7

I work in a niche inside a niche. I deal with terabytes of storage, massive servers, a variety of storage tech, and I've been in interested in computers in general for... Around 40 years. (Yeah, I'm old.)

I have my own single person company and have worked in 40+ US states, done assignments in the UK, Norway.

AMA.

all 17 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] vsp@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Archive.org, one of my favourite websites, has been targetted by litigation.

What do you feel will happen to this website in the years and decades ahead? And what will happen to digital archiving should the site be eliminated from the web?

[-] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

What are your feelings on tape backups?

Most people in the industries I've worked in (mainly SMB, MSP.... Sysadnin roles), seem to think that tape is an archaic method of doing backups, and anyone using tape is living in the past.

Additionally, for archival/backup software, what's the go to for you? Both paid and Foss, if you have options for both, I'd like to hear it. What makes it the go to software?

Thanks.

[-] TemporaryBoyfriend@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Tape is awesome. Relatively inexpensive at scale, huge storage volumes, consumes almost no power compared to what it stores. But it has its time and place. That place is archival and long-term offsite backups that are very infrequently accessed. People aren't using it for what it's best at doing.

The backup/archive software I use for work is enterprise grade - Tivoli Storage Manager a.k.a. Spectrum Protect. In my office, I use Time Machine on the Macs, and simply 'tar' on Linux to back up specific important directories. Windows machines are backed up by their owners with various tools that I don't tend to concern myself with.

For the enterprise stuff, what makes it great is that it gives you a huge amount of control and flexibility and storage options. I love the idea of TSM/SP's 'incremental forever' backup methodology. It means you can roll back to any backup at any point in time, as long as you're storing enough historical versions of the files. The device support is also amazing, and I've built systems that can scale to be petabytes large with it.

For my office, I just use what I know is built in and reliable. I know every Linux system has tar, and every Mac has Time Machine. For my NAS device, I make copies of it with rsync to a USB-SATA enclosure with 5 drives, usually every 90 days or so, less if I've made a lot of changes.

[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

In your opinion what would be the best archival format for storing photos and videos of the family. Without relying on a ZFS server running for 20 plus years, but a "hard" copy like Blueray M etc

[-] TemporaryBoyfriend@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago
[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

So no suggestions? dealing with data yourself you must have your own best storage go to? no?

[-] TemporaryBoyfriend@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

Honestly, I'm "storage agnostic" -- in my office I have Hard drives, SSDs, NAS, servers with various types of RAID, Linux boxes with disks in LVM, magneto optical platters, and various tapes.

It's less about the media and more about the process. As I described elsewhere, I have a large NAS, an onsite copy, and an offsite copy on tapes. It's the process of keeping offsite copies, regularly updating them, and verifying the copies that protects me, not some sticker on a box that says "100 YEAR STORAGE LIFE" from a company that might not exist next month.

[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

Yeah, just curious. i have heard tape is a decent option or Archival DVD. Running a server and backups what I do now, but it is not really a way to pass on family data like you could with a photo album. Especially when they are less tech savvy family.

[-] TemporaryBoyfriend@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Every media is subject to failure. It's the process that protects.

If you're keeping something for your family, consider putting it online on a sharable cloud storage system, or using software that distributes the data to everyone's computer (BitTorrent / Resilio Sync / DropBox, etc.)

If you want something physical, I'd get a 'tough' or 'high endurance' USB stick or SD card, and keep updating it quarterly. Flash doesn't have a great reputation for longevity/durability, so I'd wipe the USB stick clean with zeros then re-write everything with each update.

[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago
[-] tsz@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Can you get in touch with me? I work in archives, in IT, and have a nasty situation I'm looking for advice on from someone with experience in exactly this. Can we dm? Not sure how that works here.

[-] TemporaryBoyfriend@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

Sadly, no... My niche is so very, very small that it's unlikely I can help your specific situation. It's also a self-preservation thing -- giving professional advice for free without contracts in place is a liability issue.

[-] tsz@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Those two reasons pretty much cancel each other out, but alright.

this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2023
7 points (100.0% liked)

Ask Me Anything

1960 readers
33 users here now

Ask Me Anything (AMA) Community Rules and Guidelines

This is the lemmy.ca AmA.

Welcome to the Ask Me Anything (AMA) community! This is a space where individuals from various backgrounds come together to engage in open and informative discussions. To ensure a respectful, enjoyable, and inclusive experience for everyone involved, we have established the following rules and guidelines:

  1. Be Civil and Respectful:

    • Treat all participants with respect, regardless of their background, expertise, or opinions. Personal attacks, insults, or derogatory language will not be tolerated.
    • Engage in constructive conversations, even if you disagree with the person answering the questions. Focus on addressing their responses or providing alternative viewpoints without resorting to hostility.
    • Remember that the participants are sharing their knowledge and experiences voluntarily. Appreciate their time and effort.
  2. Practice Politeness and Courtesy:

    • Use polite and considerate language when asking questions or engaging in discussions.
    • Be patient and understanding if the person answering takes time to respond. They may receive a high volume of questions.
    • Avoid spamming or repeating the same question multiple times. Give others a chance to ask their questions as well.

-Use NSFW and trigger warning TW in brackets if you talk about sensitive subject.

  1. Respect Boundaries and Privacy:

    • Do not ask personal or invasive questions unless the participant explicitly invites such queries.
    • If a participant declines to answer a question or requests to move on from a topic, respect their boundaries without pressuring them for a response.
    • Avoid sharing personal information or disclosing sensitive details about yourself or others.
  2. Be Inclusive and Stand Against Discrimination:

    • Respect diverse perspectives and backgrounds. Discrimination, including racism, homophobia, and transphobia, will not be tolerated.
    • Foster an environment that welcomes individuals of all races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and identities.
    • Be mindful of your language and the potential impact it may have on others. Avoid offensive slurs or derogatory terms.
  3. Avoid Spam and Irrelevant Questions:

    • Ensure your questions are relevant to the participant's expertise or field of knowledge.
    • Avoid posting low-quality or repetitive questions that add little value to the discussion.
    • Respect the purpose of the AMA and avoid using it solely for self-promotion or advertising.
  4. Engage in Meaningful Discussions:

    • Prioritize thought-provoking and insightful questions that foster engaging conversations.
    • Be open to different perspectives and use the AMA as an opportunity to learn and broaden your understanding.
    • Jokes are allowed as long as they are respectful, appropriate, and do not target or marginalize specific individuals or groups. -If you are sarcastic, we recommend to use /s to be sure there is no confusion about your intention. Fake sarcasm will be found.

Remember, these rules and guidelines are in place to ensure a positive and informative environment for all participants. Failure to comply may result in 3 strikes warnings, temporary restrictions, or permanent bans at the discretion of the moderators.

in the future, a mod check and balance system might be implemented . Subject to change : [You might appeal your ban by contacting a special appointed moderator to judge if the ban was abusive.

Special appointed mod can create jury like conversation with randomly chosen users with jury votes to decide if bans are legit or not.]

Thank you for being a part of the Ask Me Anything (AMA) community. Let's engage in enlightening discussions, share knowledge, and create an inclusive space that values respect and diversity!

Friendly communities :

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS