back-ups

The only certainty with computers and storage is that they will fail at some point. The trick is to make sure that when they do, you have an alternative copy.
There are many ways to achieve this. Many would recommended cloud storage and if you have decent bandwidth and don't mind the cost then its a pretty good solution (as long as they are reputable with redundancy built in).
My solution is everything on my PC is backed up to a NAS (sounds like you have something similar), in turn the NAS automatically backs up to an external drive which is rotated monthly with one of 3 others. The most recent backup being stored off site.
This isn't a perfect solution, but it's better than most people I know.
Remember, a NAS isn't a backup, it's just storage.
 
my PC is backed up to a NAS...
Remember, a NAS isn't a backup, it's just storage.
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?
 
God just typed an essay and mobile app crashed...so annoying!

Anyway, go for NAS with SSD. 500gb is avaibale new for £130 so you can make up 1.5TB relatively cheap. Esp if you go for second hand. And 1TB drives are available now for £280. Since you have a back up ATM, I would wait another 6-9month the price of SSD will come down even further.

SSD don't have moving parts. They fail by degradation of the logic gates which has around 2000 cycles. So for a 500GB drive that's trillions of data before your drive completely fails. So you use them as storage they will last forever as you are not constantly overwriting data.

Actually I would recommend get a hot swap multibay drive so you can raid 2 SSD together for that speed and hot swap also means you can take them out once you are done and only use them when u need so it gives you some level of protection against those ransomware. Obviously running the latest anti virus etc helps.
 
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Why on earth would you use SSDs for backup?
 
SSD is expensive per byte but if you look at the lifetime cost and reliability...SSD makes sense. With HDD there is always a risk of disk failure due to mechanical issues.

Also SSD cost has come down a lot. Maybe in 6 months time a 1TB drive will be on the better half of £200 which makes it quite attractive as it will last almost indefinitely. For photos it will be plenty room...


Actually I read somewhere that the cloud storage providers have started to use SSD as their storage solution for the simple reason of reliability and speed. When you run hundreds or thousand of HDD even the best reliability probability will give you disk failures on a weekly basis. With SSD that's almost eliminated.
 
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for £200 i could already get a 4TB mechanical. and even SSD can fail unannounced.

when you're talking about enterprise/datacenter storage SSD may be a great thing when cost is no issue. but for everyone else its not cost effective.

still its a moot point as with any backup (mechanical or flash) you should have multiple copies of the data on separate arrays/drives. so even if one does fail you should have AT LEAST one other with the data on.
 
Me i tend to keep my drives in the 1 or 2TB range and have about three for backup.

Also has anybody tried backing up to blu ray ?,i was thinking about doing for my fav work,not everything :)
 
ricky1980 said:
SSD is expensive per byte but if you look at the lifetime cost and reliability...SSD makes sense.
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Ahh... you believe that SSDs will protect you from disk failure... OK. They can and do fail. :D I plan for all my SSDs (and I probably have a dozen around here now) to fail. (controllers die, power spikes can take them out, corruption is possible, etc...)
 
arad85 said:
Ahh... you believe that SSDs will protect you from disk failure... OK. They can and do fail. :D I plan for all my SSDs (and I probably have a dozen around here now) to fail. (controllers die, power spikes can take them out, corruption is possible, etc...)
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that is very true, but the same failure modes would apply to all HDD or SSD so doesn't give an advantage over one or the other. but the lack of mechanical failure would put SSD more reliable over HDD.

also the speed of SSD would be large data transfers would be a lot less painstaking. don't know just me. I think 1TB is more than enough for me so stick in a hot swap. bum it in weekly, back up the system and the files leave it aside can't go wrong.
 
ricky1980 said:
but the lack of mechanical failure would put SSD more reliable over HDD.
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More reliable, maybe, infallible - no. Consequently, you should also backup the backup on SSD. The advantages of an SSD (speed and low power) are totally lost in a system that can normally take the time it wants to to execute. And you have the downside of 8x the cost...
 
Hey there, I am sorry to hear about your issue, but as LC2 said, hard drives tend to fail and what you can do to protect your data is to make a backup.
Since you are looking for a backup solution, my suggestion would be to simply get an external drive on which you put all the valuable information you have and once done, unplug it and keep it somewhere.
Then when you need to put additional data on it, plug it in again. If you go for a NAS, this, as already mentioned by the other members, is not a real backup as it won't protect against issues with the power supply let's say.


Hope this helps.
Cheers, Dorian_WD
 
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Hey Neil, yes I am an official WD representative. I have just updated my signature to make this more visible :)

Cheers, Dorian_WD
 
Dorian_WD said:
If you go for a NAS, this, as already mentioned by the other members, is not a real backup as it won't protect against issues with the power supply let's say.
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Relying on portable, mechanical hard drives is also foolish if you ask me. Out of all the storage devices likely to let you down, the portable mechanical hard drive is surely at the top of the list.

Nothing wrong with a NAS so long as it IS used as back up and not the sole storage device. A power supply failing in a NAS is just as likely as the PSU in the computer the external is plugged into failing.... ultimately, everything relies on a PSU.... even externals. You are suggesting that the PSU in a NAS is somehow more likely to fail... which is clearly not true. Are you suggesting that something like your company's very own My Cloud EX2 is less reliable as a means of back up than a 2.5" USB portable hard drive? :)

ANY device as back up is foolish if it is the ONLY other device with that data on it. The more places your data is, the safer it is, which is where NAS devices score, as they are networked they can be anywhere, and syncing that data can be automatic and scheduled. No back up is totally secure unless a version exists off-site to.



Ideally, a NAS should be used in combination with a second storage device.... so you have a back up of the back up. It all depends on how much you value your data, and what would happen if you lost it. Just ask yourself, "What would be the outcome of losing everything?" If the thought of that is just unthinkable, then surely relying on a single portable mechanical hard drive is just as unthinkable? If you would just shrug and go "That's life", then fine... grab a cheap portable hard drive as that will probably be OK.

However... a single, portable, mechanical hard drive is perhaps the least reliable device for back up so far discussed in this thread.... as the OP has already discovered.
 
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Agreed with the above. External HDD will fail and then tend to fail note often as they have somewhat less of a regulated power supply - USB powered. Future more the USB to sata circuits boards and disk controllers on the external drives are no where as robust and as efficient as the ones on motherboards. Motherboards have huge capacitors to ensure steady voltage and current supplies. The external drive don't have that as it relies on the USB supplies from the motherboard which can vary.
 
simonblue said:
Just wanted to know if anybody was doing it,do you use single layer or dual :)
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Whatever type you use make sure it is NOT dye based but metallic.
 
Dorian_WD said:
Hey Neil, yes I am an official WD representative. I have just updated my signature to make this more visible :)

Cheers, Dorian_WD
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So when are you bringing out your 8TB HDDs?
.
 
As already stated, all hard drives will eventually fail, the unknown is when. I've seen some fail within a week, others outlast the computer.

I take this approach to backing up. I have an external 3.5" mains powered drive on my desk backing up my MacBook Pro via Time Machine. Time Machine works as it should most of the time, but I've seen some customers backups having restore issues. I also have another external 3.5" mains powered drive to which I regularly clone the MBP's drive with Carbon Copy Cloner. I have archived images stored on duplicated external 3.5" mains powered drives. When not being accessed these sit in their boxes on a shelf out of the way of my Grandson when he stays with us. As these contain a lifetime of of images, scanned 35mm, 6x6, 4x5 and digital, I really should have an off site backup, still something I need to sort, not decided on cloud or a large drive. Although not all, I have my best images that I would miss if lost stored on Drop Box. I'd need a lot more storage space to hold all there.

Regarding SSD's, I've seen a few 2.5" SSD's fail at work, and data recovery from an SSD can cost you an arm and a leg. Additionally, I've seen quite a few SSD's fail in Apple MacBook Air's, such that Apple has a replacement program for certain MBA's with failed Toshiba SSD's.
 
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at the end of the day it shouldnt really matter what medium or drives you use as you should be having several copies of your data. so if one fails then you have at least one other copy to work with. unless you store all of the copies at the same site and it burns down. hence take one off site.
 
neil_g said:
at the end of the day it shouldnt really matter what medium or drives you use as you should be having several copies of your data.
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Exactly. I laugh in the face of drive failure :)
 
petersmart said:
And to REALLY drive that point home:

http://www.wired.com/2012/08/apple-amazon-mat-honan-hacking/all/
.
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Exactly. Trust NO ONE with your data. People have too much faith in known brands/things, and precious little common sense these days.

My data is here.. right where I can see it. I'd rather squeeze the juice from a jalapeño into my eye than have all my data being managed by a large organisation with preposterous security policies. You want my data, you break into my house and take it. I'll be waiting for you... with a bat. Even if you got it... you've only got one copy.

Cloud storage is for suckers... they just don't realise it yet.
 
@Pookeyhead
I absolutely agree with you - what I meant is that if a NAS is used as a primary storage device, even if it is a 2-bay model set up in a RAID 1, where the hard drives are mirrored, this is not a backup solution. Otherwise, as you said, the NAS might be used to backup your info on it. As for the PSU - I don't suggest that it is more likely to fail in a NAS, I was simply giving an example. :)

@petersmart
I have no information about the 8TB HDDs :)

Regards,
Dorian_WD
 
Check Amazon Glacier for longer term storage. It's cheap as you don't get instant access to your files. You request a file and get it 8 hours later.
 
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