As someone who works with both especially large and numerous files on a daily basis, “storage” is a very important issue. Working in a design studio, you quickly see how important it is to have sufficient storage to hold ALL the “live” files AND for adequate backups.
Although we do archive (to DVDs) and delete older projects periodically, it is quite staggering how many gigs of information we currently have in active use. As the company IT guy at Intrigue, it is my responsibility to make sure we have the storage space that we need and that all critical files are backed up on a regular basis. This is no small task as more files are created than deleted on a regular basis. This means that over time, our storage needs will always continue to increase. That requires a plan of action.
Believe it or not, but 8 years ago, we were humming along with about 80 gigabytes worth of storage on our only fileserver. THAT was ALL! And it worked ok for a while. I just have to laugh at that number now because we have exceeded that by about a factor of 100 in the years since. Yes, we’ve gone all out and increased our file storage considerably – this was not optional – it was essential due to the jobs we are constantly bringing in-house on a regular basis.
My personal approach is to look ahead 2 or 3 years and build the storage system to handle the anticipated growth for that timeframe. It’s a good plan as storage volumes increase in capacity while prices decrease over time. As the need arises, I shop around and get the highest capacity and best performing hard drive(s) we can afford.
Today, we are running THREE file servers. The oldest is actually the same Apple PowerMac G4 box that we were running 8 years ago – but with a new high speed and high capacity internal storage system. I’m pleasantly surprised to say that it’s been extremely reliable over the years. The second fileserver we have is a newer PowerMac G4, but still about 6 or 7 years old. It too, has a new internal storage system. Lastly, we have a new Mac Pro tower, running OSX Snow Leopard Server on it. We got this Mac late last year. It is a fabulous machine and I don’t think we will get close to pushing it to its limits any time soon.
We got the Mac with the default 640GB drive with 3 empty drive bays. I bought and installed three 2 Terabyte drives (yes, Terabyte!) to fill those bays. At this time, you can’t get more than a 2TB drive so I think we’ll be fine for a few years.
So with all of our live files and storage needs met, the next question was how to create and maintain proper file backups. I spent, and continue to spend a lot of time researching this topic. It is essential that any business that has critical digital files implement and follow a backup plan and strategy. The risks are just too great and the dangers of losing everything is very real. I’ve seen what can happen, when the worst case scenario does happen. Without proper file backups, it can be devastating.
I’ve gone with a multi-prong approach to file backups. I don’t like the idea of putting the eggs all in one basket and going with a single type of strategy. The reason for that is obvious – if you lose your active files AND backup files in the same single incident, it is worthless. So what I’ve set up is a redundant system using multiple hard drives AND different backup software.
The first level of backups is handled internally on our server by Apple’s built in software called ‘Time Machine’. It’s rather simple in operation – you select a drive to serve as the TM backup and it will backup your computer’s drives to it – every hour of every day. It will keep every version of each file too – so if you accidentally delete a file, you can go to Time Machine and retrieve that file as it was in the past, using any ‘snapshot’ in time. The only caveat is that it can only hold so much data before filling your backup drive. So what it will do is delete the oldest files first in order to free up space for new backups. Obviously, the larger your available storage space, the more files it will hold – and the further back in time you can go to retrieve and restore files. Yes, you can even restore an entire drive this way, should the need arise.
The second level of backups is to an external drive using software called “SuperDuper!” It’s a rather straightforward program that explains what each option is and what it will do. I have it set up to “clone” the server drive. This is different than what Time Machine will do. SuperDuper! keeps a 1:1 exact copy of the drive so the backup is identical. It is very much like what a RAID drive system can do – ie: mirror the contents of one drive to another. We have RAID systems on the server too! Time Machine, is different in that it maintains several versions of files along with files that may have been subsequently deleted in the Mac’s Finder. Both do the jobs they were designed to do. I think both these approaches combined should really have you covered.
The third level of backups we use is to manually archive old jobs to DVD discs, as mentioned above. It’s a slow and tedious process to back up several gigs of data, for sure. But using Roxio Toast, a disc can be burned in just a few minutes. The contents are automatically cataloged and we keep a binder full of our backup disc directories so we know what jobs are on which discs. This type of backup isn’t really essential due to the speed, capacity, and low cost of regular hard drives these days – but it’s good to have the extra coverage.
However, there is one area where you are still vulnerable. And that is if a catastrophe occurs on the premises where the computer is located. Say a fire or a flood destroys your computer. That will take out both the original source files AND the backups in one fell swoop! While that is certainly a rare occurrence, anyone with critical files MUST have a plan to deal with this, should it ever happen. The easiest solution is to implement a backup to an external drive (or two) that is rotated off-site at regular intervals. That way, if doomsday occurs, you will not be put out of business as the files would be safely stored in multiple locations simultaneously. So, yes, we do have a pair of external drives that are kept off-site for safekeeping.
Lastly, just make sure that you actually TEST all your backups from time to time. It’s not a good feeling should you go to retrieve some files that were destroyed or lost, only to find out that your backup drive is also hosed! Drives don’t last forever.
Is this the only backup solution? Certainly not. Is it the best plan? Maybe not. All drives will fail at some point. But as long as you have a well thought out plan and stick to it, you should be able to minimize any downtime and/or losses. Our strategy would be sufficient for most people and will give you something most appealing – peace of mind. You’ll sleep much better knowing that your valuable data is protected.