Backup woes - Need help with a solution!


Recommended Posts

Last year, I asked on this forum about a NAS solution (https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1193921-nas-or-das-with-windows-81-surface-2-phone/), and despite lots of excellent advice, didn't actually get one. (A greater need of my cash arose).

 

Now I am not sure if that is the way to go or not (Do I really need to stream stuff...? I don't seem to miss the idea of doing that any more lol)

 

The reason for this new post is that I did a backup of my data yesterday, all 1.36 TB of it).

Up until now, I have just been doing a quick-format on an external drive and copying the data over again.

It took 11 bloody hours. And this is USB 3, but a quick Google told me that the 27-ish MB/Sec it was copying at was about right.

 

The bulk of all of this stuff is multimedia - TV Shows, movies & music, so I've been thinking that I wouldn't necessarily need always-on access to this. But then I'm not so sure!

 

So the question really is, do I still go for the NAS, a DAS, just mirror a couple of drives (which is what I used to do, with an occasional backup to an external drive), or is there another solution?

 

And if I did go NAS / DAS, I read in several places that you should still backup. Is this still true with the RAID combos or unRAID...? Lots of redundancy, I mean.

 

I would be extremely grateful if you could all share with me what it is that you all do.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention a few things in all the excitement of typing!

 - Running Windows 8.1

 - I did try to do this backup to the external disk with Macrium Reflect as an incremental backup, but when I tried to do the incremental backup, I got some crap about the disk no longer being writable. That's why I just went back to copying it all over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"TV Shows, movies & music,"

Why do you even need to back this up?? Is it data you created? or can not get again? Do you not have the original data on CD/DVD/BluRay? For sure I would think worse case it be reripped, insurance company would pay for replacement of it loss in fire, etc.. Worse case scenario.

While I have a somewhat sized media collection. Currently about 2TB - there is nothing there I can not replace.. If I loose my copy of every episode of X-files, south park -- so what?

Now what I do have backed up from here to sunday is Media that can not be replaced - home movies and pictures. That is currently only about 70GB - and is on multiple disks, multiple optical disks in 2 different locations, and in the cloud on amazon glacier, etc.

Your critical data s what is required to be backed up - sorry I just don't get spending time and effort on backup plan of something that can be downloaded in minutes from your copy you bought on itunes, or reripped in again minutes from the copy you have on your shelf.. Or juts gotten again from whatever "alternative" source you might have gotten it from.

What I would suggest is spending some time making sure your disks are monitored for any signs of possible failure - this with some luck allow you to replace before loss. I removed a disk from my pool of disks because the LCC was over 300K. Its kind of bug in the firmware on parking then anything of real concern.. But I got an email from my scanner when it hit 300k, which was the warning flag per the maker for this smart attribute. I opened a ticket with seagate, even though it passes all the tests - they still replaced it. I got the new one in the mail the other day. I have added it to my pool, removed the old one and it moved all the files to this new disk.

As soon as the disk finishes its wipe - I will put it on a box and send back to seagate. Cost to me 10$ in the advanced shipping, etc. And some time to replace in my pool of disks.

If you want to keep a archive copy of your media on another disk - sure that is not very costly these days with cost of disks. And could save you rerip time sure.. At a loss to why you would format and copy the whole library over again. Why not just copy over new media?? There are lots dir sync sort of tools.. example http://freefilesync.sourceforge.net/

So plug in your external disk every couple of weeks and let it copy the new media in your lib over to this external copy.. Put the disk back on the shelf and couple of weeks latter or when you have added some media to your lib - rinse and repeat. It should take you no more than a few minutes to copy over the new media to your offline copy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I use is a Dual eSata Sata Dock. I just plop a TV show 1-1 2TB hard drive in there and back up to it. Then I backup that drive to a backup of that drive

 

1-1 to 1-2

 

At least for that stuff.

 

I use  syncback SE Paid.. Then I map the source and destination to the hard drive lables. That gets rid of the hassle of having Windows change drive letters on me for no reason what so ever.

 

On all data I backup when I buy 1 drive I buy 2 one to backup the first

 

I have a 1 TB photo drive called Photos 1-1 I also have a Photos 1-2 to backup 1-1, I also have a Photos 1-3 which is the offsite version in my safety deposit box.

 

I also have a 3TB offsite 1-1 and Offsite 1-2 which backs up ALL the hard drives in my system 1-1 and 1-2 get rotated each month in my safety deposit box. The one in my box gets brought home and backed up and the one in my home gets backed up and put in the box on the last Friday of Every Month.

 

While I have a somewhat sized media collection. Currently about 2TB - there is nothing there I can not replace.. If I loose my copy of every episode of X-files, south park -- so what?
 

 

That's what I don't understand, I hear people say that here all the time. There should never be a "so what." Hard drives are so cheap there is no reason to ever loose any information

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Hard drives are so cheap there is no reason to ever loose any information"

Depends on your income and life style and priorities on cash, etc.. And what the info actually is!! While I agree with you on cost of storage is very reasonable.. I don't really see the point to spend 2x the money to backup files that I can just put on storage again if I want.. Maybe its just me? But I have not even watched all those episodes of x-files, it's more of look I have my collection of media at my fingertips when someone comes over and we want to watch something. if we really wanted to watch x-files I could just pull the disk off the shelf.

But its kewl to have at my fingertips ;) But its not $120 for a backup disk kewl ;) heheheh

I agree with you - grab a 2nd disk and make a copy of your stuff if your disposable income allows for that. Shoot if your income allows and you like doing it, hey put it on a raid 10 systems with 1TB SSD's and then back it up to HDDs, and then put it on another disk and take it to your safety deposit box at the bank.. Then burn another copy to MDisc and put in your bomb shelter, etc..

That is just hobby if you ask me, while that $120 for a backup disk is prob not going to break anyone's budget that has a media library in the first place and a TV and sound system to go with it, etc.. etc.. Its also a waste of money if you ask me.. That is $120 I could put towards some other new tech toy, or beer even ;)

I have a backup copy of my media that is on the media library disk - its on the shelf in its original media format, its in the cloud from where I purchased it or the 1000's other alternative places to grab that media if that is where it was originally gotten. Why should spend extra dollars to store it on more than 1 disk?? Its NOT CRITICAL data!!

So while you buying 2x disks every time you need space is great for you!! And sounds like you have fun planning your backups of Gilligan's island season 2, etc ;)

Seems the OP "didn't actually get one. (A greater need of my cash arose)." has less disposable income then we would all love to have so seems that extra backup copy on 2nd disk might not be top of his priority list for cash.

So I just ask why even worry about it unless its CRITICAL data -- then you should really make sure you find the budget for backup.. Because I am quite sure you would be out of your mind distraught if you lost the video of your kids first steps or their 3rd birthday party blowing out the candles, etc.. If you have to rerip the matrix trilogy - while sure ok, kind of sucks having to stick the disk in the machine again and then come back couple minutes and take it out.. Or click that link to download it again if that is where you got your media ;) Is that really worth the cost to put it on 2 disks?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:whistle:  :whistle:  :whistle: @+BudMan: Thanks for your input!

I don't have the luxury of the cloud where I am...2-3 mbps where I am on a very, VERY  good day. It would take years to back up this ######! lol

As for re-ripping it all...I can't imagine doing that. I have a cupboard (closet?!) full of hundreds of DVDs...Sitting and ripping it all again...? Ugh!

And I am running Windows 8 which can be a real bastard for playing DVDs sometimes...Sometimes I can get it to do it, other times I can't no matter what I do!

Also, some of it has been collected from members-only websites. I'll say no more on that... :whistle:

 

While it wouldn't really be the end of the world to loose it all again (I have several times before...Deleted wrong partition...formatted wrong partition...lol), it is a pain in the ass to re-collect it again. I think I would like a sort of, well, 'last chance' before it did all go again.

 

Perhaps I will just mirror it all again. One chance, then...well...###### it! Start collecting again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RAID 6 gives capacity with redundancy it needs a special controller but its a better choice than a mirror.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-P400-SAS-Controller-405832-001-w-512MB-Cache-Battery-398648-001-Cables-/111476575278?pt=US_Server_Disk_Controllers_RAID_Cards&hash=item19f4858c2e

 

A massive $19.98 for enterprise grade redundancy... Connect your drives with SFF-8484 to sata fanout cables.

 

Cheap reliable enterprise grade storage (Y)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.