RE: Re: Will I ever learn !! - doing backups...

["Mark Hetherington" <mark.egroups@xxxxxxx>]

> Lee Varga wrote:
> [snip RAID]
> Raid isn't any use if you get hit by a virus!

Anti Virus techniques should be preventative not curative making Backup and
Anti Virus fundamentally seperate issues. None of your own proposals
protect
against this either since even your proposals could have actually backed up
the virus, especially since many virii do not have an instant effect.

Up to date Anti Virus software is the "easy" way to protect
against viral
attack, but to be honest, being careful will work adequately. I would
recommend that both Anti Virus software and care to be used to prevent
virus
attacks.

A lot of today's virii rely on the incompetence of the end user in order to
propogate but are often less devastating than those of the past and tend
not
to cause loss of data in the same manner as those of the past.

For all these reasons, I ignored the issue of virii when I discussed RAID,
since it was of little overall relevance.

> Not enough space :), and fiddling with the server in the cupboard is a
> pain...

The ease of remote administration of a machine and low priced LAN equipment
makes it's position no excuse :)

> My solution, a spare 40Gb harddrive (68) and a drive caddy (12). Once
a
> week, stick the backup drive in the server, and do a full backup,
> then yank
> it out again.

So in essence, you are doing "delayed" RAID mirroring but causing
yourself
some work to perform it :)

> Then occasionally (but admittedly not yet : ) stick the
> backup drive in the main machine and do a load of CDRs that will be
stored
> offsite. Just in case.

I assume you have some secure offsite location then? Although backups ought
to be kept offsite, assuming you are merely protecting against fire causing
loss of the media, why not use a locally located fireproof box or safe. The
offsite location might be enough to make backups so much of a chore they
never get made, or that the backups are made but never stored offsite or
even securely. If it is merely say walking out to the garage to a fireproof
safe, chances are you will actually have the backup stored in there rather
than on the desk waiting to be sent offsite.

Mark.