I apologize for not posting this summary sooner, my PC decided to die on me
and it took a while to recover my e-mails. If I have inadvertently omitted
someone from my list of thank you's below, I apologize.
I would like to thank everyone (Nicole, Sara, Tim, Jerry, Greg, John, Phil
and Dave) for your very helpful and informative responses. I would like to
specifically thank and recognize Dr. Brian Myers of Ohio Northern University
for not only offering up some very useful tips dealing with the backing up
of my data, but for also sending me your unused tape drive.
Again, thank you to everyone who responded.
Adrienne
> ********************
> I use rsync to a linux box for backups of the partitions with the user
> dirs and vnmr. I do not back up the OS. I did this on an Ultra 10 when
> noone was logged in. On our new Blade 150s I can do it anytime so it
> runs as a cron at night. I depends on what you want to do with your
> backups. I rsync every night. People have some backup of their data
> as of sometime in the night. It would probably be worthwhile if I made
> a hard copy backup of the data directories every week and stored it in a
> different location. Users are responsible for their own data as I keep
> telling them. However they do know that a backup exists.
>
> You could selectively back up all the user data directories which are
> what counts. You could make an image file and then transfer it to a PC
> even. You can share the partition to another machine and do it all
> there. File away the DVDs as an archive. You have lots of choices.
> I have not used tapes for a long time but have a colleague who does it
> for some of data processing machines as a means of double security.
>
> ***************
> I would say go for the DVD option. Burning them and using them is exactly
> as
> you would a CD. They are not wiped by magnetic fields and can be searched
> quickly for data, unlike tapes. We don't use one on a Sun, so cannot
> comment
> on this, but works fine under Windows XP.
>
> ***************
> 1. CD. IMHO, if the entire computer industry provides software to you
> for
> save and install on CD, it must be for good reason. CDs are more durable,
> more portable, and more widely used. With tape you'll be saddling
> yourself
> with ever-decreasing options for supplies, software, compatibility, and
> expertise. DVDs are basically just CDs with wider functionality. Why not
> continue with the media you're already using: hard disk space. External
> drive cases are cheap, and so are large hard drives. If you put an
> external
> drive on the Sun and leave it turned off except for backups, the lifetime
> is
> VERY high. You already backup to extra drive space in another machine
> through the internet. If the odds that any 2 of the hard drives in your
> lab
> will fail at the same time are acceptable now, why not always?
>
> 2. I'm not familiar with the software running it, but our users burn data
> into CDs with an H-P CD Writer 9600 series on a Sparc20.
>
> ***************
> We have a DVD burner on a Window XP machine that backs up our Sun
> Ultra-10's and Blade systems. We have our data exported via Samba
> which allows the PC to back up the systems as if they were networked
> windows drives.
>
> The PC also has a CD burner which lets the users back up their own data
> to either CD or DVD using the Nero programs that they are already used to.
>
> Samba is extremely stable and is fairly easy to configure on the Sun
> systems.
>
> ***************
> Something else that you may not have known about DVD drives. There is two
>
> different formats,
> "+" and "-". Only the most recent drives have dual "+" and "-" format
> writing capabilities.
>
> For a new HP pc for a Bruker System, I purchased an HP DVD writer that
> upon
> receiving & starting the install, I found out about the 2 formats. The
> DVD writer was "+" format for writing, but the DVD discs our Stock room
> sold were the "-" format.
>
> I have since ordered a newer model with dual format writing so that my
> users can save data & not
> worry about what format their DVD discs is.
>
> ***************
> Not entirely relevent to your question, as I have a Bruker/SGI facility.
> But what I do for backups is to create the Isoimage file for the CD
> backup on the SGI computer, then ftp this single file to my Mac to burn
> the CD. Copying a single file, though big, is MUCH quicker than copying
> thousands of small files.
>
> I use freeware tools on the SGI for this, I'm sure something similar is
> available for a Sun.
>
> ***************
> I'm trying to leave the dat tape world. Media just doesn't seem to be
> cost effective. With Hard Drives so cheap, I'm considering an external
> firewire/usb hot swapable enclosure. Just starting down that path,
> so will know more in a month or two.
>
> ***************
For the record, our IT department prefers to use tape drives because
they can hold more information.
***************
Adrienne B. Hoeglund
NMR Specialist
AOC, LLC.
950 Highway 57 East
Collierville, TN 38017
(901) 854-2800 ext. 532 - work
(901) 853-1582 - fax
www.aoc-resins.com
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Received on Mon Sep 20 2004 - 17:36:44 MST