Back-Up Software

[BillyGrey]

I admit, I'm lost on this one...
Any suggestions on a progressive back-up solution
for my files?

As always, TIA

BillyG

[beegee]

We use Second Copy (http://www.centered.com/).

[BomberAIA]

I'm a one man shop w/ 2 notebooks. I copy back to my other laptop and back to a small hard drive which I just bought. It's called an ArcDisk 20. It's a very small USB drive that requires no outside power.Go to www.archos.com to check it out.

[Chad Smith]

Both Second Copy (http://www.centered.com/) and Retrospect (http://www.dantz.com) are great backup products.

It's been a while since I've used Second Copy, but Retrospect has a nice incremental backup feature, which means I can backup 4 times a day, with each backup only grabbing the new files, and I also have it set so on the same day the following week, it deletes the old backup volume and starts again for the new day. Very handy feature.
So I have 1 backup volume for each day of the week, which is recycled weekly. I also have other backup schedules for backing up to DVD.

[Wes Macaulay]

Is this for backing up office data? Hopefully you're planning on an offsite backup so if there's a fire you can get going again fast.

I have two favourite ways for handling this:

Hardware-based RAID. It's a special unit that holds two or more hard drives that are exact copies of each other. You've got an extra one that you take home. Next day, you come back and put one in and take one of the other ones home. The hardware updates the drive you just put in, mirroring the data over from the drive with the newer data. These drives wouldn't be the system drive for the computer acting as your server; but they would store all your office data. In the event of fire or theft, getting up and running is nearly instantaneous. You'll still need to write CDs of projects and store them offsite in the long term. This is the easiest and most bombproof solution.

Here's a sample product that does just this:
http://www.synetic.net/Synetic-Products/ARAID99-1000.htm

File backup software. Backups come in three flavours: full, incremental, and differential. Incremental backups backup all files changed since the last backup of any kind. Differential backups back up files changed or added since the last full backup. Differential backups get larger as the week progresses since the number of files changed or created gets bigger as the week continues. Differential backups are easy - if you lost everything you'd restore the full backup then the differential backup. If you were using incremental backups you'd have to restore the full backup, and then all of the incremental backups since the last full backup. Firms still use incremental backups since they are more likely to catch a file you changed on Monday, and then again on Tuesday -- whereas the differential backup will only capture the latest version of the file. With this backup system you could backup to another drive, a tape, or what have you. Generally some sort of compression is used by the software.

Despite the added complexity I would still do incremental backups. Sometimes you do want to get the version of the proposal you did on Tuesday!

See http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,117255,00.asp

You will also need some means of archiving data. CDs don't keep as long as previously thought, and I don't know what the current wisdom is with regards to long-term storage of data, but it's very important to think of something.

It's cool that you can now write several gigs of data to a DVD!

Anyway, HTH

[BillyGrey]

Thank you all for your well thought out replies, and Wes, jeez, good stuff that-there.

Bomber, with my luck, I'd stick that little drive in my pocket and send it to the cleaners!
That is awsome looking technology, though. (I'll hold off till they come out with a 120gigger
at 10,000 rpm.) I'm a laptop guy also, but have an 80 gig external for my backup files.
(Just bought the Acer 1712, the specs are radical for 1899.00..but heavy, i can live with that though)

I'm gonna take retrospect and second copy for test drives, see which one handles the best for me:)

Thank guys,

BillyG

[PeterJ]

It's cool that you can now write several gigs of data to a DVD format CD!
How? Have I missed something?

[bclarch]

We use an Iomega 80Gb external USB hard drive. It came bundled with some Iomega backup software. I have it set to back up our data files during the day and I just unplug it and take it home every night.

[Wes Macaulay]

How? Have I missed something?DVD writers now can back up something like 4.5 Gb of data per DVD...

[PeterJ]

Oh, okay. I thought you meant there was some trick actually using CDs not DVDs.

[adegnan]

I have a home office so taking my work with me is not an option to get it out of the office!

I back all my files up nightly to a second hard drive using simply the Windows backup utility.

Then, this compressed data is backed up to an internet remote storage. I actually set it up via Quickbooks Pro and it has a lower fee than other sites I checked into.

So my first line of defense is against hard drive failure by having the second hard drive on site. The further line of defense is the remote storage in case of fire etc.

My next computer will incorporate RAID mirroring I think.

[BomberAIA]

BillyGrey:
I like the option of travelling w/ my backup drive. If I do, I'll backup to another computer. Now I have 3 copies of each project. I also copy final projects to a CD. There are better solutions out there, but I'm a one-man show and it works for me.

[WolffG]

I've been using Quicksync by Iomega for several years now.
Very clean and quick.
I back up to a second hard drive. (I'm not sure if it lets you back up to the same drive).
Has some nice features:
1. automatic scheduled backups at any time increment. (I have mine set for 2 hours)
2. You can select only those files you want. I just back up all of "favorites" and :my documents".
3. At your option, you can do a full backup or only a changed file backup. Works very fast and in the background.
4. You can save an unlimited number of versions of a file.
5. You can filter files out.

This package has been around under different names for a bunch of years, works very well for me.

[BillyGrey]

Bomber, you must be a well organized one man show :)

Thanks everyone

[gregcashen]

I have used BackupMyBusiness.com (http://jrevitch.backupmybusiness.com/) in the past and it worked great.

[BomberAIA]

BillyGrey:
I've been on my own since 1982. I got tired of babysitting employees since I've raised 3 kids of my own. I can do the work faster than if I tell an intern how to. Since Revit has come out I enjoy CD's. Now I'm getting ready for another hurricane. I hope my electricity isn't out to long.

[BillyGrey]

Oh-Man.

Be safe amigo.

I'm getting ready to kick out my last two (of three), so I understand your position :)

@G.C.

I've got a web domain with space, so I remotely backup there.

Thanks Greg

[BomberAIA]

I made it through my second hurricane this year without any damage. I even went down to the Dolphins game. What a waste of time.

[JohnASB]

Using ViceVersa Pro to backup/synchronize to removable hard drive.
Works well for this and inexpensive.

http://www.tgrmn.com/

[Joef]

Just thought I'd add this to the discussion. I just started using an excellent FREE backup program called SyncBack. I backup to a 2nd hard drive, and then periodically to DVD.

http://www.2brightsparks.com/index.html

It works great for me and the price is certainly right.

[BillyGrey]

What a cool tool.
I bought an external drive and it came with retrospect.
It is certainly a neat proggie, but finicky and not very user friendly for this non-sysop,
esp. for retrieving files.

I think I'll look into this prog.


Thanks,

BGrey