Studio manager needs backup advice.

[disperse]

Hi all,

I run a small recording studio in MA. I try and do a backup after every session and it has become a real chore. A session's worth of recording can easily add up to 30 GB or more and the audio files are often spread out over a dozen different audio folders and interspersed with previously backed up files.

I am looking for backup software that will do incremental backups directly to a DVD-+R drive. I bought Ghost 9.0 but was disappointed to learn that it will do full backups directly to a DVD-+R but not incremental backups.

Also, what is the word on future Blu-ray and HD-DVD writable drives? Should I wait for them to come out or upgrade my single layer DVD+-R drive to a dual layer drive?

Thanks for the help guys,

Mark

 

[Kenazo]

Sounds like a tape drive might be more useful to you than doing DVD backups. We use an old copy of Veritas writting to a 20/40gb tape drive. I don't know any more details on it than that, but it works well and does incremental backups, or you could just backup the entire hdd w/ larger tapes, whatever works best.

 

[Harvey]

Here's an idea:

You can buy 80 - 120 GB drives for around $50 or less. Also, buy one or more mobile racks. Here's a link for reference. I deal with this company because they are local, but it's just to let you know what a mobile rack is, in case you didn't know. An external enclosure would do, as well, and you can even buy racks that accept IDE hard drives and communicate through USB 2.0.

Back to the solution. This should allow you to transfer any specified data block, folder, etc. in a specific folder on a backup drive. You may want to keep a separate drive for each client. You can even setup separate folders for different dates, etc. Any organization that makes sense to you should do.

Bottom line -- Drives are cheap. Keep a stash of formatted drives around the studio and use your moble rack or external enclosure to make it easy to use separate drives for each client or project.

 

[EULA]

the thing I don't like about backing up to hard drives, is that it kind of defeats one of the core purposes of backups, and thats the protection of data. To me, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to backup data from one drive to another drive if they're in the same building. Fire or theft/vandalism can easily take both at the same time. I suppose a mobile rack or some sort of external enclosure would help, but you still have a chance of electronic or mechanical failure.

My best success has been from tape drives. I can easily manage large (70+ gb) backups, and I can store them in a secure location, offsite.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: EULA
the thing I don't like about backing up to hard drives, is that it kind of defeats one of the core purposes of backups, and thats the protection of data. To me, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to backup data from one drive to another drive if they're in the same building. Fire or theft/vandalism can easily take both at the same time. I suppose a mobile rack or some sort of external enclosure would help, but you still have a chance of electronic or mechanical failure.

A removable drive is just as transportable as a tape, CD or DVD. They require far less time to make the copy, and they're cheap and easily reusable. They're a little more fragile, but that's what a padded briefcase is for.

 

[disperse]

The advantages of a DVD backup is that the media and drives are cheap and I can hand the backups off to the client with some chance that they will be able to use the raw data if they want to remix in the future at a different facility.

In reply to Harvey: Many studios operate this way, buying a new hard drive for each project. Unfortunately, I made the, perhaps misguided, decision to go SCSI years ago and large inexpensive SCSI drives are not widely available. Also, I am not looking to make large hardware changes on the studio computer in the middle of several projects right now.

I agree with EULA about backing up on hard drives. A faulty power supply could take out all the hard drives connected to the machine at once. The data would be recoverable but data recovery is never cheap.

I don't mind swapping DVDs as much as having to go through folders, sort files by date, and set up manual incremental backups using Nero. If there was software that took care of this for me, I could live with 4.7 GB per disk (or twice that if I upgrade to dual layer).

Thanks for the ideas everbody,

Mark.

 

[Harvey]

SCSI was the way to go when it was the fastest, most reliable way to record. That's no longer the case. A power failure won't corrupt the data when reading from a source drive, but it will ruin transfer to any other storage if it happens as data is being written.

You're trying to make the best economical choice based on your current hardware so I understand your choice.

Good luck.

 

[shud]

Get a StorageTek device.

 

[FlyingPenguin]

Stomp's Backup MyPC does incremental backups to DVD. That's what I use for most of my clients. Stomp bought it from Veritas so it looks and feels just like Veritas Backup (and Window's Backup which Veritas also wrote originally).

 

[disperse]

Thanks Flying Penguin!

That's exactly what I was looking for. I have bookmarked it. One question about the software. Does it install any memory resident programs or services that can't be disabled? I am always wary of programs that may interfere with the recording software.

Thanks,

Mark.

 

[jose]

Don't use a removable hd to backup data. One drop and it all gone. Just get a good tape drive. Here's some ait drive prices from pricewatch:

AIT1 35gigs native $335
AIT2 50gigs native $625
AIT3 100gis native $1295

pick the one you need and also get a scsi controller and start backing up....

Regards,
Jose

 

[MobiusPizza]

go with DVDs for now. Next gen HD-DVD or BD would solve your needs soon

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Harvey
SCSI was the way to go when it was the fastest, most reliable way to record. That's no longer the case. A power failure won't corrupt the data when reading from a source drive, but it will ruin transfer to any other storage if it happens as data is being written.

You're trying to make the best economical choice based on your current hardware so I understand your choice.

Good luck.

scsi is still the fastest and probably still the most reliable

 

[disperse]

Although $335 isn't too bad for a DLT drive, $35 a tape would start to add up. I prefer getting a spool of DVDs for $1 a disc or less.

I have a couple Atlas 10K SCSI (160) drives and have been very happy with the speed.

Any word on when HD-DVD or BD recordable drives will be available and affordable?

Mark.

 

[jose]

Yeah, those $1 dvd's will surely last ....

Read up on dvd rot.. If it's worth saving then you'll have to get quality dvd's..

Tapes can be re-used and you can put 30g-100g of data on 1 tape.. For 30gigs of data you'd have to use 8 single layer or 4 dual layer dvd's.
(dual layer dvd's are expensive)

 

[disperse]

I usually get name brand DVD-Rs for less than $1.50 each. DVD rot is often caused by improper storage of the medium. I agree that magnetic tape, in practice, is a more robust medium with much more storage. However, with high density DVDs on the horizon I think I'll wait it out.

Mark.