Modern file backup options: cloud? / HD?

[DaveC426913]

I've made a start at protecting my files and my wife's files with (another) external drive - a tiny 500Gb drive the size of a short stack of credit cards. This will do for the short-term.

I will figure out some sort of auto-backup process, and I will add redundancy with cloud backup.

 

[vela]

I've made a start at protecting my files and my wife's files with (another) external drive - a tiny 500Gb drive the size of a short stack of credit cards. This will do for the short-term.

I will figure out some sort of auto-backup process, and I will add redundancy with cloud backup.

I recommend getting network attached storage for your home network and use a backup utility that can back up to it. Have this run automatically so it doesn't rely on anyone to make the time to actually make a backup as this is one of those tasks that often gets put off later and later until it's too late. I've had plenty of external drives around here for years, but my laptop rarely was backed up because I would just never get around to it.

The situation finally changed when Apple introduced Time Machine into OS X, and it could back up over the network. I used to have a drive hanging off the router to which all my home systems could back up to. I recently replaced it with a Synology Diskstation that I received for Christmas. In an expensive post-holiday inpulse-purchase buying spree, I got four 8-TB drives to install in it. They're configured as a RAID 5 (I think) so if one of the drives fails, I won't lose any data.

For online backups, I use Arq and back up to Backblaze B2 cloud storage. I have about 400 GB stored online, and it costs less than $2 a month.

I've been happy with Arq, so I'll give it a plug here. It can back up to an NAS, so it could presumably be a complete solution for you if you're running Windows or if you have a Mac. No Linux version as far as I know.

 

[PAllen]

I recommend getting network attached storage for your home network and use a backup utility that can back up to it. Have this run automatically so it doesn't rely on anyone to make the time to actually make a backup as this is one of those tasks that often gets put off later and later until it's too late. I've had plenty of external drives around here for years, but my laptop rarely was backed up because I would just never get around to it.

The situation finally changed when Apple introduced Time Machine into OS X, and it could back up over the network. I used to have a drive hanging off the router to which all my home systems could back up to. I recently replaced it with a Synology Diskstation that I received for Christmas. In an expensive post-holiday inpulse-purchase buying spree, I got four 8-TB drives to install in it. They're configured as a RAID 5 (I think) so if one of the drives fails, I won't lose any data.

For online backups, I use Arq and back up to Backblaze B2 cloud storage. I have about 400 GB stored online, and it costs less than $2 a month.

I've been happy with Arq, so I'll give it a plug here. It can back up to an NAS, so it could presumably be a complete solution for you if you're running Windows or if you have a Mac. No Linux version as far as I know.

The problem I have with any such backup scheme is that it relies on always connected devices. One lightning strike to a nearby tree could fry all attached devices ( exactly this happened to my father). I do not believe surge protectors are sufficient to prevent this in an extreme case ( I have them anyway).Thus, with simpler tools, but greater redundancy, I rely on drives connected only while in process of backing up, stored disconnected from power at multiple locations. I may occasionally go 10 days without backing up if I am distracted by life, but losing a week of stuff is much better than losing everything.

Cloud I never use and do not trust for anything at all.

 

[dlgoff]

... an old DEC rack in the garage
View attachment 278227 ...

Nice garage and rack.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Nice garage and rack.

When I was young, "nice rack" meant something else. But I digress.

You have a lot of advice here, but I think you need to clarify what "a certain amount of rot" means. For $0, you will get a total wipe-out every 5 years or so. For $1,000,000, your data will last for a century or more. Somewhere in between is where you want to be.

If you tell us where, we can help you get there.

 

[sbrothy]

Summary:: I want to stop losing my precious projects. I need a reliable way to backup files for me, and friends & fam

I thought I had a long-term backup of my important stuff when I bought a 1Tb Seagate External Drive. It died and took years of projects and memories with it.

Running Win10 on a laptop.

I think there are three options:

1. Another (better) external drive
2. Some newfangled solid-state external drive
3. Cloud storage

Some considerations:

• I want to ensure it covers mine and my wife's files - (and, in an ideal world, daughter-in-law-at-separate-residence). Whether that means one, two or three devices/services.
• I think I'll need to set up an auto-backup service for my wife. I personally didn't need one, but I'm more conscientious about securing my important files. But maybe I'll let a computer do something for me that I can do myself. (Big step there.)
• I don't want to spend a half hour every month watching progress bars push my files around. (I guess that's auto backup during off hours)
• I do have my own webhost and domain, if that makes any diff. There is storage there. I'm just not sure it's a serious, robust consideration (I've had bad experiences with webhosts).

Anyway, I'm looking for advice and personal opinions about what to go with.

This may be a little overkill but if you're considering RAIDing maybe not:

https://hackaday.io/project/175094-raspberry-pi-ceph-cluster
https://docs.ceph.com/en/latest/ceph-volume/drive-group/

 

[Vanadium 50]

Ceph is not exactly turn-key. It's not clear to me that having two drives Cephed is any better than having two USB drives and writing it twice.

 

[vela]

The problem I have with any such backup scheme is that it relies on always connected devices. One lightning strike to a nearby tree could fry all attached devices ( exactly this happened to my father). I do not believe surge protectors are sufficient to prevent this in an extreme case ( I have them anyway). Thus, with simpler tools, but greater redundancy, I rely on drives connected only while in process of backing up, stored disconnected from power at multiple locations. I may occasionally go 10 days without backing up if I am distracted by life, but losing a week of stuff is much better than losing everything.

Your method works if you have the discipline to back up regularly, but many people, like me, don't. And the fact that traditionally most users didn't back up regularly even when they knew they should suggests that I'm not in the minority. Plus, I live in an area which doesn't get many lightning strikes, so that's not really a concern to me.

When I've accessed my backups, it's usually because I realized I still wanted a file I deleted a short while ago. With hourly backups, most of the time I can find what I need. On the other hand, if my last back up was a week ago, I would've been out of luck.

It also doesn't have to be an either-or situation. You could use both methods of systems simultaneously.

Cloud I never use and do not trust for anything at all.

I hear this sentiment a lot. What's the reason for your distrust?

 

[DaveC426913]

You have a lot of advice here, but I think you need to clarify what "a certain amount of rot" means. For $0, you will get a total wipe-out every 5 years or so. For $1,000,000, your data will last for a century or more. Somewhere in between is where you want to be.

If you tell us where, we can help you get there.

Exactly my thoughts. I thought I had made it clear. I am not looking for a business-grade solution, just a home-grade solution. So, no RAIDS, etc.

I'll make one-time purchases of maybe a couple hundred $$. I dislike online subscriptions because I find they rot after a few years (What's my #$%$@ username!), but that's a necessary evil.

I bought a tiny $150 500G backup drive, but I don't yet have an automated backup utility for it. And it's already inadequate - a single backup of my projects ate up half the drive space - and I haven't even backed up my wife's files yet.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Well, a RAID at home is not crazy. I have three, and while I am crazy, I'm not that crazy. Buy Windows itself will do automatic backups at a certain time. There is also commercial software for a few $10's. Your biggest risk will likely be a failing USB disk that goes unnoticed followed by a failed laptop disk.

 

[russ_watters]

Exactly my thoughts. I thought I had made it clear. I am not looking for a business-grade solution, just a home-grade solution. So, no RAIDS, etc.

I'll make one-time purchases of maybe a couple hundred $$.

Well, I wouldn't say RAID is beyond "home-grade". I use a Western Digital McCloud network drive. It has RAID and is specifically targeted toward home users.

But also on V50's prompt, I bought a new USB drive, copied the backup to it and took it to work.

 

[DaveC426913]

Well, I wouldn't say RAID is beyond "home-grade".

I guess things have progressed, and my experience has not.
Last time I saw a RAID, it was on a server rack, in a server room.

 

[russ_watters]

I guess things have progressed, and my experience has not.
Last time I saw a RAID, it was on a server rack, in a server room.

Well, I don't know how many decades out of date that is, but I'd guess at least 2. I've run it iternal in PCs for at least 15yrs and I know I wasn't a trailblazer. Here's what the NAS looks like though:

https://shop.westerndigital.com/solutions/raid

 

[Vanadium 50]

You can pop two drives in a desktop almost as easy as one. RAIDing them is much easier than in the past. It's not really for servers-only any more.

 

[DaveC426913]

Well, I don't know how many decades out of date that is, but I'd guess at least 2.

Seems about right. Been a long time since I've worked at a shop where servers are local.
Megacorps like banks prefer off-planet sites or farther.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Western Digital McCloud

Does it have Dennis Weaver riding a horse through the streets of NYC?

 

[vela]

I'll note that the Synology I got is likely overkill for your needs. To be honest, I got it because I just wanted to play with it. My rationalization was that it would be good for backups.

 

[russ_watters]

Does it have Dennis Weaver riding a horse through the streets of NYC?

Oops. MyCloud. Not MacLeod either.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Not MacLeod either.

Captain of the Love Boat? Head newswriter for WJM?

 

[Vanadium 50]

By the way, although RAID has advantages, and may even be appropriate in this case, RAID is not backup. RAID will protect you from a disk failure, but not user failure: If you type "rm -rf /", RAID won't help.