*@^#%&( sample hard drive went down!!

[6string]

Having a hard drive go down is always such a hassle. I had one go out on a big 2 terrabyte drive that had all my instrument sounds not too long ago. It took me severals days to reinstall them.
I should have done what I do for my studio fiber system: Use the software Chronosync along with a dual hard drive bay thats external. Mine is a NexStar dual bay with Sata and USB hookups.
You by drives like 2 and 3 terrabyte drives from somewhere like amazon that are SATA drives take them in their raw form and plug into the NexStar and back up those drives. I usually backup to a set of two drives
both with the same material. It's easy to program Chronsync to do the backup and it will only backup new information if you set it up that way. I've gone from data Dats to AIT's to LTO's and by far this is
super easy and it's easy to look for your material on the hard drives too. Chronosync does a perfect mirror image of the data so if your drive goes out you're back in business. I use it on system drives too. It makes an exact clone, even saves your copy protected installs. The SSDs are very expensive still. I get my SATA drives with no case for about $120.00 each.

I never regret backing up anything only not backing it up.

Keith

[andygabrys]

good call Keith.

so your double enclosure is actually set up as a mirror RAID?

def seems like the way to go.

[6string]

Actually I don't make it that complicated, I just backup with one drive at a time. One you have it automated in Chronosync it's easy, to let it run and do it's thing. The enclosure is setup so up so you just pop in the drives like you would a cassette. It even has an eject button to take a drive out. Of course the drive should be unmounted properly and powered down before actually ejecting. Then I put another drive in and repeat. I buy plastic boxes that fit the bare drives in order to protect them and put in my library. Since the drives are exposed it's a good idea not to let them be exposed sitting on the shelf. It's actually about the most economical solution I have found for backup and gives the most quick restore or seek and find options I've had .

Thanks,

Keith