+1 - there is definitely enough subject matter, even before I laid down the mini-blog. ;-)

Sorry....got a little carried away, eh? Kind of easy to do when you are passionate about technology and creating the right solution for anyone. :-)

Great article for sure! Definitely something that people need to do, but, to me, there are somethings that we can apply from the enterprise world, so to speak. One thing in particular is ILM - Information Lifecycle Management. Simply put, it's reviewing your media, data, and files and determining whether or not you are using the files regularly. It sounds like Mac has it covered with Time Machine (could be wrong there as I'm no Mac guy) but a simple question and research project to do is to review everything that is on your hard drive and direct attached media and determine when was the last time you accessed it and will you need it over the next day/week/month/quarter, etc. If those files are not going to be accessed, then they probably need to be Tier 3 stored - basically, throw it on good, reliable, quality backup media that you can retrieve, if necessary, catalog if you want, and ultimately, shelve some place, off line that won't consume storage. This could be as simple as dumping it to DVD or as elaborate, as many of you have mentioned, as dumping it to a tape solution that does not get overwritten.

Once you know what can be archived that sometimes (or should) drop your overall volume size down so that you can then begin working with an active file system to begin backing up and storing for instant data recovery. In fact, tagging on to what I mentioned above about the Tier 3 storage, think of Tier 1 as the place all of your files that you constantly access day to day goes. Tier 2 are copies/backups of those files so that you can retrieve them in the event of failure of Tier 1. And Tier 3 is the archive of files no longer being used and/or secondary copies of Tier 2. Sounds complex or elaborate, but in essence still adheres to the 3 Copies as mentioned in the article.

Now all of this sounds wonderful and great, but the one thing that many people don't do that could help shape their backup plans is a simple valuation of the data. Can you put a "value" in time, money, or something that can be calculated in a tangible value index that you can quickly determine, what is the true loss if this data goes missing? See, just like insurance, we are told you should or even GOTTA have it. But what do you have to have and how much is enough or what is too much? Can the data that is lost be recreated instead of wasting space on backups and storage? And if not, what would it costs you (no matter what valuation index you use)? From here it can quickly get you to where you need to be...because, if we go back to the Tiers or copies, let's think about what your Tier 1 should be like to begin with.

Having a simple DAS or JBOD's that are setup in RAID 5/6/10, etc., can do wonders and might just be enough for what you need for recovery. It's playing odds....what are the odds that you loose one disk out of "X" amount of disk? And no, its not the more disk you have the better...its the RAID scheme, it's how your data is written to the disk, and its also how quickly a rebuild/recovery can be done (another piece that needs to be discussed - how quickly do you need to recover data that you loose). Case in point, Fry's has a great mini-DAS for about $200-$250 that allows you to install whatever disk you want and then it will support any RAID configuration you setup. Maybe that's perfect for your safety needs.....but yes, I know, everyone will say....RAID IS NOT BACKUP! That is correct, but still, prevention at each level is just as key as going and pulling tapes from a climate controlled storage facility.

So what about Tier 2 and Tier 3. Tier 2 is typically a similar setup to Tier one, but with the choice of drives being iSCSI/SAS or SATA. Why? Well, depends on how often you will be pulling data direct from this system vs. just writing backup/copies. If the IOPS are needed then of course we want higher performing drives and a system that can provide the performance. But if this is happening, its typically because the Tier 1 is failing a lot or we are messing up a lot. :-) So mixing in SATA drive based storage can reduce the over all costs....so then you have a tiered structure that goes like this: iSCSI/SAS -> SATA -> DVD/tape or even online.

Software, as mentioned is another big one and one that not many people spend time on, but of course there are a variety that can provide some level of backup and recovery from file all the way down to blocks. One that I'm partial to for regardless of whether we are talking about workstations or servers is R1Soft. Block level backups and recoveries that can restore even blocks that all of sudden get corrupted. I personally have this on my hosting server and have had several people use it with great success. But that can be a high end product when there are others, as mentioned, that are freeware.....it all goes back to the valuation I mentioned earlier - what's the value?

Definitely some great topics and always good to be aware, especially if you have customer data or data that is priceless!

PD2

Amen! You could not be more on target with things. This article was posted shortly before the Miss America pagent and had it been after, she definitely would have been used as a great example of creative life and death with what she was responsible for saying. So many people blow it off and think it's something that is made of superstition and hokeiness, but when the Word of God instructs us regarding an area of our life to live this way, we better pay close attention and be obedient to the Word. Thanks for posting a comment! God bless you brother!

Sadly, I'd have to agree with you that there are not enough mature believers. And yet again, here is another area that sometimes people believe is the Church's responsibility. The maturing of the people can be nurtured through the ministry gifts, but when teaching, preaching, ministering, laying on of hands and all manner of other impartations have been poured out to the people, at some point that person must begin to take the personal responsibility of maturing themselves or taking the impartations and doing something with them - believing them, acting on them, putting them into action. Faith without works is dead. And I personally believe that not enough people take what they have and step out with it to even begin the maturing process - they have all tools, Word, and everything necessary - all they need to do is the two letter Word Jesus told them in the Great Commission - GO!

GREAT topic! Here are my thoughts and comments. Discipleship is a personal responsibility as a Christian and has nothing to do with a church. Now, within the realm of Discipleship I'd say you have areas that you can put your hands to - things like the ministries that are called out specifically in 1 Corinthians 12:28:

"And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues"

For instance, the work we do within the Church and through the Church, is in the form of helps and in some cases administration. But notice, we are not appointed to one and only one ministry - all of these ministries should be at work within our lives. Yes, the Church and those that have a greater anointing for each of these help, train, and raise up those that are wanting a greater manifestation of these ministries in and through all they do. But once they are trained up or shown how to minister in these areas, that is when we are to fulfill the Great Commission. The Great Commission is a personal responsibility and through that personal responsibility, when we are assembled together, the Church as a whole then takes part in it too.

PD2

No one. Jesus is love and perfect love does not smack anyone around. Plus, it definitely would not be Satan, because He's already taken care of that before He ascended into heaven - it's finished as He is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. The whole purpose and goal is not to push or destroy people, its to bring them into a saving knowledge of Jesus that they may skip hell and make heaven. So why would Jesus even think about smacking down anyone, except for His enemy (been there, done that, resting now until His return)?

You are again welcome! And AMEN to doing it!

You are welcome! Kids are very perceptive about what is going on in "adult world." Leading them back to what they need to know from God's Word is always the best. We have told our daughter the exact same thing you have talked about here and we do pray for not just President Obama, but all elected officials down to the local ones, that, as the Bible says, we may live in the peace with them and in the peace of God.

Excellent post John! I could not agree with you more! The Bible never said that we should be united in political party or anything else other than Christ - that we are one body. Now, more than ever, this MUST happen so that the world may know the love of Christ through His body. Amen to your blog brother!