How to connect and backup..

[Danny D]

Hi,

At work we waste a lot of money backing up our data to an off site server. We pay over $1000 every month to do this since we have a lot of data. We just need a backup it does not have to be offiste, so I thought i should just build a computer with lots of HD space just for backups. Now my question is how can i tell my main computer to backup everything to the new one every day for example? Is there a program for this? How would i connect these 2 computers together? All of our PC's are trough a network so i guess i just need to connect it to the network and start sharing files?

Sorry if this is in the wrong section I did not know where to put it.

Thanks for all the help.

- Dan

[Sophism]

And what do you plan on doing if the building catches on fire? Or theirs a flood?

Who is providing your current backup service? and how much space are they providing?

[+BudMan MVC]

You have a LOT Of data, but your server is/was an XP machine ;)

How much data are we talking? 100, 500GB, 1TB, 5TB??

What are you backing up exactly -- the users whole machines, or just the data on the server (xp box)? Or did you setup ClarkConnect or SBS yet?

Backing up to different disks in a computer is fine, but thats not a true backup to be honest.. What happens if there is a fire, or what happens if someone breaks in and steals all the computers? What if there is s tornado or something - and the whole building is gone??

There needs to be a copy of your data offsite, and should really be quite a few miles away.

Keeping a local backup is great, and makes it easy to restore files that users delete, etc. But you do really need to have a offsite backup as well, weekly might be fine for the offsite copy - depends on how important your data is and your.

Lets start with how much data you have, what exactly your backing up now to this online service and how your doing that now -- $1k seems a bit steep for the amount of data Im picturing for a company that had/does use a XP box as there server when the IT guy did not know what a switch was a few weeks ago.

So lets start there, and then we can work out a good method of backup, what hardware and software to use, and how you set it all up.

[Danny D]

Hi,

You are talking about the server. This is other data that we save drawings and that kind of stuff that takes up a lot of space. I want a new computer just for backups not on a different disk on the same computer. If the whole building burns down i dont think the data that is saved can get the business back up :). As i said it does not matter if the back up is here. The reason why there is so much data is because we save pictures, blue prints lots of them our architects do. So my question is how i can back up to another PC automatically.

- Dan

  BudMan said:

You have a LOT Of data, but your server is/was an XP machine ;)

How much data are we talking? 100, 500GB, 1TB, 5TB??

What are you backing up exactly -- the users whole machines, or just the data on the server (xp box)? Or did you setup ClarkConnect or SBS yet?

Backing up to different disks in a computer is fine, but thats not a true backup to be honest.. What happens if there is a fire, or what happens if someone breaks in and steals all the computers? What if there is s tornado or something - and the whole building is gone??

There needs to be a copy of your data offsite, and should really be quite a few miles away.

Keeping a local backup is great, and makes it easy to restore files that users delete, etc. But you do really need to have a offsite backup as well, weekly might be fine for the offsite copy - depends on how important your data is and your.

Lets start with how much data you have, what exactly your backing up now to this online service and how your doing that now -- $1k seems a bit steep for the amount of data Im picturing for a company that had/does use a XP box as there server when the IT guy did not know what a switch was a few weeks ago.

So lets start there, and then we can work out a good method of backup, what hardware and software to use, and how you set it all up.

[Sophism]

Heres my advice, sit down and talk with the CEO/head hancho, and ask him these questions...

How current does he want the backups in the event of an on-site disaster. AKA if all the computers get stolen, or flood/water damage.

How long does he want to wait until all the data is restored.

How much is he willing to shell out.

1k a month is pretty insane, Who are you using for offsite storage? and how much space are you using?

Off the top of my head depending on the amount of data and the answers to the questions above I would do nightly backups to a local server, and a bi-weekly full backup to an external HD or offsite storage. Again depending on the answers to the questions above.

[+BudMan MVC]

^ Exactly, good advice.

as to this statement

"This is other data that we save drawings and that kind of stuff that takes up a lot of space"

If you not saving them on the server -- where are you saving them? On the local users machines hard drives?

There are lots of people here willing to help you, me being one of them.. I am more than happy to get you on your feet in the IT field, while at the same time getting your company better setup all around.

But we need some details to work with, again how much data?? Where is this data currently? how are you sending it offsite? What company are you using for offsite backup? $1k seems quite high for the amount of data that I am picturing for what I know of your network.

Shoot -- there are lots of companies that will do UNLIMITED backup for like $60 a year.. You could just use one of those, these mostly designed for personal use, etc.. But without knowing what your doing now -- and how much data your talking.. One of them could be a possible option.

Shoot the mozy pro version runs

Desktop Licenses: $3.95 + $0.50/GB per month

So yeah that could get real expensive really really fast, depending on the number of machines and how much data your backing up.. Maybe you don't need to backup all of it? Like I asked before are you backing up the WHOLE machine? Or just the data?

What I would SUGGEST first is we get your DATA on a real server vs each PC and or an XP box running as a server. Using RAID for the storage, putting your data on a raid would be the first step (safer than 1 disk).. Once that is done, then you can look to the best options for backup.. Be it another server on site where data is copied too, a tape backup solution, online backup or quite possible a combination of all or some of those options.

[justmike]

  Danny D said:

Hi,

At work we waste a lot of money backing up our data to an off site server. We pay over $1000 every month to do this since we have a lot of data. We just need a backup it does not have to be offiste, so I thought i should just build a computer with lots of HD space just for backups. Now my question is how can i tell my main computer to backup everything to the new one every day for example? Is there a program for this? How would i connect these 2 computers together? All of our PC's are trough a network so i guess i just need to connect it to the network and start sharing files?

Sorry if this is in the wrong section I did not know where to put it.

Thanks for all the help.

- Dan

Try GFI backup, or FBackup, but you may run into problems doing things this way. It really depends on how much data, how many computers, and how your network is setup.

[+John Teacake MVC]

Over $1000 (?500 roughly where I am) Doesn't sound too bad IF it was a large amount of data. We got a 35TB SAN set up Replicated across two sites (7Miles apart) That cost us ALOT more than the original posters $1000 a month would cost (Not cost per month, Cost over all but if you broke it down into months then yes it would be more expensive). But then again that's 35TB SAN Replication, Plus we backup other servers with local disks using IBM Tivoli Storage Manager solution to the Disaster Recovery site, This is dumped onto the SAN and then archived to an IBM Tape Library. This is our custom designed solution and I very much doubt that it would suffice for your requirements. I think the people of Neowin are doing a bloody good job trying to help you out here, Asking the right questions.

There again it depends on how much you want to spend, The question is at what point would be be cheaper for your business to go under effectively than to be able to restore all your data. You could spend a lot more money than you make on backup solutions if you wanted to;)).

I think you seriously need to ask the right questions first with the owner of the business. It wouldn't hurt to tell him that you don't know one blinking light from another as well just so hes aware and he can continue to employ you and ignore the problem or put in place a solution. Maybe the owners/managers would be willing to send you on some training courses.

[+BudMan MVC]

^ exactly Sawyer, the issues is we have no idea how much data his talking about backing up.. He only has like 7 computers, one of them is acting like a server.

So how much data he is talking is the BIG question here. And is it from 1 machine (his server) or all of them? And most likely if not just from the server his prob duplicating effort with the same file on multiple machines being backed up to the online service.

We really need some details to work with to help him. For his setup I can not see it being much data -- lets say 1TB which is prob way over the top if you ask me for such a small network. how would you let your data get to be so large without moving on to something more than a workgroup with an XP box as your server?

At the cost of say mozypro at 3.95 a desktop your looking at $30, so at their cost of .50 a GB per month your looking at 1.940 TB of date to = $1k a month. If find it hard to fathom that he actually has 2TB of data... If so he needs to address if who he is using for online backup is the right fit, etc.

And yeah for a $12K a year budget he could setup one hell of a nice tape/drive solution for his small network. For like $6500 he could get a 8 slot dell 124T tape library with 20 LTO4 tapes, a copy of backup exec small business suite, etc. etc. With 3 yrs on site, and they would even come and set it up for him, etc. etc.

I agree with you $1k not all that much, but put in relation to the size of his environment. 7 PCs -- seems high to me for 7 PCs ;) Shoot decent sized org might spend $1k a month on tapes ;)

I am quite sure we can lower the cost of his backup, and most likely give him a much better solution than what he is currently doing. I mean its 7 PCs ;) what do they all have 1TB drives filled with data??? Even if they did that $6500 backup solution could work.. You could then even throw in online backup of the critical files, etc.. and still be lower than the $12K a year he is spending now, along with prob a offsite pickup and storage of his tapes.

Danny -- just need some details!!! And then we can give you some realistic suggestions on how to proceed.

[+John Teacake MVC]

For a quite a large sum of money :shifty: I'm sure BudMan and I would be willing to come into your organization to completely overhaul the network/server aspect, Also take a look at how the desktops have been set up. ;)

[+BudMan MVC]

Well it wouldn't have to be all that much ;) Pay for airfare, not sure where he is - pay for expenses.. And then I would give him a very good day rate.. But my bar bill alone might get pretty high ;) Ive got quite a few vacation days I have to burn up this year still.

But sure we could have that network humming in a few days..

Depends on where exactly your at too -- I would love to come to the UK for trip - never been :( or anywhere in the Caribbean would mean a lower day rate ;) hehehe