OT: How Often Do You Back Up Your Files

Atrocities · #1 March 16th, 2004, 12:06 AM

I try and back up my files now at least once a month. I found after loosing many things do to HP and AMD hick ups, that backing up my data is the best thing I can do.

Last year when I made the Ferengi and then the HP died, and like an idiot, I sent it in to be fixed, and got a replacement PC without my old HD I discovered that regular back ups are gold.

Then when CK lost his HD and with it all of his STm work, the importance of back ups gained new appreciation.

The problem that worries me about back up is what do you do with them? For example, everytime I go on a trip, I back up my important files and take the disk along with me. This way if there is a fire at the house, theft, or other I will have my important documents on disk.

What I am thinking about doing is buying one of those fire proof safes and puting my back up disks in that. Do any of you know if those Sentry safes are good safes or not?

dogscoff · #2 March 16th, 2004, 12:13 AM

Most of my creative output (stories, shipsets) are backed up Online- If my computer exploded I could just download it all back off my website.

Stuff in-progress is found on my PC and also on my USB memory stick, which goes most places with me.

But no, I don't often back up although having said that I spent a whole day yesterday burning my music&video collection onto 13 CDs...

BUt yeah, I really ought to back up other files more often. Like, ever...

[ March 15, 2004, 22:16: Message edited by: dogscoff ]

tesco samoa · #3 March 16th, 2004, 12:16 AM

dailys are incrimental
weeklys are full

4 week rotation

and then 6 monthlys

Atrocities · #4 March 16th, 2004, 12:23 AM

But do the fire proof safes work? I mean what good is a back up if it burns up or is stolen along with your computer?

on line back ups are great. That is what I do with the STM.

Thermodyne · #5 March 16th, 2004, 01:03 AM

Weekly full backups and incremental (changed/unmarked) daily. And now and again I�ll burn a full to DVD set. I was using tape, but recently I moved to an IDE backup solution. I was testing/debugging it for a client, and it was so fast and so easy that I kept the test rig for myself. IDE drives are dirt cheap right now. I back up system state to CD and store that out in the garage with the DVDs. And I burn the Ghost Cast images to CD sets and keep them in the garage too. All workstations use home folders on the file server, so other than an occasional GC, I don�t worry with the workstations.

If it�s other people�s money, then I push SCSI raid 5�s and big tape. But for me, IDE is cheaper and faster.

tesco samoa · #6 March 16th, 2004, 04:18 AM

i off site at a friends house on the weeklys... he does the same

Ed Kolis · #7 March 16th, 2004, 05:43 AM

Why should I tell you? Then you'll know exactly when to hack into my computer!

Gandalph · #8 March 16th, 2004, 05:44 AM

I have a RAID 5 server with 2 RAID 0+1 workstations set to sync with my server twice daily. The chances of all hard drives failing at once are infintesimal (that would be slim and none with slim already leaving town). I would think all IT guys out there would have similar setups.

David E. Gervais · #9 March 16th, 2004, 12:33 PM

I make a Backup Bi-Weekly (every second week) Or, If I happen to have done lots of work over one week, then I do a backup before the bi-weekly period is up.

What to do with the backups? Find a friend and exchange CD's with him, you keep his, he keeps yours. Oh, and once a month, make a double backup and keep one and exchange the other.

Before you ask,.. no you can't have my SE5 work Backup CD's they go to Aaron

Cheers!

Beck · #10 March 16th, 2004, 04:46 PM

Yes, the fire proof safes do work. Just beware that the safes are rated as to how long they can be expected to work and frequently at a particular temperature. Generally for most home environments anything 90 minutes or greater is fine. My father had one when his house burnt down and everything with the safe was fine.