Backup - all in one solution required

[Gibbo]

So what options do I have if I want to backup approx 1Tb of data distributed across 4 HDDs (including OS and Applications)?

I want something that can take a complete copy of everything and then record incremental changes (preferably in real time) without interfering too much in the foreground processes.

...and then when the inevitable happens, it be a simple process to copy whatever is required back to the core rig.

Is there such a solution?
I don't want it to cost the earth.

[peterb]

If the inevitable happens, you are going to need to install an OS to reload the backups anyway.

I think I'd start by looking at how your data is organised, and get some structure to it (if you haven't already done so)

Then decide what is essential to back up (irreplaceable data) and that which could be restored from other sources.

Then decide what and when to back up, and the back-up strategy.

Windows used to come with quite a good backup utility, included with Win2K and installed by default) - included on the XP DVD (but not installed by default) and don't know about Vista.

As for the backup media, for longevity (although not a lot of history yet) DVD/Blu Ray (probably 10 years) For longer, and greater reliability, Tape, for lowest cost, but less reliability, backup to another hard drive - perhaps in a USB caddy.

[Stringent]

I'd seriously look at centralising your data first. Get a home server of some sort with large capacity drives, then a NAS box somewhere else in the house. Then you only have to make one backup rather than 4 separate ones.

[Gibbo]

I was thinking perhaps a 'consumer' double take kind of solution?

Is there nothing like that where perhaps I could clone my setup to a backup rig, perhaps? - see my other threads and realise that I just need a couple of HDDs a PSU and a GPU to be running a spare PC - I could use this as for the cloning maybe?

What about imaging my PC onto a 1Tb external drive and writing incremental changes?
Is that sort of thing not available?

[Funkstar]

Also not all your data needs to be seemlesly backup as you go. Not all that 1TB is going to change very often. OS and apps for instance, a weekly drive iage snapshot should be enough surely?

[Gibbo]

I'd seriously look at centralising your data first. Get a home server of some sort with large capacity drives, then a NAS box somewhere else in the house. Then you only have to make one backup rather than 4 separate ones.

So you'd recommend a 1Tb NAS like this:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/10TB-...-with-TurboUSB

and backup a copy to something like this:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1TB-W...nal-Hard-Drive

?

[Gibbo]

Also not all your data needs to be seemlesly backup as you go. Not all that 1TB is going to change very often. OS and apps for instance, a weekly drive iage snapshot should be enough surely?

Aye of the OS partition a snap each time Windows updates or a new app is installed would suffice.

[Raz316]

Gibbo, is this solely incase of hard drive failure (instead of human error)? That is, if the system updates in 'real time' any accidental changes to files would also be recorded in real time too.

[Gibbo]

Gibbo, is this solely incase of hard drive failure (instead of human error)? That is, if the system updates in 'real time' any accidental changes to files would also be recorded in real time too.

solely a guard against hardware failure

[arthurleung]

solely a guard against hardware failure

Just get 2x1TB HDD, use RAID1 and be done with it. Sell the 4 smaller drives will give you about the same money.

Any solutions more complicated will take a lot of time for you.

When you said you want to backup the Windows partition. There is rarely any need for that.
It only takes about 1 hours to install all the windows updates, may be another 2-3 hours to install all the common software you use. For games, just reinstall when you really want to play it. Make sure you backup the save games and you will be fine.

You get the benefit of a nice clean Windows installation with fresh, latest drivers. If you just restore the backup, all the hidden problems, malware and viruses get brought over as well.

[smargh]

I used to regularly clone a 1TB drive via Casper: http://www.fssdev.com/products/casper/

Works fine. Incremental copying of the boot drive while Windows is running. Needs to be left running overnight on big drives, really.

I've recovered just fine from a drive cloned with Casper. Just replace the HDD and you're back up and running - the only time it takes is the time you give up on trying to recover the existing HDD, plus the time it takes to physically swap over to the clone HDD. It works well.

It does use the MS Volume Shadow Copy service thingy, though, which can very occasionally have its own quirks on systems which are loaded with sh*te.

edit: RAID1 does not protect against accidental frackups. Reinstalling Windows, plus everything else, is something which I would never consider to be part of a timely backup restore strategy. I did consider RAID1 once, but it just wasn't worth the quirkyness, initial expense and electricity cost.

edit2: hmm I just reread the OP. When I used to have 4 HDDs, I used Casper to hot clone the boot drive, and Acronis to image the storage drives once a month. I did daily online + USB stick backups of critical data. With lots of dosh I would probably use a UPS+NAS+daily overnight rsync and still use Casper for the boot drive.

[peterb]

Just get 2x1TB HDD, use RAID1 and be done with it. Sell the 4 smaller drives will give you about the same money.

Any solutions more complicated will take a lot of time for you.

When you said you want to backup the Windows partition. There is rarely any need for that.
It only takes about 1 hours to install all the windows updates, may be another 2-3 hours to install all the common software you use. For games, just reinstall when you really want to play it. Make sure you backup the save games and you will be fine.

You get the benefit of a nice clean Windows installation with fresh, latest drivers. If you just restore the backup, all the hidden problems, malware and viruses get brought over as well.

Raid 1 isn't a backup solution, its a resiliance/uptime solution. True, if one drive fails, the other will continue to run, so it will be shadowed, but you still have a single point of failure in the controller, and if the array is corrupted, both drives are corrupted.

However buying 2 !T drives abd cloning one to the other IS a backup solution, although you are still relying on a hard drive solution, and the thing about a hard drive is not if it will fail, but when, and you don't know if that backup drive on the shelf will work or not until the next time you plug it in.

[arthurleung]

Raid 1 isn't a backup solution, its a resiliance/uptime solution. True, if one drive fails, the other will continue to run, so it will be shadowed, but you still have a single point of failure in the controller, and if the array is corrupted, both drives are corrupted.

However buying 2 !T drives abd cloning one to the other IS a backup solution, although you are still relying on a hard drive solution, and the thing about a hard drive is not if it will fail, but when, and you don't know if that backup drive on the shelf will work or not until the next time you plug it in.

solely a guard against hardware failure

What Gibbo wanted is really just protection against hardware failure, that is why I suggested 2x1TB drives in RAID1.

I backup all my bulky stuff off-site RAID5 arrays.
For more important stuff (which will usually be a couple of MBs in size only), a couple of USB sticks (2~16G) and a deposit box is what you needed.

[lodore]

some form of external drive nas or just standard external.
karen's replicator (assuming windows OS) you select the folder you want to backup and the destination folder. you then setup a sedule. it has incremental backups.
some form of imaging software (for backup of OS partition). my reccomendation is image for windows. it has image for linux and image for dos as well . the second two are just imaging discs that can restore and backup.