RE: Re: Compressing DVD ISO Images

["Paul Gordon" <paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

My "too important to lose" data (similar stuff) is replicated
around to various PC's in the house using XP's offline files feature.
Central server datastore is shared on the network ("\Photos" ,
"\Home video", "\Documents", etc.) and specified to be
"made available offline" to various other PC's around the house
(mostly client workstations).
Every time anyone logs on or logs off on any of these workstations those
folders are synchronised both ways and changes replicated. It adds a few
seconds to the logon/logoff process, but we've got used to it and it
doesn't present a problem. If the server dies, most/all of the workstations
have offline copies of the data, and can continue to access the server
share - even though it's not really there any more (handy for things like
the slideshow screensaver which I point to the \photos share - this
continues to work even when the server is offline).

This has proven very handy so far, and is a set it and forget it operation.
I'm now 100% confident of complete recovery of all my digital photos &
documents etc - unless my whole house burns down and all my PC's are
lost... (For which eventuality I plan to extend the same scheme to operate
over a VPN to my parents house to mutually backup similar content offsite).

Paul G.


________________________________

The only data that I have flagged up as "too important to lose"
is the
family documents directories, the family digital photos and my extensive
collection of "porn" (and for anyone that doesn't know me that
means TVR
videos rather than what you might be thinking of) which is *WAY* less than
160Gb and so I simply mirror that drive using two *DISSIMILAR* drives -
curently the primary drive is a 160Gb Maxtor (which is probably in the
order of six years old) and a 160Gb Hitachi (which is now probably 18
months old) - in separate enclosures (with separate PSUs) and one on
firewire whilst the other is on USB to minimise the chances of them both
failing in the same way and at the same time.

Phil




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