Re: [gentoo-server] Backup Software (Long) [Also long]

[Eric Thibodeau]

Some survival notes on tapes:

1- Don't compres, higher data density = higher data loss probability. If you REALLY want to compress, compress individual files.

2- Do use tape backups IF you are going to VALIDATE the data stored on it. Most bad experience I have heard of, in the context of tape backups, are cases where the backup system wrote with no complaint but hadn't been able to read it's own tapes for months-years! Tapes, like all devices, have MTBFs, respect and check them.

3- If you choose to use tape backups, go DDS. Yes it's expensive but it's reverse compatible with it's own media (at least in read capabilities), it's widespread, which means it won't die and disappear as technology in a few months (I got slammed with OnStream, which in essence, was excellent but suffered the Beta Vs VHS fath). Initial hardware may be expensive, but it ends up cheaper in the long run.

4- Try to use standard techniques such as tar and cpio...they've existed for a long long time and aren't about to disappear.

Eric

Bill Roberts <billbalt@×××××××××××××.com> wrote ..
> On 19:31 Mon 22 Mar     , Mark Schoonover wrote:
> >
> > <snip>
> >
> > >
> > >Also, this is slightly off topic, but I figured it's a good
> > >time to ask.
> > >How do ya'll manage your storage?  Do you use NAS', SANs', or direct
> > >attached storage?
>
> At the other end of the scale (the original poster has only 2 servers
> with limited disk space) is "net-misc/rdiff-backup". I am backing up 5
> machines (only about 40G) nightly to an 80G harddrive. Love it.
>
> I have no offsite storage, but I would look at some sort of removable
> HD solution if I needed that. Simple, fast. No tape rotations, I have
> snapshots for the last thirty days, restores are simple enough a user
> could do them. Even a full restore is easy using a livecd.
>
> For ten years I listened to the horrors of restoring from tape (I'm
> an instructor). At Digex, I saw tape run amok. Lots of tape, millions
> of dollars, no real security, in my experience.
>
> Where possible, I follow the KISS principle. That, to me, means
> avoiding tape.
>
> --
> Bill Roberts