Backup Solutions

[Dreadnaught]

So, what kinds of personal data backup solutions do you all like to use? Curious what systems the middling-OCD types employ and what types of files they back up.

For a while I've simply had a backup HD drive that I replace every few years to keep the parts fresh. I leave the old drive lying around as a redundant until its successor is replaced...then I thoroughly destroy the oldest drive in the lineup.

I have about 17GB of photos, 18GB of music and 10GB of of completely random crap (EG coursework and backups of MSOutlook inboxes from ages past).

My photos and old coursework are by far the most important/least replaceable. I'm thinking of doing a double-backup to a cloud-based solution like Dropbox or Google Drive (leaning towards Google Drive).

Anyone have any solutions, suggestions or thoughts?

[Ominous Gamer]

Everytime I replace a harddrive I use the old ones as backups. Also backup up all the machines to Brents since he has a 2TB RAID at the moment. I use Window's built in solution since its like 1 or 2 clicks and I don't have to worry about forgetting anything. Its just a a zip archive so if needed I can go back and grab just one file.

I'm at 3 laptop drives, 1 internal in an enclosure and 1 external hard drive I have images backed up to.

[Khendraja'aro]

I'm using two solutions:
a) Documents get sync'ed to Dropbox.
b) Pictures, music and documents are backed up to a USB hard disc connected to my router. I'm using the Windows 8 file versioning feature for that.

Bonus to both solutions: I can access older versions of the files in question.

[Wraith]

Use my solution: Keep only one copy, located on 3 physical drives using RAID 0.

Or use just Dropbox. Wuss.

[Illusions]

Any suggestions for backup and (near) real-time sync?

[Timbuk2]

Keep all my porn backed up on a 2nd 1gb internal drive

[Khendraja'aro]

Use my solution: Keep only one copy, located on 3 physical drives using RAID 0.

Or use just Dropbox. Wuss.

RAID 0 is not a backup solution. You're probably thinking of RAID 2, 3, 4 or 5. But those still aren't backup solutions.

[Ominous Gamer]

That's why there is only 1 copy...

[Khendraja'aro]

It's RAID 0 (zero), i.e. striping.

Putting your backup files, even if they're on a physically different computer, on a RAID 0 is just asking for trouble.

[Ominous Gamer]

I could be wrong, but I took Wraiths post as a joke. He has a single copy using raid 0, ie no actual backup. backups are for wussies.

[Khendraja'aro]

I've seen the "RAID as a backup" used too often in the real world to be able to laugh about this "joke".

[Dreadnaught]

I'm using two solutions:
a) Documents get sync'ed to Dropbox.
b) Pictures, music and documents are backed up to a USB hard disc connected to my router. I'm using the Windows 8 file versioning feature for that.

Bonus to both solutions: I can access older versions of the files in question.

When I first read this, I thought it said "USB stick"

For the people using the cloud storage solutions, how bad was the initial upload time?

[Being]

I don't consider it backed up until it's written to optical storage and a raid 5 on a linux system. I use SyncBackSE for the hard drive backup.

[Dreadnaught]

I hope you don't have a lot of data for that optical backup, otherwise that's a pretty intense physical commitment to keep all those disks around.

[Being]

50 GB per disc. Or 25 if you are on a budget.

[Dreadnaught]

Didn't realize they went up to 50GB. Then again, just this week I threw out a stack of unused DVD-Rs from maybe 2005 that were 4GB. They were the last optical media I think I purchased, so I just didn't realize you could go out and buy an insane 50GB DVD-R.

My new 1TB backup drive came today. I am thinking I'm going to either use the Christmas slowness to also upload to Google Drive (why register for one more thing?) or take the drive to the office and use their faster upload capacity during a workday for the photo uploads.

[Ominous Gamer]

They are Blu-ray Discs. Bd-r. They go up to 100gb for consumers currently.