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Post by subspace on Aug 6, 2018 14:10:44 GMT -6
I've been having this nagging feeling it's time to upgrade my back-up game. I run a MacBook Pro with a 512GB SSD internal connected to a Thunderbolt dock, which has USB3 and eSATA ports for project drives.
Making copies of projects to separate drives is all I've ever done for back-up, but it's time to add more space and I like the idea of recording to redundant drives. Are there any pitfalls to getting a simple RAID1 enclosure and tracking straight to mirrored drives? Mainly PT12 and LPX projects with an occasional MOTU AudioDesk session, linear audio recording, few if any VIs.
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Post by mulmany on Aug 6, 2018 14:31:36 GMT -6
You should double-check, but I know PT did not let you record to raid drives, unless it's 0, or you use the built in strip feature.
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Post by svart on Aug 6, 2018 14:59:54 GMT -6
With MTBF on drives being really good these days for some models, I'm not sure RAID 1 is even really viable for small data amounts like we deal with. I'd think a nightly backup would be sufficient to cover the average loss.
Even then, maybe a scheduled background transfer over a network at night to a cloud type machine might make more sense. I'd think that most errors and failures would come from humans first and hardware/software failures second.
With SSD, you have a strict driver watchdog on the health of the drive since they do "wear out". With no mechanical pieces to fail (large bulk of HDD failures are mechanical related), the chances of a sudden and complete failure are very slim.
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Post by LesC on Aug 6, 2018 15:27:31 GMT -6
I'm sure anyone who's heard my recordings will agree that they are all redundant.
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Post by wiz on Aug 6, 2018 16:48:48 GMT -6
With MTBF on drives being really good these days for some models, I'm not sure RAID 1 is even really viable for small data amounts like we deal with. I'd think a nightly backup would be sufficient to cover the average loss. Even then, maybe a scheduled background transfer over a network at night to a cloud type machine might make more sense. I'd think that most errors and failures would come from humans first and hardware/software failures second. With SSD, you have a strict driver watchdog on the health of the drive since they do "wear out". With no mechanical pieces to fail (large bulk of HDD failures are mechanical related), the chances of a sudden and complete failure are very slim. I record to an external drive. Every hour or so whilst tracking I copy the project to an internal drive and the cloud, takes less than a couple of minutes. cheers Wiz |
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Post by popmann on Aug 6, 2018 19:34:36 GMT -6
This is where my two careers intersect, FWIW.
You don't want to record to RAid1 drives. It hurts performance. How much that functionally matters in the SSD age? No idea-they're so much faster than you need...maybe it doesn't. But, it's not needed. For the daily backup drive? I wouldn't care but if it make you feel better, there's no really reason to NOT other than $$. For the archive solution? Must. The alternative is a cloud based back up OF a non redundant local drive. Pluses and minuses with either. Redundant local AND cloud backup of THAT=best money as no object solution.
The key to the daily backup drive is that it's incremental and utterly painless/brainless. I use SyncToy on Windows...and FreeFileSync on OSX. Both you can just launch with predefined "jobs"...and the incremental happens while you're shitting with people and putting mics away. If you've got to wait for a whole album project to copy...or manually pick stuff out...you won't do it consistently enough. THAT is why it needs to be brainless. The Archiving solution should NOT be brainless. It should be well thought out, and is an actual activity you do when a project is complete--getting it into the organized structure that is on redundant hardware. Exporting the non proprietary consolidated PCM files...in a consistent way...making session notes in text format...whatever it is YOU feel like you need to save-in a consistent way so that you can find it at the snap of a finger. There's value there in NOT automating the way the dailies NEED to be automated--the archive needs to be very intentional.
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Post by jeremygillespie on Aug 6, 2018 21:08:29 GMT -6
I have a work drive and a backup drive. I sync the two basically 4 - 6 times a day. Any time I take a break, grab some food, have a coffee outside, etc. It doesn’t take long these days and gives me piece of mind.
The way I backup has been cemented in my brain for years so I never even much think about it these days. It should be like that for everybody. There really is no reason to ever lose anything.
I use Chronosync and I think it’s one of the best out there (Mac only I think)
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Post by matt on Aug 6, 2018 21:25:45 GMT -6
Chronosync here as well, backing up my PT SSD to a 4TB spinning disc array every day. It's automatic and dependable.
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Post by Blackdawg on Aug 7, 2018 4:23:39 GMT -6
I record to a RAID0 4Tb SSD array. It gets backed up to two places every night. Another RAID 0 4Tb setup just like the first. And an external 4Tb drive. I use Carbon Cloner on Mac. Works amazing.
Just upgraded to a SNS NAS setup though. I realize that is well out of reach of most folks here though. Its a 128Tb RAID5 setup. Eventually we will add another or two for backups of that. Then we got an LTO machine
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Post by nomatic on Aug 7, 2018 7:17:24 GMT -6
Raid level 1 dual SSDs
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 15,014 
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Post by ericn on Aug 7, 2018 8:05:52 GMT -6
ITB I have always used an external back up drive and then backed up to the cloud, always been a fan of the idea of a removable project drive since PT3, now it’s more of a 2 project drive system, SSD work drive than a removable Spinner Archive work drive.
With the RADAR V it’s been a little more wor intensive because it’s meant backing up via Ethernet from the internal SCSI to the laptop then to the cloud. I plan on a upgrade to SSD for the RADAR.
If I find myself doing more remote stuff I will either add another RADAR or an Alesis HDR24 for a mirror image backup recorder.
Eric’s first rule of life, second rule of audio :always have a backup !
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Post by okcrecording on Aug 29, 2018 17:45:30 GMT -6
If you're running Windows, set up the task scheduler to kick off a PowerShell script that does the dirty work for you. If you leave your computer running 24/7, schedule it to run in your off hours. If you do turn it off when you leave, schedule it to run (or trigger manually) and have the script shut down the computer once it's done backing up.
For your tracking drive, single 7200 rpm is great, ssd is better. In my current setup, im using Pro Tools 12 and 2 ssd' s in a RAID 0. Great performance. Then backing up nightly to a RAID 5 with the above method. Works great and I rarely think about backups any more.
That said, if you're not computer savvy, don't use a RAID 0. With any striped array, one drive goes down, you could lose everything.
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Post by b1 on Aug 29, 2018 17:53:37 GMT -6
I don't mess with RAIDs. Simply copy everything to a spare HDD (more cost effective than SSD and reliable too).. every few years, get a new drive.
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Post by b1 on Aug 29, 2018 17:55:18 GMT -6
PS, I've got copies of stuff on hard disks everywhere. I've got back-ups of back-ups...
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Post by subspace on Aug 31, 2018 15:08:48 GMT -6
Shortly after posting this I discovered the 1TB drive in my living room iMac was failing. Never doubt your hard drive spidey-sense!
I had a spare 3.5" 500GB 7200rpm so I put it in a USB drive dock, installed Sierra on it and migrated the account over. Decided I don't want to pull the iMac screen, so went shopping and ordered an OWC Mercury Elite Pro case so I can just boot off the FW800 port.
I also picked up one of the NewerTech Guardian MAXimus mini cases to experiment with. I'll bench test the default RAID 1 configuration but may just use it in independent drive mode so I have a back-up drive available whenever I'm recording to it. Then I can use the current eSATA drive dock for the end of day copy that goes off-site with me.
That should cover me for that studio fire we're all planning for!
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