Backup solutions

I'll try to keep this short and to the point.

I am looking for input on the backup solution I currently have in place. Currently I have approximately 1TB of Data that I consider irreplaceable ( family photos and videos, legal documents, things of that nature.)

My current backup solution for that data is as follows: I have a dedicated RAID 1 array in my home server, 2 external 2TB drives ( one at home, one at my dad's house in a different county.) The external drives get updated once monthly. I also have a 1TB Google drive account that the data is backed up to, but that is almost at capacity.

So to my question. I am thinking about adding another backup into the mix that will be kept in a safety deposit box at my bank. I am considering going with a tape drive for simplicity and long term storage reliability. The other option is Blu-ray, possibly using M-disk archive disks. The tape drive will be a larger upfront investment, which is fine, but the media will end up being cheaper in the long run.

With my current storage solution, in your collective opinion, would an additional measure even be required or pertinent. If so, any opinions on M-Disk? I know tape's proven long term reliability speaks for itself, I'm just looking at options. If the consensus end up being tapes, what are some of the more reliable brands, as far as media is concerned? Price is not really a concern.

Not sure anything additional is really needed outside of what you're already doing. Are you doing test restores to confirm the data is good after the backups run?

You could add an additional cloud storage provider but with multiple backups including offsite doesn't seem like it would be of any benefit. Heck, I'd just add another external drive to the mix and keep that in the bank.

If you go the tape route, LTO5/6 would be fine for your needs. I've used Dell, HP and Quantum and never had issues with any. For the media, I'd go with HP or any of the big brands (IBM, Sony). As long as you're doing verifies of the data, regular restore testing and tape cleaning you should be fine.

Why not BackBlaze or Crashplan for a secondary off site? Unlimited storage for ~$5/month.

Sp33dFr33k said:

Not sure anything additional is really needed outside of what you're already doing. Are you doing test restores to confirm the data is good after the backups run?

You could add an additional cloud storage provider but with multiple backups including offsite doesn't seem like it would be of any benefit. Heck, I'd just add another external drive to the mix and keep that in the bank.

If you go the tape route, LTO5/6 would be fine for your needs. I've used Dell, HP and Quantum and never had issues with any. For the media, I'd go with HP or any of the big brands (IBM, Sony). As long as you're doing verifies of the data, regular restore testing and tape cleaning you should be fine.

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I always verify the backup on the drive that I keep in my dad's house. The external drive I keep at home, I only verify every other backup.

Phantum said:

Why not BackBlaze or Crashplan for a secondary off site? Unlimited storage for ~$5/month.

Click to expand...

I am considering migrating my backup to a different provider, as I am leery of Google and their ways. However, I am looking for another physical backup, I prefer to have control over my data.

Drives are cheap... $120 for a 4TB portable.. or $80 for a 2TB portable.. So I would just get a bunch of those and put them at different areas.. Although a nuke going off would wipe out data for a few hundred miles.. So might get a hard lead data protection case too. Although with 1 main drive and 2 backups, you are pretty safe.. I have heard of people who went to look for backups and they had 2 but both backup drives failed.. But I think this is because due to anxiety they did not hook it backup properly or did something to destroy the data.. So with 3 backups the chances of losing data are very slim..

I would add Crashplan to your backup strategy and make use of the off-site backup feature as well as their online backup.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. After doing some research and consideration of suggested options I have decided to go ahead and order a HP StorageWorks EH957SB tape drive, 5 SONY LTX1500G cartridges (one will be stored at the bank, one will be stored at my dads house, one at my house, and two spares) and a HP C7978A cleaning cartridge.I will also be migrating my online backup away from Google to Spider Oak. The privacy and security options are what sold me on them.

Thanks to everyone for the input.

I like the Blu Ray idea because it's backing up in different technology. Might be worth to get the BD-RWs. Problem is you would need a lot of them. HVD and Archive Disc cannot get here fast enough

As per AlienTech's comment, I am contemplating building mini Faraday cages to house the drives and cartridges in their respective locations. I live within EMP range of a major primary target should a nuclear attack occur, but well outside of the blast radius. Nevertheless, I think it might be a fun project and give me a reason to break out the TIG welder. I will post a build log if I decide to build them, if anyone is interested.