From: Bushnell, Timothy (Timothy_Bushnell@URMC.Rochester.edu)
Date: Sat Dec 27 2003 - 09:38:11 EST
Hello: I am from the school of backup, backup, and backup again. All my FACS data from my postdoc was backed up on three different CD's, one of which was kept in a remote location. And I tried to back up every month. Having redunceny in backup, as Maciej pointed out, is critical for recovery if there is data loss/corruption. In regards to extra storage for FACS files, when we set up our new FACS lab, we investigated several different storage options. We settled on a MAC-OSX Based server system with tape backup. At the present time we have 2x160 gig HD's, with capacity to add an additional 2 to this server. We also added a tape back up system. For our purposes, we back rotate tapes (M-W-F/T-Th) for a daily backup and retire a complete backup tape each month. I am also burning DVDs once a month to have a local copy of all data. There are several advantages to this system. First, we are running an Aria and LSR-II (which run on PC's), but our analysis is often performed on a MAC. Thus having a server allows the data to be transfered between the computers quickly and without physical disks. Second, we've found that for our department, having the server with tape backup allows us to store additional data files in a remote site. Third, other than switching the tape every day, the system and backup is automated, so minimal user intervention is necessary. Finally, the Mac server system is much easier to run and maintain than a PC based system, and when we priced it out, cheaper as well. If you want more details, I can send anyone interested the parts of our system. Tim Timothy Bushnell, Ph.D. University of Rochester Center for Human Genetics and Molecular Pediatric Diseases Flow Cytometry Facility 1-11314 585/273-1361
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