Best way to backup a 500GB G5?

[link92]

OK, I've got a G5 on order, and I'm wondering what the best way to back up 500GB is.

[7on]

Another 500Gb HD

[NusuniAdmin]

Another 500Gb HD
or how about

a lot of dvd-r's
many many cd-r's
a crapola of zip disks
or a infinite amount of floppy disks or usb flash drives :P

[ChrisFromCanada]

Do you need to back-up large video projects? Then you will need a large external hard drive. For smaller stuff you will need DVD-R's or DVD-RW's.

[Capt Underpants]

Either an internal 500 GB drive, or this (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001AVSLO/dvdreleases06-20/103-2504065-0988643).

[Dreadnought]

get two or more harddisks that you have as a spare and built a external enclosure around it (or buy it). or keep that machine on which you are working with and when the G5 gets there, hook them up!

[zoetropeuk]

Here's my back-up system:

2 * 500GB LaCie drives for working and current files (last 3 months)
1 * LaCie AIT 2 tape back-up and a pile of tapes

The tape back-up is worth it's weight in gold, to me at least. For each new job I buy 2 tapes, one stays in the office and one copy at a friends. Using Retrospect automates the back-up process so it's a no brainer. I once lost 3 months worth of 3D work, it cost me the client and a load of cash. From that day on I take backing up very seriously.

It may seem cheaper to use DVDs but here's what I did. Download a copy of MacMinder and set it to record your usage of Toast. That way you can get a very accurate picture of how long you spend backing up to DVD. If you use your Mac to make a living tasks like burning DVDs quickly eats away at your profits.

It's much wiser to invest the money upfront to build a system that is:

a) Very reliable, with two tape back-ups you'd need a major catastrophe to lose any work.

b) Doesn't need your input, changing tapes takes 10 seconds.

It may take a while to learn how to use Retrospect properly but you will thank me one day. It may not happen soon but the day will come when your tape back-ups may just save your a@se.

Also invest in a good UPS. The APC RS series are pretty good. No use having a back-up system that a little lightning can too easily fry.

[csubear]

Time to buy an X-Raid :),,

1TB = 5999 ? never back up again :)

or buy a tape drive

[wrldwzrd89]

OK, I've got a G5 on order, and I'm wondering what the best way to back up 500GB is.
I recommend another 500 GB HD and Carbon Copy Cloner (http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html) as the backup program.

[osprey76]

It really depends what you're backing up. If it's just personal documents and other odds and ends a few CD/DVD-R's will do it. If what you're doing is mission critical I'd follow zoetropeuk's advice.

An X-RAID might protect you from disk errors, but only offsite backups (via tape or HD) will do much good in case of a fire?

[scottwat]

How important is the data? is there varying levels of importance? How big are the files? I personally use a combination of DVD-R's and external hard disks. How likely is it you will fill an entire 500 gig hard drive? I use a series of 120 gig external harddrives as a storage solution. But 200Gig might be better if you store large files. And if you have super important info suitable to fit on a dvd-R taking a burned/varified DVD-R to a safe deposit box is a pretty good system.

[link92]

I was thinking of External Hard Drives, what do you think about the LaCie Bigger Disk? As for backup software, I'll be using Retrospect.

[link92]

Also invest in a good UPS. The APC RS series are pretty good. No use having a back-up system that a little lightning can too easily fry.

What are the good ones, and where to get them over 'ere in the UK?

[Jalexster]

LaCie's Biggest Disk (Either Bigger Disk, or Big Disk Extreme, not sure) is avalible up to 1.6TB, is small for the storage space, and can be daisy-chained with other ones the same as it. Connects via USB 2.0 and Firewire 400/800. It can also record raw DV video off a camera without a computer.

I think it's one thousand-something dollars. Cheaper than an X-RAID, which is several thousand I think.

[ToddW]

i will agree with a post above, i would recommend tape. i am running a back up on my file server as we speak. i do this at work too, you can automate it and it works like a dream.

[link92]

I'm tempted by the Bigger Disk Extreme, because I would prefer not having tapes, and I could partion it into a 500GB section, and a 1.1TB section, so, I could have an extra hard drive to put DV content onto, what do you think of that idea?

[wordmunger]

I'm tempted by the Bigger Disk Extreme, because I would prefer not having tapes, and I could partion it into a 500GB section, and a 1.1TB section, so, I could have an extra hard drive to put DV content onto, what do you think of that idea?

It all depends on how important your data is. For truly important data, you need automated, off-site backups. Think of the "what if your house burns down" scenario. For stuff that would simply be a pain to lose, e.g. software you could reinstall, etc., maybe you don't need to back up at all. There's a whole spectrum of backing up inbetween. You need to decide how important your data is, then select an appropriate backup system.

Personally, I have (barely) less than 100 MB of mission-critical data, so I simply use iDisk for backing up day-to-day stuff, and CDs for archives. But I'm a writer, not a DV editor.

[BornAgainMac]

I use an external firewire HD enclosure and a stack of old 80 GB, 40Gb, 35GB drives. I took this one step further with using a removable drive case inside the firewire HD enclosure. It only works with drives under 135 GB. The backup process is manual as I drag folders over logically. I don't backup the O/S partition except for critical files to my .Mac account.

Newer firewire HD enclosures support drives over 135 GB. DVDs and CDs are too expensive to backup that much in time and materials. Tape backup systems are also too expensive. HDs are the way to go. If possible store you HDs offsite.

[wrldwzrd89]

It all depends on how important your data is. For truly important data, you need automated, off-site backups. Think of the "what if your house burns down" scenario. For stuff that would simply be a pain to lose, e.g. software you could reinstall, etc., maybe you don't need to back up at all. There's a whole spectrum of backing up inbetween. You need to decide how important your data is, then select an appropriate backup system.

Personally, I have (barely) less than 100 MB of mission-critical data, so I simply use iDisk for backing up day-to-day stuff, and CDs for archives. But I'm a writer, not a DV editor.
I should probably switch to a hybrid backup system like yours because I like the idea so much. What I'm thinking of doing is using iDisk for the simple stuff, archiving other data on CD/DVD, and continuing regular complete backups using Carbon Copy Cloner.

[ZildjianKX]

Prayer?

No, just kidding... maybe Raid 1?

[link92]

Prayer?

No, just kidding... maybe Raid 1?

I need the full 500GB inside the computer....

[link92]

Personally, I have (barely) less than 100 MB of mission-critical data, so I simply use iDisk for backing up day-to-day stuff, and CDs for archives. But I'm a writer, not a DV editor.


There again, I'm not a DV editor, and most of the DV isn't mission-critical, heck, none of it is, I have a couple of megs of mission critical data, and that's all in a MySQL database online :p...

[wordmunger]

There again, I'm not a DV editor, and most of the DV isn't mission-critical, heck, none of it is, I have a couple of megs of mission critical data, and that's all in a MySQL database online :p...
Well, then, I'd say a second hard drive is a very reasonable and convenient option. Makes a lot of sense.

[Converted2Truth]

Here's my back-up system:

2 * 500GB LaCie drives for working and current files (last 3 months)
1 * LaCie AIT 2 tape back-up and a pile of tapes

That Lacie AIT 2 is VERY EXPENSIVE!!! That is an expensive solution...

[stoid]

500GB is a lot of porn man! ;)


I would go for the Floppy Disk method. Granted, stacking up all 365,715 disks would be nearly 3/4ths of a mile high, but the Windows world would still consider them a useful and legit storage method.


Honestly though, I would get some external HDs and some high-class back-up software.

[Converted2Truth]

Okay, i've had this question for a long time. Assume the following senario:

You turn on your computer and you get that oldschool mac icon blinking on your monitor. You are out of options, your hard drive has been fried. You go buy a new one, install it, and are now ready to use you're nifty backup tapes/harddrives/whateverYouUseToBackUp.

I have found no software that will allow you to completely back up an image of your harddrive, create a bootable CD in which to restore that backup, and have it work. From what i've found, there's only crappy software that requires you to re-install the OS etc...

Is there a piece of software that will allow you to create an EXACT image of your hard drive, create a bootable CD in which to restore that said backup, and then bingo! you're good to go? Oh, and it's gotta be cheap.. I am a college student.

Should this be in another thread? Please respond?! This is one of my biggest problems with OSX...

[FuzzyBallz]

You don't really think he's gonna get it do you? Use 250GB as main HD, and the other as backup HD. Or just back it up on DVDs.

[stoid]

Is there a piece of software that will allow you to create an EXACT image of your hard drive, create a bootable CD in which to restore that said backup, and then bingo! you're good to go? Oh, and it's gotta be cheap.. I am a college student.

Create a disk image of your HD, using Disk Utility, or whatever, and store that on your external HD. Boot off of a Mac OS X system CD, plug in the external HD and launch Disk Utility off of the CD. Use Disk Utility to load the disk image back onto your HD.

[Mord]

http://www.barefeats.com/swift.html

i'g get a pair of hitachi 400GB HD's to raid them to a 800GB super disk, and a 500GB raid back up disk. use the 800 to use and the 500 to back up with.

[rob118]

i use /dev/null

[link92]

The LaCie Bigger Disk Extreme it be...

[Diatribe]

I think it's always best to have multiple backups in case. This is what I do:
I back up all of my stuff besides music, pics and videos to my idisk daily. Once a week I backup everything incl. music, pics and videos to my 250GB LaCie at home and every month I back up everything to an ext. HD at another site.
Since my biggest fear is losing my notebook AND my external HD I do the idisk, offsite backup thing. So even IF I lose both, the only data I lose is <4 weeks old and solely consists of music, videos and pics.
And even though all of my REALLY important data is on the iDisk I would seriously kick myself all the way around the world if I would lose all of my pics or music to a fire or a burgler.
But that's for each and everyone to decide. I for one wouldn't want to live without that extra security, it keeps me free from worries.