I get away from the potential compatibility issues by not compressing
the data.
I copy the data to a Windows formatted USB drive [2 TB] and then copy
the data onto my Ubuntu desktop. Since I actually have three 2TB drives
internal, that is the primary storage/backup.
The next thing I do is use "rsync" to copy the data to the 6TB worth of
external storage. I do not use any compression or backup keyed to a
specific system. I just start up the script, when all of the drives are
mounted, and walk away to do other things, like sleep. That is the best
solution for me.
I use to keep the "file storage" system running 24/7, but no longer.
Since 2010, I have replaced 3 of the 2TB drives. I have 6 of these
drives and a few smaller ones as replacements for other systems. Plus,
my military shock resistant grade of a 2TB USB3 drive. That is the only
2TB drive that is not ext4 formatted.
I too have specif folders for specific data types. Music, Movies, and
other videos go, on two drive. Photography, Images and Graphics, Fonts,
plus anything else, goes on the last 2TB drive. If I need the data on a
Windows system, I copy the data, etc., onto the 2TB drive Windows
formatted drive or 16-64 Gig flash drives.
As an extra safety step, I have my storage system's OS on a separate
250GB drive. So if it goes bad, I would loose very little data.
On 10/17/2017 10:50 AM, Ruth Ann Stewart wrote:
Automatic backups are nice, but I found out the hard way that files backed up
from one computer can not always be restored to another computer, or even to an
updated drive or operating system on the same computer.
And since I know that any electronic device will fail at some point, I usually
just buy whichever one is on sale. Drives are cheap enough that it’s not a big
deal if I have to replace one, although if I think the drive didn’t last long
enough, or didn’t perform very well, I will definitely choose a different
brand/model for the replacement.
I do not have a huge amount of pictures or videos to back up, so my method is a
little easier than some:
I have a folder on my computer called “All”. Any data I create is saved to
“All” or one of it’s subfolders.
I have a 3TB external drive attached to my MacBook, which uses it to store the
Time Machine backup data.
Time Machine makes hourly backups of any files that have been changed.
In addition, on a regular basis, I copy “All” to the external drive, renaming
it to reflect the date/version.
Also, on a regular basis, I copy “All” to an external flash drive or memory
card, and then rotate through the drives so I always have several previous
copies available.
If my “All” folder gets too large to fit on the flash drive, it’s easy enough
to split it into two folders…..
The more changes I make to my files, the more often I back them up.
Works well for me.
On Oct 16, 2017, at 8:19 PM, Tim-L <[email protected]> wrote:
If you cannot find a good article that you can trust, then you must take
opinions of others.
So, this is my opinion about best drives to buy.
Even 1 month old Military specs 2-TB USB Drive can go bad. Mine did. At least
most of it was backed up on a different drive/system. It only cost me $100
plus shipping for the original drive - from Walmart of all places.
I always buy the best extended warranty I can get, for all my electronics. At
least this replaces the device that died.
First, I personally would not go larger than 2-TB for a drive as your MOST
needed data, unless you have drives that are designed for NAS or file server
equipment. That is my opinion for the drives I can afford to buy, for the
money I had when I need them. I use a desktop, and its drives as the backup for
my laptop data. It will end up as a file server - one day. I believe in a many
device backup system - as follows;
I backup the laptop[s] data to my "Silicon Power 2TB Rugged Armor
A30 Shockproof Standard 2.5" USB 3.0 Military-Grade Portable
External Hard Drive". Then take that drive and copy the files to my
file "server" desktop's 3 different 2-TB internal drives. The are WD
brand. Then I use a syncing backup script to the 3 external drives
- again WD drives - 6-TB internal and 6-TB external. So, I have at
least 2 different drives hold the "backups" of the data, if the
laptop drive goes bad. It could be easier if I had more money.
I looked at a few places and the "best" drive type I found so far may be the WD Red Pro drives for
NAS storage. They cost more than the WS "Black" type, or other brands of drives. They are
designed for long life in demanding needs. I have seen the "red" drives as large as 8-TB for $400
USD. The 4-TB run about $150. If I have the money, I would replace my current drives with these drives.
I currently do not have a NAS storage device - due to the fact I could not
figure out how to get my Linux systems to work with the current router/NAS
device I have, or any NAS storage outside of a desktop setup. That is why I
hope to get one of my desktops to be a true Ubuntu file server.
On 10/16/2017 06:04 PM, Steve Edmonds wrote:
Hi Charles.
I have just had a new WD Black (supposed to be high(er) reliability) die within
a few weeks. Replaced under warranty.
The probability of that is low, but it does happen. If the backup is only a
copy of what is on your PC/laptop then you are not needing such high
reliability as you always have at least one copy on a failure.
I archive (backup and delete original from PC) so use a little DS216 NAS
storage unit with 2 drives configured raid. Less frequently I backup that to a
single 4TB HD for off site safety (house burns down).
I also bought a drive on Amazon recently and noticed that there was an option
for $10 extra to cover data recovery in a failure.
I think your best solution will depend upon how much data you need to back up
and how often, an on-line solution may even work for you.
Steve
On 17/10/17 07:53, charles meyer wrote:
Hi All,
I have a SONY external hard drive that just died one day within it's
warranty period.
SONY won't recover my drive contents so the next time I've got an extra
$500 I'll have to find a data recovery firm.
I need to back up my contents - music, videos, data but I can't seem to
find an objective, independent evaluation of which external hard drives are
most reliable.
Have you found any such article?
Or have you found through experience certain brands more reliable than
others?
Thanks so much!
Charles.
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