No More Tape Backups?

Well... I haven't reached no tape nirvana yet; but I'm inching my way there.

There are a few things that I can’t stand about backup systems; and backup tape is on the top of the list, right above the pure complexity of backup software. Backup tapes require too much thought, time, and funds – all of which; are at a limited supply. Tape has its place, but I tend to avoid using it if I can.

Enter Amazon S3 (thanks Jeff, for introducing me to S3!).

Simply put; Amazon S3 is storage for the Internet. It’s also relatively inexpensive storage - it’s secure, and flexible; allowing you to set permissions, and even stream data. However – and a big However; it does have a limit of a 5GB maximum single file size; so you have to get a little creative on the front end. Also; just the fact that it’s on the Internet means that transfers are somewhat slow.

Super Flexible File Synchronizer is a (currently) free program. It is, however, fairly powerful. It allows for secure, scheduled, unattended, transfers of data to S3. It will also send summary notifications via email as scheduled. So; I get notified of successful transfers, or any problems, in Outlook and on my BlackBerry.

S3 Firefox Organizer is a plug-in for Mozilla Firefox. It helps you organize and manage your files on Amazon S3. It’s easy to set up and easy to work with. You can view or set permissions on files, create directory structures, or simply delete unwanted files. I use this plug-in for manual, one time, transfers.

I’ve been using the tools above as an alternative method of backing up our most critical data (which happens to be Finance docs, and Shelby data). Basically; it’s an off-site copy of local backup data. Of course; I am still using tape – awful, dreadful, blasted, tape.

One of these days…



Here's some links for ya:

Amazon S3
Super Flexible File Synchronizer
S3 Firefox Organizer