From: Farley Flud <ff@linux.rocks>
Subject: Re: My First HDD Failure (I Think)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
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Date: Sun, 24 Nov 2024 10:26:36 +0000
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On Sat, 23 Nov 2024 18:31:21 -0600, Physfitfreak wrote:

> On 11/23/24 3:50 AM, Farley Flud wrote:
>> On Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:36:35 -0600, Physfitfreak wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> All of my data, i.e. books, documents, music, videos,
>> programs, etc., I have already backed up onto USB HDD
>> and BDR and other optical media.
>> 
> 
> 
> Then they should not have much structure to them.
> 
> In my case, my data is highly structured so I can access a particular 
> source by quickly zeroing in on it. This structure is always evolving, 
> so I have to keep it on the computer.
> 
> If you are editing your data (or changing some structure in them) often, 
> like perhaps daily (I do it a few times a day), then your back ups also 
> need their own back ups cause using them everyday might crash them.
> 
> Then the volume of your back ups again becomes the point.
> 
> So what's the volume, or, how long does it take for you to back up your 
> back ups? That's the issue I'm facing with backing up my data.
>

Firstly, a backup is intended to be a permanent storage solution
and should not be used for casual daily access.

My data exists in two forms.  One is on a spinning-rust HDD for
easy daily access, editing, or updating.  The other is on USB HDD
or optical disk for permanent storage and is not touched.

On occasion, whenever it is deemed necessary, I will back up the
spinning-rust HDD using a method that only backs up the changes,
i.e. only new files or updated files, and that will delete files
that have been removed from the collection.

Secondly, organizing any collection of data is always a difficult
and probably ultimately impossible task.  One would need to hire a
full-time administrative assistant but the results would still not
be ideal.  I have no recommendations.  Just do whatever seems best
but also realize that you likely will never be satisfied.

There are some tools that can aid in searching documents for
content, such as DocFetcher:

https://docfetcher.sourceforge.io/en/index.html

I don't use these.  I just try to make the file name be illustrative
of the content.

Regarding speed, a backup (changes only) to USB HDD are fairly
quick, but backing up all data to a new USB HDD can require 10-20
minutes for a few hundred G's.  (I am only guessing here because
I never time my backups.)

Of course, BDR optical media takes much longer, about an hour
for 25G, but BDR should only used on a yearly basis or so.

Backup and organization strategies are highly personal and the
user will have to discover his own methods.




-- 
Systemd: solving all the problems that you never knew you had.