Comments on: Switching to Laptops Full Time and Working Mostly Online http://crosslandteam.com/blog/2009/12/02/switching-to-laptops-fulltime-and-working-mostly-online/ Austin Real Estate Blog Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:04:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Steve Crossland http://crosslandteam.com/blog/2009/12/02/switching-to-laptops-fulltime-and-working-mostly-online/comment-page-1/#comment-106076 Steve Crossland Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:55:39 +0000 http://crosslandteam.com/?p=1516#comment-106076 Hi Michael, Regarding backups, I do a combination of automated and manual. For the really important stuff that can't be replaced, I swap out a usb disk ever week or so and keep it offsite. Also have a 1T external backup the duplicates the synced directories, but would remain archived even if a synced folder was accidentally deleted. Finally, I zip my docs directory about once a month and ftp it to my web server where it's safe. Otherwise, unless I lost every computer and hard copy file in a fire or something, the file directories are cloned on multiple computers via LiveSync such that even a hard drive failure would be of no consequence.. I have been thinking about Carbonite though, mainly because it would be automatic and I wouldn't have to schedule recurring backup tasks., http://www.carbonite.com/home.aspx Steve Hi Michael,

Regarding backups, I do a combination of automated and manual. For the really important stuff that can’t be replaced, I swap out a usb disk ever week or so and keep it offsite. Also have a 1T external backup the duplicates the synced directories, but would remain archived even if a synced folder was accidentally deleted. Finally, I zip my docs directory about once a month and ftp it to my web server where it’s safe.

Otherwise, unless I lost every computer and hard copy file in a fire or something, the file directories are cloned on multiple computers via LiveSync such that even a hard drive failure would be of no consequence..

I have been thinking about Carbonite though, mainly because it would be automatic and I wouldn’t have to schedule recurring backup tasks.,
http://www.carbonite.com/home.aspx

Steve

]]> By: Michael @ The Stage Coach http://crosslandteam.com/blog/2009/12/02/switching-to-laptops-fulltime-and-working-mostly-online/comment-page-1/#comment-104337 Michael @ The Stage Coach Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:29:41 +0000 http://crosslandteam.com/?p=1516#comment-104337 Hi, Steve: I see you too have discovered MS's best kept secret: LiveSync. I can not stress how much I love having this service. Have you tried to access your files via iPhone browser? You might be able to open the shared folders and email files, but I don't own an iPhone, so I am not familiar with it... Now, only if they would let me Sync it to a folder on my NAS for backup, it would be perfect! Unfortunately, it only works with Windows Clients, and it will not let me map the drive. And I wish they would let you add MS Skydrive... Which brings me to some thing I do not see above; Back up. You mention that it's "backed up", but do not mention how. Coming from an IT back ground, I am a believer in there not being enough backup systems. Not because I used to sell them, but because Murphy's Law Applies: If you don't back any thing up, you'll have a catastrophe. If you back every thing up, nothing will ever go wrong. And while Live Sync does create a copy of every thing, it's not really Solution. I attack this from several angles: 1. Back up to NAS: I use a free program, Cobian Back up to send files up to an old PC with FreeNas loaded. It's in the laundry room, and always on. Never had to go back to it, but it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing it's up there. 2. Back up to External USB Hard Drive. These are cheap - I saw 1 TB for less than $100 this week. And some have 3-5 year warranties now. Even better would be a Network Hard Drive so you and Sylvia could both back up to it with the included software they come with. 3. Carbonite. If my house burns down, all of my backups are lost. It's like $70/year. [I have heard complaints about how long it takes Carbonite to restore an entire system. But if you keep local backups on your Ext USB drive, it's a lot faster. And you won't mind the time it takes if there's a catastrophe.] Michael @ The Stage Coach Hi, Steve:
I see you too have discovered MS’s best kept secret: LiveSync. I can not stress how much I love having this service. Have you tried to access your files via iPhone browser? You might be able to open the shared folders and email files, but I don’t own an iPhone, so I am not familiar with it… Now, only if they would let me Sync it to a folder on my NAS for backup, it would be perfect! Unfortunately, it only works with Windows Clients, and it will not let me map the drive. And I wish they would let you add MS Skydrive…

Which brings me to some thing I do not see above; Back up. You mention that it’s “backed up”, but do not mention how. Coming from an IT back ground, I am a believer in there not being enough backup systems. Not because I used to sell them, but because Murphy’s Law Applies: If you don’t back any thing up, you’ll have a catastrophe. If you back every thing up, nothing will ever go wrong. And while Live Sync does create a copy of every thing, it’s not really Solution.

I attack this from several angles:
1. Back up to NAS: I use a free program, Cobian Back up to send files up to an old PC with FreeNas loaded. It’s in the laundry room, and always on. Never had to go back to it, but it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing it’s up there.
2. Back up to External USB Hard Drive. These are cheap – I saw 1 TB for less than $100 this week. And some have 3-5 year warranties now. Even better would be a Network Hard Drive so you and Sylvia could both back up to it with the included software they come with.
3. Carbonite. If my house burns down, all of my backups are lost. It’s like $70/year. [I have heard complaints about how long it takes Carbonite to restore an entire system. But if you keep local backups on your Ext USB drive, it's a lot faster. And you won't mind the time it takes if there's a catastrophe.]

Michael @ The Stage Coach

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