I've posted one thread earlier on this topic and would greatly appreciate some review of/feedback on my proposed storage strategy.
I'm running a MacBook Pro (with external display) as my computer for all photo work. I've maxed out 2 external 250GB drives. I anticipate shooting about 500GB in the next year-18months. I want to keep a full back up of each drive. 1 500GB drive has a 500GB back up drive, 2 for 2, etc.
I'm looking at the AMS Venus T5 Enclosure from newegg. Allows expansion for the future with 5 drive bays, removable trays so that I can take one ore more drives off site for back up. However, initially, I would only use 2 bays for the first year. This array has an esata connection (1). I'm not crazy about this as I need then to also have an esata express card (read that there has been a few problems with these cards..specifically the driver). Total cost with two 500GB drives...$450
Is this overkill for what I think I will fill up in the next year? Will the technology change enough that in 18 months I will want to look at a better solution anyway? Adding 500GB drives to this is then $100 a shot rather than $200 for another external. I also would like to avoid having a stack of external drives with cables all over. The removable tray is nice too as I can begin taking a backup off site as well.
If you are looking for something to hold data, that sounds fine. If you want some sort of redundancy, I think you should have separate systems, not multiple drives in a single box.
I am using different hardware (PC to NAS Light server with removable bays) but a similar process.
I have 500 gb of internal space and backup to the server as needed (500 gb drive). A third 500 gb drive is in a fireproof safe. About once a month, I swap the drives between the server and safe. off-site is better but less convenient.
Not sure what I will do when the 500 is full. I will have to decide if I want to keep everything on-line or not. One possibility is to keep older files on another drive in the server with a matching backup in the safe.
Is it a risk having one set of data on drive A with a backup on drive B in the same enclosure? Can a problem with the enclosure itself cause a problem with the drive itself making it important to have back ups on other devices?
It is a significant risk. Lightning strike, power supply surge, theft, bad computer virus can all wipe out the entire system. The virus issue is less for MAC but not zero.
Tim Carpenter wrote:
Is it a risk having one set of data on drive A with a backup on drive B in the same enclosure? Can a problem with the enclosure itself cause a problem with the drive itself making it important to have back ups on other devices?
To add to Mike Hayes' comment - a single disk failure is one of the many possible failures, other hardware failure sources include power supply, mains, controller, backplane, cable, general computer trouble.
Using separate enclosures with only one active at a time reduces the chance of any one of the failures I listed will kill both drives.
Here is how I asses my backup strategy. I my building were swallowed into the earth...would I still have access to my data? Same enclosure or different enclosure same building both bad. The idea you have is very good, the removable HD is essential to it working. You need a way to quickly back up data and then get that backup to a different location. For me I have a fire safe that stores my backup drives and ideally I keep that at another location. However most of the time its in my building (tornado is about the only hazard I'm not prepared for...).
