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Excerpt

ChemIT sharing their recommendations and best-practices for backups and group file storage. May be of particular value to research groups.

Table of Contents

ChemIT-recommended services

Good for working files. Good for sharing, including to your own, other computers. Limited space.
Individual file size limit is 2GB.
Contact ChemIT if you need more space to discuss options.
Stores prior versions of files and in most cases deleted files.
Consider backing up files in case account gets hacked or of a bad internal actor.
NetID-based so usernames and password are easy to remember.

 

Costs

Resource links

Notes and considerations

EZ-Backup
Central backup services

As of 10/2013:
Per Pr computer:
$5.50/mo
(First 18 GB, compressed)
See link for additional rates

http://www.it.cornell.edu/services/ezbackup/fees/

  • Default setting is to backup full computer, including the OS, which makes for a larger backup and thus potentially more expensive.
  • But the most cost-effective method will requiring carefully and accurately focusing backup on just user's unique docs, not full OS.
  • There is an archive service available.
  • A cost-effective solution for even larger amounts of data on one system.
  • Very robust backup services, well-proven over the years.
  • Includes Off-Site copy of backups at Weill Medical center.

SFS
Central (CIT) file storage services

As of 10/2013: .
File server
Per group:
$9/mo for 150GB
$30/mo for 500GB
$60/mo for 1TB (onwards1TB increments, at $60/TB/mo.)

http://www.it.cornell.edu/services/sharedfile/fees.cfm Set

  • Service backs up all files stored on SFS via EZ-Backup at no additional cost.
  • Versioning (access to prior versions and deleted files) is optional, and requires a portion of the allocated space (~20%).
  • Default is all folders and documents are shared by group.
  • ChemIT can set up private folders for each member
; can't see each others files.
Has capacity for shared folders, if sharing is desired.
  • .
  • CIFS are Windows and Mac-friendly. (NFS option also available.)
  • Accessible from off-campus via VPN
. CIFS are Windows and Mac-friendly
  • .
  • NetID-based - so no additional usernames and password are
easy to remember.

Box.com

Free to CU members, up to 10GB

http://www.it.cornell.edu/services/box/about.cfm

Excerpt

ChemIT sharing their recommendations and best-practices. May be of particular value to research groups.

  • needed.
  • If you need more than 1-2 TB of storage, other solutions may be more cost-effective. Contact ChemIT for more details.

CAC file storage
Another central (CAC) file storage services

As of 10/2013:
Regular or DB files: $500.00/TB/year or $0.50/GB/year
(which averages to $41.67/TB/mo)
Archival: $100.00/TB/year or $0.10/GB/year
(which averages to $8.33/TB/mo)

[

 

Costs

Resource links

Notes and considerations

EZ-Backup

Pr computer:
$5.50/mo
(First 18 GB, compressed)

http://www.itcac.cornell.edu/services/ezbackup/fees/

Default setting is to backup full computer, including the OS, which makes for a larger backup and thus potentially more expensive.
But the most cost-effective method will requiring carefully and accurately focusing backup on just user's unique docs, not full OS.

File server

Per group:
$9 for 150GB
$30 for 500GB
$60 for 1TB (onwards)
storage.aspx\\][http://www.itcac.cornell.edu/services/sharedfilerates/fees.cfm Set up private folders for each member; can't see each others files.
Has capacity for shared folders, if sharing is desired.
Accessible from off-campus via VPN. CIFS are Windows and Mac-friendly.
NetID-based so usernames and password are easy to remember
]

  • Unknown to ChemIT.

Box.com
Central cloud storage

Free to CU members, up to 10GB
(More data storage available. Contact ChemIT for details.)

http://www.it.cornell.edu/services/box/about.cfm

  • Good for working files. Good for sharing, including to your own, with other computers. Limited space.
  • Individual file size limit is 2GB
.
Contact ChemIT if you need more space to discuss options.
Stores
  • .
  • Limits on file names and path lengths.
  • Cornell-contracted and approved for University data. Use and rights governed differently than with your group's private DropBox.com accounts, for example.
  • More space is available to individuals; contact ChemIT to put in this request to CIT, please.
  • Has capacity for shared folders and documents, if sharing is desired.
  • Service stores prior versions of files, and in most cases also deleted files.
  • Consider backing up files in case account gets hacked or of a bad internal actor.
  • NetID-based - so no additional usernames and password are
easy to remember
  • needed.

Other file storage-related info

Research Data Management Service Group (RDMSG) has a "Storage, backup and recovery" page on Cornell-specific options.

Other backup-related info

Hard drives fail

It's not a question of if a hard drive will fail. Only a question of when. Thus, make sure your unique data is not on just one hard drive.

  • Backups is a term which applies to restoring current or very recent data.
  • Archiving is a term focusing more on restoring prior versions of data or older data.

Synchronizing is not a panacea

Synchronizing, especially without access to prior versions, can confer very limited data protection since undesired changes get sync'ed. What can happen to a hacked DropBox.com account demonstrate this danger.

Ideas to back up Box.com (or DropBox.com) files