Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

[kelly200269]

The worst thing about this wonderful hobby of ours is the 'stuff' that needs to go with taking the pictures in the first place. If it's not the PC we use/need to view/edit them, it's the dreaded storage we need to safely store an ever-increasing number of files.
As my library grows, I'm currently in the process of moving away from a single external WD USB 3.0 drive, which I occasionally (!?) backup to a larger external drive (and not incrementally, just 'wipe clean and copy everything across'), to a more robust RAID 1 arrangement with 2 SATAs, and using Google Drive as the 'Cloud'/offsite backup.
Anyone use anything more successful/simple, as sorting this out is a real drag! lol

[Bhuna]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

I use a WD MyCloudLive, a WD MyBookLive, Knowhow Cloud subscription, my laptop, a 2nd PC and my Camera SD card.

Basically, after each week / shoot, I transfer the files from my SD card to my laptop and swap the SD card out for SD card 2 - SD card 1 then will still have the images on for another week and wont be formatted until next week (a form of back up until I know that all photos have transferred across ok).

While transferring to my laptop, a back up copy is made to WD MYbookLive and also to the Knowhow Cloud subscription I have - again this is just for the lifetime of it being on my laptop (current month while I process images).

Any images that I have finished processing and are a month old, I now move to the WDMyCloud drive freeing up space on my laptop (this then also removes it from Knowhow Cloud - although I am looking at setting it up so it has a copy of the Network drives).

The WDMyCloud drive is set to copy itself (WD Safepoints) to the MyBookLive drive every night.

On top of this, I have a 2nd PC that is not used for anything other than watching internet tele and a copy of my complete set of photos, backups of LR catalog and this PC is also backed up to the Knowhow Cloud subscription I have.

Overkill I know :)

[kelly200269]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

Overkill I know :)

Hey, not at all Andy! And thanks so much for sharing that. It makes my current backup plan look absolutely pathetic! lol

[MX5]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

Simple Mirrored (2) disks (RAID1) in a 4 bay box. Also one JBOD disk in the box. One slot empty for now. Additionally a 2TB portable HDD is attached. The box is powered via an intelligent UPS as well.

Sync'ing with desktop and laptop done with Microsoft's SyncToy.

Yes HDD's do fail when you least expect them. So a good backup plan is a must ... and always check you can retrieve files from your backup (don't assume it'll be okay).

[kelly200269]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

Simple Mirrored (2) disks (RAID1) in a 4 bay box. Also one JBOD disk in the box. One slot empty for now. Additionally a 2TB portable HDD is attached. The box is powered via an intelligent UPS as well.

Sync'ing with desktop and laptop done with Microsoft's SyncToy.

Yes HDD's do fail when you least expect them. So a good backup plan is a must ... and always check you can retrieve files from your backup (don't assume it'll be okay).

Cheers for this. I really appreciate it.
I've been doing some research today, and you've highlighted the 'missing link' in what I was going to do. In RAID 1 if there is a file error, virus, malware etc on one disc, it will be replicated on the second. Hence the need for ANOTHER JBOD to do a full backup to occasionally.
I wish I'd never started this... Bring back printing and albums! ;) lol

[planetc]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

I've always kept a mirror of my storage on a second pc on the network. Been thinking about using dvds as a long term backup for the older stuff recently though.

[DeeGee]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

I have two separate portable harddrives, every so often I plug them in and load up what I have on the laptop.

Anything that I consider special is generally loaded onto Flickr as a large size jpeg - not ideal... but I'm doing this for just me.

[AndyMulhearn]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

I've just bought a Synology NAS with two WD Red 3TB disks in it in a RAID 1 array for timemachine backups and offline storage of my Aperture archive. There's going to be a USB 3TB disk plugged into it as well so I have NAS backed by USB storage but all of that will all be local. The NAS can also backup to cloud storage, so I'm looking at the cost of storage on Amazon but that may prove prohibitive. The alternative is to buy a second 3TB USB disk and swap them over every now and again and keep one in the garage

[DrJon]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

I backup my computer (via Gigabit Ethernet) to a 4-bay RAID-5 NAS (which I also use as a file server) and back that up to an eSATA box (2-bay, also USB) that is only plugged into the NAS specifically for backups. BTW I chose quiet and low-power as key NAS features, it's on 24/7. (I've done this for about three and a half years, I'm doubling the capacity this month which has been a bit of an adventure.)

I backup by taking an image of my C drive with "Image for Windows" so if the drive dies I can reconstruct it quickly. I only do this occasionally. (I do keep a record of software I install.)
I backup the other drives (and some parts of the C drive) using "Syncback Pro" much more regularly than the imaging.

Even with 5-6Mbps upload on my broadband I don't bother copying photos or video to the Cloud, life's too short and storage costs too high.

BTW here's how Amazon shipped me a couple of 6TB disks (£212 ea)... (they went straight back and I bought another pair elsewhere)...

[AndyMulhearn]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

BTW here's how Amazon shipped me a couple of 6TB disks (£212 ea)... (they went straight back and I bought another pair elsewhere)...

Ouch. My two drives arrived bubble-wrapped in boxes, then wrapped in stiff paper in a larger box. I don't blame you for sending that shipment back; I suspect the chances of them working reliably varies between slim and none.

[Nathaniel]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

I used to backup my pictures to various online programmes that are available such as Cloud/dropbox and similar. However, with advancing years, I have started to back up all my good pics to a CD/DVD so that my children and grand children(if they are interested) can look at them. Saving the images on line is very good as long as you are the only person who is accessing and looking at them but I feel that the time has come for my family to be able to see them,if they want to, and a CD/DVD gives that opportunity. NONE of my pics are "X-rated" stuff. I date all the CD/DVD's to show when they were taken. To my mind this is simple and gives easy access to the family.

[DrJon]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

Although be careful to pick CDs and DVDs that are rated to have a long life, and ideally make a couple of copies of each (on different media).

[Nathaniel]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

Although be careful to pick CDs and DVDs that are rated to have a long life, and ideally make a couple of copies of each (on different media).

Where would I find the longevity written on the CD/DVD- I have to date used memorex & Verbatim.

[MX5]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

Where would I find the longevity written on the CD/DVD- I have to date used memorex & Verbatim.

Verbatim for example sell Archival Grade Gold DVD-R's. Just Google Archival DVD and take your pick. It's like printer paper you can get Archival quality paper.

[Nathaniel]

Re: Preferred Backup Strategies - Any Preferences?

Thanks MX5. Will try that.