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> Fine. Now, how the hell do I backup my 5TB of photos? :-( :-( I use git-annex. It understands the concept of wanting multiple copies of things, and keeps tra

by rlpb 13y ago

> Fine. Now, how the hell do I backup my 5TB of photos? :-( :-( I use git-annex. It understands the concept of wanting multiple copies of things, and keeps track of what is where (eg. S3, Glacier, some remote rsync server, or which of my many external drives). When I want something, it gets it for me (eg. by telling me which external drive to plug in). Then, all I need to keep backed up is my git repository itself, which is tiny. I use Tarsnap for this, which means that I can keep previous snapshots without issue. > Hard disks are not supposed to sit on a shelf unplugged for extended periods. This works fine for me, when combined with some other method. Redundancy is key. And "git-annex fsck" checks a drive's integrity for me.

nakedrobot2 13y ago
thanks for the new possibility! Very interesting. from their page: https://git-annex.branchable.com/not/ https://git-annex.branchable.com/not/ "git-annex is not a backup system. It may be a useful component of an archival system, or a way to deliver files to a backup system. For a backup system that uses git and that git-annex supports storing data in, see bup." since you said you're using it effectively as a backup, could you please clarify what they mean, and what you mean? thanks!
- rlpb 13y ago
  For context, I was originally answering "Fine. Now, how the hell do I backup my 5TB of photos?". My answer is that you don't need to, since photos don't usually change after they are taken. It is sufficient to simply archive them safely (and redundantly). I'm not using git-annex as a backup system. I use Tarsnap and my own tool ddar for backups. I am using git-annex to archive specific large file collections that don't ever change (eg. photos and videos). By storing these collections appropriately in multiple redundant locations, and by also backing up my git-annex repository (using the backup tools above), I have effectively "backed up" my photos. They're as safe as any backup system can make them.

by rlpb 13y ago

nakedrobot2 13y ago

thanks for the new possibility! Very interesting. from their page: https://git-annex.branchable.com/not/ https://git-annex.branchable.com/not/ "git-annex is not a backup system. It may be a useful component of an archival system, or a way to deliver files to a backup system. For a backup system that uses git and that git-annex supports storing data in, see bup." since you said you're using it effectively as a backup, could you please clarify what they mean, and what you mean? thanks!

rlpb 13y ago
For context, I was originally answering "Fine. Now, how the hell do I backup my 5TB of photos?". My answer is that you don't need to, since photos don't usually change after they are taken. It is sufficient to simply archive them safely (and redundantly). I'm not using git-annex as a backup system. I use Tarsnap and my own tool ddar for backups. I am using git-annex to archive specific large file collections that don't ever change (eg. photos and videos). By storing these collections appropriately in multiple redundant locations, and by also backing up my git-annex repository (using the backup tools above), I have effectively "backed up" my photos. They're as safe as any backup system can make them.