Hence the main reason for the ESXi box :-) Snapshot, play to your hearts content, restore if needed.
I backup my own stuff now to both a VM and external disk, chances of both going at the same time unlikly, but now that i've mentioned it, I'll give it a week :-) She's been well warned and I remind her of what happened when my PC went. The ESXi box only runs when I'm home so scripting to a network location won't work. I'd never use raid0 again, I new the risks but wanted the capacity. The disks are still under warranty, haven't gotten round to getting it replaced yet. I run a check every month on the remaining one, but if it goes, I'm not too worried about anything on it. At the minute I'm running a 64Gig SSD and the remaining 500Gb Samsung HD501J. Regards Tony Patton Desktop Operations Cavan Ext 8078 Direct Dial 049 435 2878 email: [email protected] From: Ben Scott <[email protected]> To: "NT System Admin Issues" <[email protected]> Date: 04/09/2009 14:46 Subject: SOHO: Data storage, RAID levels, backups, VMs, etc. (was: SPAM Solution) On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 2:20 AM, tony patton<[email protected]> wrote: > I rebuild my desktop at home roughly every six months just for the fun of > it, it's a lot less hassle than removing all the crap I install to take a > look at. Old answer: That is why they invented partition imaging. Image your system/software partition, do your tests, then restore after. Keep all your data on a separate partition, so don't have to blow that away. New answer: That is why they invented virtual machines. Do your testing in a VM, and revert the VM's virtual disk after. :-) On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 9:16 AM, tony patton<[email protected]> wrote: > ... had 2 500Gb drive in raid 0 in my desktop ... Yikes! RAID 0 means your chance of failure is multiplied by the number of drives. And given bit failure rates and the size of disks these days, the chance of failure approaches 100% for a single drive. RAID 0 might have had limited application in speed critical situations back when disks were wicked freaking expensive. These days, I'd never ever use it. If I needed the speed and storage capacity that badly, I'd do RAID 10 (striped array of mirrors). > ... had 75% of the stuff copied onto it when 1 of the 500's died ... Chances are, it was already bad, you just didn't notice because you hadn't read from that block in a while. Patrol reads are your friend. > ... Mac and an external hard drive to backup to, but > still getting her to backup is a nightmare and all she has to do is connect > the external and the Mac does it automatically for her. A backup solution that requires end-user action is doomed to failure. I recommend scripting something on the laptop that will automatically sync changes to a networked file server on a schedule, or whenever the network is available, or whatever. -- Ben ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ ==================================================================== http://www.quinn-insurance.com This e-mail is intended only for the addressee named above. The contents should not be copied nor disclosed to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of QUINN-Insurance, unless otherwise specifically stated . As internet communications are not secure, QUINN-Insurance is not responsible for the contents of this message nor responsible for any change made to this message after it was sent by the original sender. Although virus scanning is used on all inbound and outbound e-mail, we advise you to carry out your own virus check before opening any attachment. We cannot accept liability for any damage sustained as a result of any software viruses. ==================================================================== QUINN-Life Direct Limited is regulated by the Financial Regulator. QUINN-Insurance Limited is regulated by the Financial Regulator and regulated by the Financial Services Authority for the conduct of UK business. ==================================================================== QUINN-Life Direct Limited is registered in Ireland, registration number 292374 and is a private company limited by shares. QUINN-Insurance Limited is registered in Ireland, registration number 240768 and is a private company limited by shares. Both companies have their head office at Dublin Road, Cavan, Co. Cavan. ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
