On Mon, Jun 11, 2007 at 07:28:17AM +0200, Mitja Podreka wrote: > > I have a web server with about 270 GB of space on the three disks in > RAID5. It's only function is to host a Moodle e-learning system. > I would like to make an external backup of user/course files. Not just > for an extra level of redundancy, but also to protect the users from > their own errors. > I've read a lot about backup software and already decided about which > one to use. I would like you to ask about advice about hardware. > Is external USB disc suitable for this? Should I put an extra disc to my > workstation? Should I make an "dedicated" backup server out of an old > computer and new disc(s)? Should I try to buy some "ready-made" solution? > Going through a lot of hardship I could probably convince the faculty, > to invest into some storage solution, but since the server is one of the > only two Linuxes (Debians) on the faculty (the second one being my > workstation) I would like to offer them an interesting/cheap(er) > "OpenSource" solution. >
To protect users from their own errors, you could just backup to /var/local/backup on your existing raid5 array. To protect the raid5 array, add a spare drive on a different controller if possible to provide some failover. Add two for raid1. If you have a spare computer, backup to that. This could be your workstation. Add a drive or two (for raid1 there). Have it on a separate power supply/UPS/whatever. Then, external USB makes sense. Get three: one hot, one on-site cold, one off-site cold for disaster. Have you found an external USB drive that takes 270 GB or will you have multiple drives and use your backup software for volume management? If you want, you could set up a dedicated backup server and offer backup services to the whole faculty :) Doug. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
