Computer Gurus... Two backup questions

[THE]

What do I need to do in order to mirror my hard drive without re-doing it every time? I can't do RAID right now..

But I want something that acts like raid mirroring (both for my drive-drive backups and ftp backups)

You know, something that will delete files in the backup that no longer exist on the master ... add new files to the back-up ... without having to erase the backup and re-copy everything

I have a util called RetroSpect express.. Not sure it's doing that

 

[Para]

What do I need to do in order to mirror my hard drive without re-doing it every time? I can't do RAID right now..

But I want something that acts like raid mirroring (both for my drive-drive backups and ftp backups)

You know, something that will delete files in the backup that no longer exist on the master ... add new files to the back-up ... without having to erase the backup and re-copy everything

I have a util called RetroSpect express.. Not sure it's doing that

It sounds like your BU software is doing a full BU every time instead of incrementals. I'm not sure what you mean by "mirror", but

Backup Software - File Recovery | Norton Ghost makes an EXACT copy of your HD. With it, you can restore everything; not just data files.

 

[Fire N Ice]

Acronis is also a very good program for making backups of your HD

Copy hard disk drive with our HDD copy software - Acronis True Image Home

 

[skri11a]

There's also a great open source version of ghost called clonezilla. It does exactly what ghost and acronis do... fo free

Retrospect can do incremental backups, I'm just not sure if retrospect express can.
You may want to hit their website and see if you can use what you already have.
Ntbackup (windows backup) will do incrementals, as well.

 

[YOPP!]

If you are talking about incremental back-up of the files only (not the entire OS), check out carbonite.com.

I bought 3 years of unlimited backup from them for 130 bucks. Files are encrypted and uploaded to their servers, completely safe from HDD failures, house break-ins, fire, you name it.

I uploaded .5TB of digital images, family video, work files, etc. Plus I can get to my files from anywhere I can get to the internet, and when I upgrade my PC, I can recover the files to the new computer with a few clicks.

A small price to pay for peace of mind.

 

[skri11a]

If you are talking about incremental back-up of the files only (not the entire OS), check out carbonite.com.

I bought 3 years of unlimited backup from them for 130 bucks. Files are encrypted and uploaded to their servers, completely safe from HDD failures, house break-ins, fire, you name it.

I uploaded .5TB of digital images, family video, work files, etc. Plus I can get to my files from anywhere I can get to the internet, and when I upgrade my PC, I can recover the files to the new computer with a few clicks.

A small price to pay for peace of mind.

I haven't been able to justify the cost for my company, but it is a very attractive option for home use.

 

[YOPP!]

I haven't been able to justify the cost for my company, but it is a very attractive option for home use.

There are two types of data. Data that has been backed up, and data that hasn't been lost yet.

I debated long and hard before I hit that "add to basket" button. But I'm really glad I did. The software is pretty transparent, stopping the upload process whenever you are working on the computer. It is also a "set it and forget it" thing. You tell it which folders to b/u, and any time you make a change, it just does it's thing.

I justified it by considering how many external drives and DVD-R's I've bought over the years to do back ups. I would venture to say I've spent a good deal more than $40.00/year on all the equipment, not to mention the pain of a clunky backup plan and storing the stuff in a fireproof safe.

 

[skri11a]

There are two types of data. Data that has been backed up, and data that hasn't been lost yet.

I debated long and hard before I hit that "add to basket" button. But I'm really glad I did. The software is pretty transparent, stopping the upload process whenever you are working on the computer. It is also a "set it and forget it" thing. You tell it which folders to b/u, and any time you make a change, it just does it's thing.

I justified it by considering how many external drives and DVD-R's I've bought over the years to do back ups. I would venture to say I've spent a good deal more than $40.00/year on all the equipment, not to mention the pain of a clunky backup plan and storing the stuff in a fireproof safe.

I agree completely. For home use it's almost a no brainer. I'm backing up 1.5TB at the office and already have a healthy investment in robotic libraries/tapes and external hard drives.

Right now, the cost for enterprise level online backup, prices us out of the game. Maybe when this robotic library finally dies, the cost of replacement will be my catalyst to move to online backups.

 

[YOPP!]

How strange it that? We have been backing up to an AIT tape library at work as well. We are in the process of switching to a multiple location NEXSAN archive, and it can't come quick enough. I've had more headaches with that tape library than I care to remember.

 

[skri11a]

ditto that. I hate tape. We're a single location so we'd have to use a colo if we were to do what you're doing. In that case, online backups would still be cheaper.

 

[THE]

ditto that. I hate tape. We're a single location so we'd have to use a colo if we were to do what you're doing. In that case, online backups would still be cheaper.

Colo is like a dedicated server that's shared, in a way, isn't it??

What can I get that will "sync" my data with the ftp server and the 2nd hard drive and the external drive and be unobtrusive (idle or throttle the bandwidth/cpu usage when I'm uploading/downloading something else)????

 

[skri11a]

Colo is like a dedicated server that's shared, in a way, isn't it??

What can I get that will "sync" my data with the ftp server and the 2nd hard drive and the external drive and be unobtrusive (idle or throttle the bandwidth/cpu usage when I'm uploading/downloading something else)????

colo=co-location facility. It's basically a bunker that houses servers with multiple connections to power,data etc... You could use it to be your primary server location or mimic your in house network or use it to house your SAN for off-site backup purposes etc... You rent a rack and provide your own equipment so it gets pretty expensive.

I say look at the carbonite option. It sounds like it's fairly unobtrusive once you get all of your initial data up to their servers. There are a few other popular online backup options you might want to google to price compare.

Is your ftp at the same location as your 2 other drives?