Fastest way to transfer from one computer to another?

[crimson117]

I'm planning on using a Dell SC420 server as a data backup server. It will only support one machine, and won't always be on. Kind of like a super external hard drive.

What's the fastest way to transfer from one computer to another, for the initial sync?

Also, is there any good software (<$50) for managing backups?

 

[CalvinHobbes]

Ehternet would be much faster than USB. An external HD would be good as a one time thing just not as fast as ethernet.

 

[TankGuys]

Originally posted by: crimson117
I'm planning on using a Dell SC420 server as a data backup server. It will only support one machine, and won't always be on. Kind of like a super external hard drive.

What's the fastest way to transfer from one computer to another, for the initial sync?

Also, is there any good software (<$50) for managing backups?

Out of curiosity, why not just get an NAS unit? It'd be cheaper than a full blown server that's only used as a super hard drive.

As for transfers, I'd just network them up with a 100mbps connection and use that. Other methods can be faster/slower depending on file sizes and whatnot, but this will be the easiest method without having to swap disks and whatnot.

 

[Madwand1]

The fastest way would be to disconnect the source drive, connect it to the destination server, and do local copies / backups -- this will run at your drive transfer speeds without any networking / etc. overhead.

The fastest way that does not require repeated reconfiguration would probably be gigabit ethernet transfers -- you should be able to get around 30 MB/s from IDE to IDE; up to around 60 MB/s at best with consumer gigabit. This will be much faster than what you can do with 10/100 "fast" ethernet. Performance will vary according to your gigabit and IDE implementation efficiency. A properly implemented (not going through the PCI bus) onboard gigabit ethernet would in theory at least be better than an add-in card or anything going through the PCI bus, as that risks being saturated by gigabit traffic.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Originally posted by: Madwand1
The fastest way would be to disconnect the source drive, connect it to the destination server, and do local copies / backups -- this will run at your drive transfer speeds without any networking / etc. overhead.

The fastest way that does not require repeated reconfiguration would probably be gigabit ethernet transfers -- you should be able to get around 30 MB/s from IDE to IDE; up to around 60 MB/s at best with consumer gigabit. This will be much faster than what you can do with 10/100 "fast" ethernet. Performance will vary according to your gigabit and IDE implementation efficiency. A properly implemented (not going through the PCI bus) onboard gigabit ethernet would in theory at least be better than an add-in card or anything going through the PCI bus, as that risks being saturated by gigabit traffic.

Seconded, I would just take out the drive the files are on and copy whatever you need to the other machine without any networking.

 

[aniruddha23]

Originally posted by: CraKaJaX

Originally posted by: Madwand1
The fastest way would be to disconnect the source drive, connect it to the destination server, and do local copies / backups -- this will run at your drive transfer speeds without any networking / etc. overhead.

The fastest way that does not require repeated reconfiguration would probably be gigabit ethernet transfers -- you should be able to get around 30 MB/s from IDE to IDE; up to around 60 MB/s at best with consumer gigabit. This will be much faster than what you can do with 10/100 "fast" ethernet. Performance will vary according to your gigabit and IDE implementation efficiency. A properly implemented (not going through the PCI bus) onboard gigabit ethernet would in theory at least be better than an add-in card or anything going through the PCI bus, as that risks being saturated by gigabit traffic.

Seconded, I would just take out the drive the files are on and copy whatever you need to the other machine without any networking.

That would be

1 Crude way of doing stuff
2 increasing chances of failure by repeatedly unplugging drive from cable
3 Can never be automated

You could try one of the live replication products instead. Or if you are up for it you could create a virtual machine in your poweredge whihc is a live copy of the Source server.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Originally posted by: aniruddha23

Originally posted by: CraKaJaX

Originally posted by: Madwand1
The fastest way would be to disconnect the source drive, connect it to the destination server, and do local copies / backups -- this will run at your drive transfer speeds without any networking / etc. overhead.

The fastest way that does not require repeated reconfiguration would probably be gigabit ethernet transfers -- you should be able to get around 30 MB/s from IDE to IDE; up to around 60 MB/s at best with consumer gigabit. This will be much faster than what you can do with 10/100 "fast" ethernet. Performance will vary according to your gigabit and IDE implementation efficiency. A properly implemented (not going through the PCI bus) onboard gigabit ethernet would in theory at least be better than an add-in card or anything going through the PCI bus, as that risks being saturated by gigabit traffic.

Seconded, I would just take out the drive the files are on and copy whatever you need to the other machine without any networking.

That would be

1 Crude way of doing stuff
2 increasing chances of failure by repeatedly unplugging drive from cable
3 Can never be automated

You could try one of the live replication products instead. Or if you are up for it you could create a virtual machine in your poweredge whihc is a live copy of the Source server.

How the hell is that crude? I've done it plenty of times this way, if you're careful about it there should be no problem at all. Unplugging a cable from a HD doesn't ruin anything.

 

[Twsmit]

Gigabit ethernet or you could try a firewire network connection and transfer at ~400Mbps. Just take the firewire and connect both machines to each other.

 

[aniruddha23]

Originally posted by: CraKaJaX
How the hell is that crude? I've done it plenty of times this way, if you're careful about it there should be no problem at all. Unplugging a cable from a HD doesn't ruin anything.

Your Way
- Shut Down both systems
- Open Case 1
- Unscrew HDD
- remove power cable
- Remove IDE Cable
- Open Case 2
- Insert HDD
- Attach Power Cable
- Attach IDE
- Start Server
- Copy Data
- Repeat Entire Process
- Worry about being careful each time you unplug cables from the. Also chance of unhooking other cables each time you do that. Not to mention teh gazillion times and IDE cable comes of the mobo while doing it.

Automatic tools
- Run Software with Auto Scheduler
- Periodically Check for Data integrity.

Hmm . . . now which one looks like a crude process I wonder.

 

[Madwand1]

Although I suggested it, I wouldn't recommend moving drives all the time either. There is some chance of cluking it, dropping it, etc., and the more you have to do manually, the less likely that you are to do it, so you'll have less up-to-date and frequent backups.

You could try a hybrid, assuming your backup tools support them well -- move the drive & back it up directly the first time, and then use incrementals over networking.

Alternatively, if you're willing to live with a longer initial backup time, just set it up and let it run overnight / days. The time depends on your size, drives, bandwidth, and software efficiencies of course.

Auto-scheduled nightly+weekly backups > all. I've got to do this sometime