(Continued, Part 4)
In this article I would like to talk a little bit about backing up your genealogical, and other, data files. These include the actual database file containing your family data; all picture files, text files, PDF files, and sound files associated with your family project; and possibly other types of user files generated by your genealogy program. During the course of this article I’ll talk about some common backup strategies, discuss several free programs that will make your “backup life” a bit easier, and describe to you the backup procedures that I use.
Almost all current genealogy programs offer some type of backup facility. Generally, this will involve an option to backup up your data file when you finish using, or exiting, the program. The backup will either be compressed or uncompressed and will be in a location of your choosing or some kind of default location. While it is certainly convenient to use your genealogy program to perform the backup itself, it is not the only choice, nor in some cases, the wisest.
Most computer professionals advocate backing up your important files routinely to avoid a catastrophic loss. They also emphasize storing your backup files in a safe off-site location. In years past storing files off-site was not always so easy. There were no USB drives; CD or DVD burners were not routinely built into laptops; floppy disks held, at most, 1.4 megs; and wireless networking was practically unheard of. Nowadays, storing copies of our files in remote storage locations is simplicity itself. You have a choice of commercial storage solutions such as Carbonite and Mozy; free alternatives such as DropBox; generalized backup programs such as SyncBack that allow you to schedule backups to various locations; and numerous freeware FTP clients that are totally manual.
Backup Strategies
If you talk to most computer professionals, you will probably get different ideas on how and when to backup your files. You will hear about daily backups; weekly backups; full backups; incremental backups. You will hear about how many backups to keep; where to store them; and how to name them so you can differentiate them. The important thing to remember – choose something that works for YOU. Whatever method you choose, it must be something that you can easily follow and actually perform on a regular basis. Come up with a strategy that is simple to do, backs-up all of your important files, and is as automated as possible.
Off-Site Backups
Keeping copies of your data at an off-site location makes perfect sense. You certainly don’t want to go to the trouble of religiously backing up your files, storing them close to your primary computer, and then having some catastrophic event destroy both your computer and your backups! An off-site backup can be something as simple as a USB flash drive that you keep on your key chain, or an actual distant location such as a friend’s or relative’s house, or one of the commercial backup sites.
The Software
I don’t want to spend too much time talking about the necessity of backups or trying to convince you of their importance. You have probably heard and read all about that numerous times already. What I would like to do now is to tell you about the backup programs I personally use and how I have them set up to automate the process as much as possible.
First – the hardware. I have two physically separate hard drives in my primary computer designated as C: and F:. I have a NAS (Network Addressable Storage) drive attached to my home network. Additionally, my oldest son allows me to FTP to his computer and store files there.
SyncBack - My primary backup software is the freeware version of SyncBack. It can do all of the more common types of backups (full, incremental, etc.), as well as backup to a variety of destinations such as hard drives, CDs, FTP sites, etc. You can choose to backup entire drives, directories, or files. The program also has a feature that allows you to create “Groups” of backup tasks. These groups can contain individual tasks that are performed sequentially when the group is run. As an added bonus, you can schedule backups to be performed according to a time schedule that you set up.
I have created three “Groups” in SyncBack. The first is called “Backup to F:”, the next is “Backup to NAS”, and the third is “Backup to FTP”. In each of the groups I have set up individual tasks to backup My Documents, My Email, My Photoshop Elements Catalog, and, most importantly, My Legacy (genealogy) data files. The groups are set up to only back up those files that have changed and to run every night during dinner. This minimizes the time necessary to complete the backup and utilizes time that the computer would ordinarily sit idle. The backups to my F: drive and the NAS drive obviously are not off-site, however the FTP backup is.
I highly recommend this program. It has extensive options for backing up your data; it can be automated to follow a schedule; and, best of all, it’s FREE!! There is a commercial version available for those of you that need more options and flexibility.
DropBox - Another program that I have only recently started to use is “DropBox”. While this program is not strictly a backup program (it is intended to synchronize files between two computers) it does create duplicate files of your choice on the DropBox server.
If you have two computers and would like to synchronize files between them, then this program is simplicity itself. You install the DropBox client program on each of the computers you want synchronized. During installation, a “My DropBox” folder is created inside of “My Documents” (this can optionally be changed to a location of your choice). Any file(s) that you want synchronized are simply copied into the DropBox folder. The program will automatically copy the file to the DropBox server and then, when the second computer is turned on, copy the file from the server to the second computer’s DropBox folder.
This works extremely well for those of you who have a primary computer for your genealogy data and take a laptop with you on research trips. Just recently, I added information to my family file while working on my desktop. I then traveled to Florida to visit family and took my laptop with me. When I started up the laptop and opened my genealogy program the data I had entered from the desktop automatically showed up. Even nicer, all the data I entered into the laptop while interviewing family members in Florida showed up on the desktop when I returned home. No more remembering to copy files from one computer to another!!
There are a couple of things to remember when using DropBox. First, a connection to the internet is a must. The “syncing” between your computer and the DropBox server can only take place if you are connected to the internet. Secondly, most genealogy programs were not written to have multiple users access them simultaneously. What this means is that in order for DropBox to copy your files properly, you need to exit your genealogy program (or whatever program you want to sync the data files for) before you open the files on the other computer.
As an added benefit, the copy of your file(s) on the DropBox server can act as a backup of your data. One possible problem for those of you with extremely large family files or those that sync a large number of files – You are allowed to use 2 gigabytes of storage space on the DropBox server for free. If you need more than that there is monthly charge of $9.99USD for 50 gigabytes of space.
FTP Clients – There are numerous free FTP clients available that can also double as backup software. In order to make use of these, you obviously need a remote computer to FTP to! Most ISPs nowadays include space on their servers so users can set up webpages. Depending on the size and number of files that you want to backup, you could use this space to store them. You would simply start the FTP program and copy the file(s) from your computer to your ISP’s server.
Commercial Solutions
Another option that you should take a look at are some of the commercial sites that offer automated backup services such as Carbonite and Mozy. Both of these sites install small programs on your computer that run in the background and automatically copy your files to their servers. When first installed, you tell the programs what files, directories, or drives that you want backed up and the program does the rest. Obviously, just as with DropBox, you need to be connected to the internet for these programs to work.
These sites are true “back-up” solutions. They will automatically copy new and changed files from your computer to their server, but you will need to manually restore the files in case of a crash of your personal computer. Mozy offers 2 GB of space for free and then charges for more. Carbonite has, as far as I know, no free options.
Both of these sites, and probably others, are definitely worth a look to see if they will meet your needs.
Other Possibilities
Depending on the size of your file(s), there are a few other options available to you to back up your files. USB flash drives have gotten larger and cheaper. I’ve seen 4GB drives for $6.00 on sale in the Washington D.C. area. You could use these flash drives, sometimes called “thumb drives”, to copy your files to and take with you. Most computers also come with writable DVD drives. You could copy your files to a DVD and store the DVD at work, at a friend’s house, or some other place. I would not recommend any of these ideas as your sole backup solution, but they are viable short-term alternatives.
Conclusion
Backup, backup, backup!!!! - You knew I was going to say that!!
Seriously, considering the time and expense invested, and the historical significance of your family and other data you have collected over the years, it only makes sense to ensure that you have duplicate copies in case something happens to the originals.
Come up with some kind of strategy to routinely backup your files locally and also off-site. SyncBack will backup to both; FTP clients, Carbonite, and Mozy will copy to remote locations. Look at DropBox to synchronize and copy files. Use USB flash drives for quick and easy copying. But whatever you decide to do, make sure that it is easy for you to do, is complete, and try, if you can, to automate the process.
March 3, 2008
(To be continued...)
Author: Bob Janice
Forum: If you have any questions you can ask me directly in the Forum.