I have Hard Drive extensions going down on me like flies. What can be done? - GoFuckYourself.com

Paul Markham · 08-24-2010, 12:41 AM

Since I've been housebound one of the jobs I could do was back up all our content. It took me months to get them off the DVDs and onto the hard drives. Now I've found the 3rd one to go down. What the fuck is going wrong?

Unless they can be restored it's back to copying them off DVDs back on to knew drives.

Buzz · 08-24-2010, 01:00 AM

I came to conclusion hard drives are the most unscure and the most expensive to backup data. Even if you've got RAID - there's no 100% guarantee you have your data secure.

We're using combined backup to store content - tapes when possible, BD + HDD otherwise.

I wonder if anyone tried to get content backup stored on free cloud like gmail or any other mail hosting?

damnage · 08-24-2010, 01:01 AM

Which model hard drives are you using?

Paul Markham · 08-24-2010, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damnage

Which model hard drives are you using?

3 Western Digital and 1 Fujitsu Siemans.

Plus it's all on DVDs.

Seth Manson · 08-24-2010, 01:56 AM

I will refrain from posting a comment about flies going down on you.

Barefootsies · 08-24-2010, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Markham

I have Hard Drive extensions going down on me like flies. What can be done?

Buy yourself a beer and cry in it.

In all seriousness, good luck buddy on finding a resolution.

Paul Markham · 08-24-2010, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barefootsies

Buy yourself a beer and cry in it.

In all seriousness, good luck buddy on finding a resolution.

I'm thinking I'm back to copying DVDs again.

sojproductions · 08-24-2010, 02:44 AM

Stick with the DVDs and stick them in a secure safe, external hdd's are generally not great, i've lost 2 in the past year aswell.

rowan · 08-24-2010, 04:55 AM

DVDs are not infallible either.

If your data is irreplaceable then store multiple copies, at least one copy offsite. Don't go making your 3 or 4 copies with exactly the same model/brand of DVD/HD either, since a manufacturing default or design issue could end up killing them all.

How much data are we talking about? Have you thought about building or buying a NAS with several TB of storage space? It won't negate the need for backups, but it will make the files more easily accessable, and the failure of a single drive won't take you down.

erooup · 08-24-2010, 05:07 AM

DVD's and CD's dont last forever. The data will not be readable forever.

Get a tape station (new or used)
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/storag...try/index.html

Your data will be safe.

DamianJ · 08-24-2010, 05:40 AM

Relying on one type of media = mistake
Thinking DVDs are reliable = mistake

You need the 321 rule. 3 copies of everything, on 2 different mediums, and 1 off site.

I would recommend for you getting a drobo

http://www.google.co.uk/products/cat...d=0CDsQ8wIwBA#

You can put 8 TB in that one I think. It is intelligent back up. If one of the 4 HDDs dies, it doesn't matter. You can hot swop it, put new one in and you're all good.

You also need an offsite back up. I use http://www.carbonite.com/ it works out to 15 cents a day.

I would agree that tape would be better than DVD for your other onsite storage.

So you have your PC with all the content on, backed up to the drobo, and you have DVD/Tape and then carbonite too.

That's what I do anyway.

HTH

Damian

BlackCrayon · 08-24-2010, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erooup

DVD's and CD's dont last forever. The data will not be readable forever.

Get a tape station (new or used)
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/storag...try/index.html

Your data will be safe.

I've thought about this, having a bunch of cds/dvds of pictures taken over the years. If i want to keep them for the rest of my life I wouldn't want to check them one day 15 years from now and find none of them work.

Paul Markham · 08-24-2010, 06:12 AM

We have everything on DVDs

Most on the hosting servers.

Most on the office server.

And most on separate hard drives.

I was just pissed that now 4 separate hard drives have gone down.

erooup · 08-24-2010, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DamianJ

I would recommend for you getting a drobo

http://www.google.co.uk/products/cat...d=0CDsQ8wIwBA#

You can put 8 TB in that one I think. It is intelligent back up. If one of the 4 HDDs dies, it doesn't matter. You can hot swop it, put new one in and you're all good.

Its a JBOD setup. He can hotswap it all he want, but the data on the disk is gone. There is no raid controller to rebuild it, and no disk to rebuild it from since its just a stripeset.

The data stability of disks, make them unusable for longterm backups. DISKS are not a backup media, unless you want to invest $5k+ in a no single points of failure entrylevel SAN

erooup · 08-24-2010, 06:25 AM

http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/po...lt-lto3-060/pd
Dell make a cheap solution as well

OR go to Ebay and buy a used Super DLT Tape Drive, and 20 tapes for a few hundred dollars.

Grapesoda · 08-24-2010, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Markham

We have everything on DVDs

Most on the hosting servers.

Most on the office server.

And most on separate hard drives.

I was just pissed that now 4 separate hard drives have gone down.

Paul, hard drives always crash. just a matter of time. the best luck I've had with them is to leave them running all the time, or fill it up and shut it off. mine have always crashed on start up. I'm pputting data on BD these days and hard drive. tape might be the way to go though

DamianJ · 08-24-2010, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erooup

Its a JBOD setup. He can hotswap it all he want, but the data on the disk is gone. There is no raid controller to rebuild it, and no disk to rebuild it from since its just a stripeset.

Not true.

"Drobo can combine up to 4 SATA I/II HDDs of any sizes together to form a single virtual disk, which sounds like JBOD. However, say, if you install 3 250GB HDDs, you'll be left with only about 500GB of total usable protected space instead of 750GB. Drobo supposedly uses block-stripping with distributed parity to provide the best level of protection and tolerance. When one of the disks fail, there's no loss of any data."

http://www.everythingusb.com/drobo_12314.html

08-24-2010, 12:41 AM	#1
Paul Markham Too old to care Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: On the sofa, watching TV or doing my jigsaws. Posts: 52,943	I have Hard Drive extensions going down on me like flies. What can be done? Since I've been housebound one of the jobs I could do was back up all our content. It took me months to get them off the DVDs and onto the hard drives. Now I've found the 3rd one to go down. What the fuck is going wrong? Unless they can be restored it's back to copying them off DVDs back on to knew drives. __________________ Blowout deal. 880 videos, 2,400 image sets, plus many RAW videos. $500. PM me for a deal. Skype Paulmarkham70

08-24-2010, 01:01 AM	#3
damnage Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bottom of dung heap Posts: 512	Which model hard drives are you using? __________________ Email: Jaypas {:at:] hot mail {:dot:} com

08-24-2010, 02:44 AM	#8
sojproductions Confirmed User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 2,160	Stick with the DVDs and stick them in a secure safe, external hdd's are generally not great, i've lost 2 in the past year aswell. __________________ ICQ: 404-159-022 Blue Pixels Profits - Uk Solo Tranny sites & Crossdressing! Filthy Profits - Uk MILF Solo Sites

08-24-2010, 06:12 AM	#13
Paul Markham Too old to care Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: On the sofa, watching TV or doing my jigsaws. Posts: 52,943	We have everything on DVDs Most on the hosting servers. Most on the office server. And most on separate hard drives. I was just pissed that now 4 separate hard drives have gone down. __________________ Blowout deal. 880 videos, 2,400 image sets, plus many RAW videos. $500. PM me for a deal. Skype Paulmarkham70

08-24-2010, 01:00 AM	#2
Buzz Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 1,908	I came to conclusion hard drives are the most unscure and the most expensive to backup data. Even if you've got RAID - there's no 100% guarantee you have your data secure. We're using combined backup to store content - tapes when possible, BD + HDD otherwise. I wonder if anyone tried to get content backup stored on free cloud like gmail or any other mail hosting?

08-24-2010, 01:56 AM	#5
Seth Manson Please dont fuck animals Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Henderson, NV Posts: 3,988	I will refrain from posting a comment about flies going down on you.

08-24-2010, 04:55 AM	#9
rowan Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 17,393	DVDs are not infallible either. If your data is irreplaceable then store multiple copies, at least one copy offsite. Don't go making your 3 or 4 copies with exactly the same model/brand of DVD/HD either, since a manufacturing default or design issue could end up killing them all. How much data are we talking about? Have you thought about building or buying a NAS with several TB of storage space? It won't negate the need for backups, but it will make the files more easily accessable, and the failure of a single drive won't take you down.

08-24-2010, 05:07 AM	#10
erooup Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 512	DVD's and CD's dont last forever. The data will not be readable forever. Get a tape station (new or used) http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/storag...try/index.html Your data will be safe.

08-24-2010, 05:40 AM	#11
DamianJ Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: A magical land Posts: 15,808	Relying on one type of media = mistake Thinking DVDs are reliable = mistake You need the 321 rule. 3 copies of everything, on 2 different mediums, and 1 off site. I would recommend for you getting a drobo http://www.google.co.uk/products/cat...d=0CDsQ8wIwBA# You can put 8 TB in that one I think. It is intelligent back up. If one of the 4 HDDs dies, it doesn't matter. You can hot swop it, put new one in and you're all good. You also need an offsite back up. I use http://www.carbonite.com/ it works out to 15 cents a day. I would agree that tape would be better than DVD for your other onsite storage. So you have your PC with all the content on, backed up to the drobo, and you have DVD/Tape and then carbonite too. That's what I do anyway. HTH Damian

08-24-2010, 06:25 AM	#15
erooup Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 512	http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/po...lt-lto3-060/pd Dell make a cheap solution as well OR go to Ebay and buy a used Super DLT Tape Drive, and 20 tapes for a few hundred dollars.