50
Best way to backup files (sh.itjust.works)

I have about 500GB of data (photos, documents, videos etc.) that I have accumulated over the years. Currently, I keep them on my computer and rsync all additions / changes once a month or so to an external hard drive. Do I need to be worried about data loss (sectors going bad, bit rot, bit flip, whatever it is called)?

To clarify,

  1. None of this is commercially important; I just don't want to get into a situation where I look up an old family photo or video twenty years down the line and it has got corrupted.

  2. Both my computer and the external HD are HDDs. They are fairly cheap here (and very cheap if second hand). Buying SSDs or dedicated hardware would be expensive.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] jws_shadotak@sh.itjust.works 19 points 5 months ago

The 3 2 1 rule is always the gold standard.

I'd recommend at least adding an offsite backup. Set up rclone with a mounted folder (client side encryption is recommended) and sync the files to that as well.

I use Backblaze for about $6/TB/mo, pro-rated for whatever amount is actually used.

[-] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 6 points 5 months ago

second, for the small amount a backblaze account would be cheap and more than enough. If OP is worried about security then enabling a crypt endpoint in rclone is moderately trivial.

3-2-1 OP. 3 copies of your data, across 2 different storage mediums, with at least 1 offsite.

[-] emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 months ago

6$ is about 500 rupees. I can get another HDD for double that price.

I do copy some important files to Google Drive, but I don't pay for it, and I don't rely on it.

[-] Maestro@fedia.io 3 points 5 months ago

If you don't pay for it, you can't rely on it

[-] emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 months ago

Right, which is why I prefer to rely on local backups. Much cheaper in the long run.

[-] KingOfSleep@lemmy.ca 7 points 5 months ago

I used to work with a guy who was religious about backing up his files to an external drives. Until someone broke into his house and stole his computer AND his external drives. He lost everything.

[-] howrar@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 months ago

It's always a good idea to have an off-site backup (e.g. in case of fires, robbery, natural disasters, etc). If you prefer to manage them yourself, an option is to find someone else who also needs an off-site backup and exchange disk space. You do your off-site on their machine, and they do theirs on yours. With external HDDs, you can just have someone else hold on to it for you at a different location. You can come up with fancier schemes to reduce the chances of data loss or to make the process simpler if you care to do so.

[-] pe1uca@lemmy.pe1uca.dev 2 points 5 months ago

I also like local only with a similar set up as yours, rsync to and HDD and to an SSD.
But I also would recommend you to follow that suggestion, you need to have an external backup managed by someone else (encrypted, of course) so you can have options if anything happens to everything in your local.
It's up to you how much you're willing to pay to be sure to be able to retrieve your data.

I'm using iDrive e2, it says it has a limited offer, but it's been there for over a year.

Im basically paying $1.25 for 2TB per month (it's charged at once for 24 months) https://www.idrive.com/s3-storage-e2/pricing

[-] emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 months ago

I see, I'll look into it then. Thank you.

this post was submitted on 02 Jun 2024
50 points (100.0% liked)

Asklemmy

43895 readers
1039 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy ๐Ÿ”

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS