred method of backups? Now that I'm running servers
> on my system (Apache, MySQL, SSH, etc.) I need to find a good method of
> backing up, because no matter how much security someone has things may
> still go wrong.
> 
> So list your preferred methods of creating/restoring backups and the
> pros and cons. Thanks!

*Much* more information needed.

How much stuff?  50MB?  5GB?  500GB?  5TB?

How compressible is it?  Text/MySQL files or MP3s and JPGs?

How important is it?  Your own stuff, or a business' stuff?

How big of a window do you have to back it up?  30 minutes at 23:15,
and you're fired if it goes past midnight?  All night between 17:30
and 07:30?

How often will the lusers will "Michael, this stupid computer ate my
work.  Bring it back!!" (Meaning, of course, that they
stupidly/carelessly deleted/overwrote it.)  If it's a database, will
the developers want regular copies restored for testing?

Frequency?  Nightly, weekly, every-other-day?

Retention?  Keep backups for a month?  Quarter?  Year?  7 years?

Budget?  Always a killer...

For a small business that has crucial data, I'd buy a bunch of
250/320/500GB drives and put them in firewire external enclosures.
Get a calendar and mark it Week 01 thru Week 53.  With a Sharpie,
label the drives/enclosures:
Sunday A
Sunday B
Sunday C
...
Monday A
Monday B
.
.
.

Depending on how many weeks of retention you want, that's how many
letter of the alphabet you go up.  Then, on the calendar next to the
week 01, write A
Week 02, write B
.
.
.
Week NN+1, write A.

That way I'd know which drive to use on which day.

As for backing it up, tar.  Works like a champ.

- --
Ron Johnson, Jr.
Jefferson LA  USA

%SYSTEM-F-FISH, my hovercraft is full of eels
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