[SATLUG] backup recommendations

[tom weeks]

On Saturday 03 March 2007 15:32, Daniel J. Givens wrote:
> I'm not saying tape backup is old and dying. Tape is good when you need to
> keep long term archives or you do not have the bandwidth/infrastructure to
> do remote backups, but still want some backups stored off site.


> As a whole 
> though, I do not trust tapes as much as I trust redundant disks. 

You make it sound like RAID is a replacement for backups.. 
Not hardly!

RAID addresses HARDWARE AVAILABILITY issues (in this context)..
Backups address DATA RETENTION issues.

A user, admin or hacker deletes a bunch of files.. or you experience 
filesystem corruption.. RAID is not going to do SQUAT for you.  Only Backups 
will save your cookies.

Most people shooting for a high availability system will go for some form of 
RAID.  But any system where the data ITSELF is important, Backups are the 
key.

There are some interesting Hybrid "occasional mirror" type backup solutions.. 
that combines the instant disk to disk, mirror functionality of RAID, but 
only does this image once/week or the like.  This is an interesting way of 
doing it.. but also has it's own sets of pros and cons.

I personally like the idea of combining local disk to disk image/snapshot type 
of solution with then disk to tape backups from the static disk.  This gives 
you local fast "backup file access".. with the pros of off site tape storage.

Tweeks