[Leica] backup backup backup

[mark at whitedogs.co.uk (Mark Pope)]

It's a terrible thing to lose data and assuming the data is recoverable, 
a time consuming exercise to rebuild systems.

I had a HDD go in my Ubuntu server a couple of weeks ago.  It was a 
750GB Seagate which was used as a backup disk for a program called 
BackupPC, which I use to keep my Windows and Linux boxes backed up.  It 
runs automatically and has a nice web interface.
Anyway, I've rebuilt the server.  Now it has two 250GB system disks (two 
different makes) running in a RAID1 configuration plus a single 1.5TB 
Samsung 1.5TB disk which I use for BackupPC.
The BackupPC data is archived to one of two 1TB USB drives which are 
rotated on a roughly weekly basis.  One of these lives at my next-door 
neighbour's house.

When Lightroom opens, the catalogue is automaticaly backed up to a 
network share on my server and when photos are imported they get backed 
up to a separate USB drive on the Windows machine.

Next step is to work out how to get Apple's File Protocol working on the 
Ubuntu machine, then I can try running Time Machine to it. At the moment 
I run Unison (another open source program) to sync my Documents folder 
on the Mac with my Ubuntu workstation, which then gets backed up to BackupPC

Belt, braces, string and chewing gum.

IIRC the server cost me ?300.  The operating system and software for 
running the backups was free as it's open source software.  If you have 
the know how, time and inclination, using and old PC with Linux and 
BackupPC is an effective way of providing a workable backup solution. I 
ended up buying a PC to to run as a server because my old one died and I 
also needed something for some other work that's on the go at the moment.



Mark Pope,
Swindon, Wilts
UK

Homepage               http://www.monomagic.co.uk
Blog                   http://www.monomagic.co.uk/blog
Picture a week (2010)  http://www.monomagic.co.uk/index.php?gallery=paw/2010
Picture a week (2009)  http://www.monomagic.co.uk/index.php?gallery=paw/2009
                (2008) 
http://www.monomagic.co.uk/index.php?gallery=paw/2008


leo wesson wrote:
> Worst nightmare.  Main drive crashed.  That leaves all my working
> files backed up on 1 other drive.  I go to back up that drive, trip
> over the powercord and knock it off the table.  Drive unreadable.
> Lost a bunch of stuff.
> 
> Backup backup backup your stuff please.  Don't be unhappy like me.
> 
> Leo Wesson
> Photographer/Videographer
> 817.733.9157
> www.leowesson.com
> 
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