Data storage

[Croft]

So what do you use as a backup, right now I have around 500 gig of vector files I really want good back ups for , I have been buying back up storage devices like Lacie, seagate etc and usually have 3 running in redundancy. But recently 2 of the newer one went bad. And I think the quality of these is not the best.
 Are any of you using cloud based storage for your art and what are the costs like,

[GraphicDisorder]

We use a Synology in Raid 5. 10 x 3TB hard drives. So far so good.

[jvanick]

We use a Synology in Raid 5. 10 x 3TB hard drives. So far so good.

what are you backing that up to?

or are you (incorrectly) assuming that Raid5 will protect you?

We've had 50+TB disk arrays go TU due to multiple drive failures (once the 2nd drive failed when it was rebuilding after the 1st drive failed, another time it was a hardware fault that crapped all over the data)...  never a good day... the restore process literally takes days.

[Gilligan]

We started using this as that extra layer of protection:

https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-backup.html#af9ewp

It's dirt cheap.

I detailed it out the other day here:
http://www.theshirtboard.com/index.php/topic,16266.msg172296.html#msg172296

For the money, even if you do pick another solution, why not!

[GraphicDisorder]

We use a Synology in Raid 5. 10 x 3TB hard drives. So far so good.

what are you backing that up to?

or are you (incorrectly) assuming that Raid5 will protect you?

We've had 50+TB disk arrays go TU due to multiple drive failures (once the 2nd drive failed when it was rebuilding after the 1st drive failed, another time it was a hardware fault that crapped all over the data)...  never a good day... the restore process literally takes days.

The Synology IS the back up. All actual data lives on each computer (a secondary data drive in EACH PC here). The Synology copies that drive from each computer at night. Also a external drive PER PC also copies that data drive as well.

We have data 3 places per PC in other words.

[jvanick]

We use a Synology in Raid 5. 10 x 3TB hard drives. So far so good.

what are you backing that up to?

or are you (incorrectly) assuming that Raid5 will protect you?

We've had 50+TB disk arrays go TU due to multiple drive failures (once the 2nd drive failed when it was rebuilding after the 1st drive failed, another time it was a hardware fault that crapped all over the data)...  never a good day... the restore process literally takes days.

The Synology IS the back up. All actual data lives on each computer (a secondary data drive in EACH PC here). The Synology copies that drive from each computer at night. Also a external drive PER PC also copies that data drive as well.

We have data 3 places per PC in other words.

  That is an excellent way of doing it.

I cringe anytime I hear someone say that 'raid is their backup'

[GraphicDisorder]

We use a Synology in Raid 5. 10 x 3TB hard drives. So far so good.

what are you backing that up to?

or are you (incorrectly) assuming that Raid5 will protect you?

We've had 50+TB disk arrays go TU due to multiple drive failures (once the 2nd drive failed when it was rebuilding after the 1st drive failed, another time it was a hardware fault that crapped all over the data)...  never a good day... the restore process literally takes days.

The Synology IS the back up. All actual data lives on each computer (a secondary data drive in EACH PC here). The Synology copies that drive from each computer at night. Also a external drive PER PC also copies that data drive as well.

We have data 3 places per PC in other words.

  That is an excellent way of doing it.

I cringe anytime I hear someone say that 'raid is their backup'

It's never failed me yet, but trust me I still worry about it. WORST failure I ever had was actually just a month or so ago. Had my internal drive fail, well it was about 5pm and it failed.  So I lost all of the days work. But popped a new drive in and copied it over from the synology and was back to good the next morning.

When I build my new rig later this year I hope. I will have my internal data drive also be a mirror of another internal for just another layer.

[Gilligan]

That online backup I mentioned could have backed up your work in realtime... you might not have lost much if any with that running.

Initial backup will be painfully slow.

[GraphicDisorder]

That online backup I mentioned could have backed up your work in realtime... you might not have lost much if any with that running.

Initial backup will be painfully slow.

Our initial back up would be 15tb roughly. No thanks. Then how would they send me a it all if it crashed? Haha.

Locally we could do real time back up as well. However when I tried it I could notice drive speed/network speed drama since 4 of us are creating data at a pretty alarming rate, we daily see the adobe warning for 2gb file... Do you know how long it would take to back up a file "in real time" over the internet thats 2gb that will be saved 20 times while its being worked on? So we will just have to accept for now any potential loss of up to the days work. Which in my life has happened 1 time. Acceptable risk.

[Gilligan]

As I mentioned in the other post, they Next Day FedEx you hard drives if you need.

Also as I mentioned, this would be a LAST Line of Defense... if all other units fail, if your building burns down, you have something.

Yes, it would take a few months to get that initial dump up there... but it starts with small files first and largest last... so a lot of what you do would be backed up pretty quickly.

You would download any recent loses like you had on your recent failure.

I guess, a better question is if your backups fail you (synology goes down and your external goes down) or your shop catches fire/floods, how fast can you get that other backup online now?  First you have to have one.  For this price... it's pretty cheap insurance that you never have to actually touch.

[inkman996]

Is SDSL still an option these days for a limited time to do a large upstream dump?

I have heard far to many horror stories about RAIDS even a whole server of something like 24 drives becoming corrupted by bad hardware. Plus isn't RAID kind of becoming a thing of the past?

[GraphicDisorder]

As I mentioned in the other post, they Next Day FedEx you hard drives if you need.

Also as I mentioned, this would be a LAST Line of Defense... if all other units fail, if your building burns down, you have something.

Yes, it would take a few months to get that initial dump up there... but it starts with small files first and largest last... so a lot of what you do would be backed up pretty quickly.

You would download any recent loses like you had on your recent failure.

I guess, a better question is if your backups fail you (synology goes down and your external goes down) or your shop catches fire/floods, how fast can you get that other backup online now?  First you have to have one.  For this price... it's pretty cheap insurance that you never have to actually touch.

I get how it works. Several companies offer services like that its not a new thing. I don't find it to be something that I could use well due to amount of data. It would be a excellent idea for smaller data amounts.

We have external copies at the house of data. Now I admit I don't back that up as much as I should so we'd be in bad shape in a catastrophic fire at the shop. We will likely do another Synology and copy it all here and take it to the house and let the 2 sync with each other, which is very easy to set up as well and its 8 minutes to my house vs a day + in shipping. Id probably have to change my home service to business due to caps, but no big deal.

I also would just never trust someone else managing my data offsite, even if it was fast/easy.

[mimosatexas]

Haven't seen it mentioned, but I would look into some kind of offsite backup in addition to redundant drives.  Space vs mobility vs u/d speed is always an issue, but I would at minimum have some kind of backup of the most important stuff off site in case of something like flood/fire/theft where just having redundant drives on site won't do squat.  I have 3 waterproof/shockproof/dropproof/etc externals that I rotate and keep off site with my most important data and a backup offsite that I dump to from those periodically.  Never needed it yet, but nice to know I have it.  I don't mind losing a week or so of art, but losing it all would suck...

[Gilligan]

Haven't seen it mentioned, but I would look into some kind of offsite backup in addition to redundant drives.  Space vs mobility vs u/d speed is always an issue, but I would at minimum have some kind of backup of the most important stuff off site in case of something like flood/fire/theft where just having redundant drives on site won't do squat.  I have 3 waterproof/shockproof/dropproof/etc externals that I rotate and keep off site with my most important data and a backup offsite that I dump to from those periodically.  Never needed it yet, but nice to know I have it.  I don't mind losing a week or so of art, but losing it all would suck...

https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-backup.html#af9ewp

Would be perfect for you.  $50/year and it's just automatically backing up constantly.  Unlimited space.

Cheap insurance.

[mimosatexas]

I have and use google drive in addition to the harddrives, and it is included in what I already pay for custom gmail domain and google voice for my work number.  Definitely looks like a good option for others though.