Add true backup functionality to the existing cluster. Discussion started Oct. 2013.

Challenges to doing backups: The problem to solve

The quantity and number of files will stress a backup system

• Will the backup take too long?
• Will the backup put too much demand on the computer, competing with the computer's research users?

The number of files

• 100's of millions of small files, along with "normal" files.

The amount of data

• 3.1TB of data

Cost is an issue since note originally budgeted.

Goals

Capability to restore system and data hardware to all-new hardware

Deal with various failures, such as:

• file system corruption#
• hard disk failures
• RAID controller card failures
• motherboard failure
• other server hardware of sub-system failure
• fire damage of room*
• water damage of room*
• theft*
• malicious incursion into the system*#

* Requires an off-site copy to be effective.

# May require versioning to get prior copies of since-corrupted data.

Ability to have some versioning, if not too expensive an add-on.

Options

Option1: In-room, off-box, copy

HDs in a dedicated computing box.

Option1: Out of room

HDs in a dedicated computing box.

Hosted file service.

EZ-Backup.

• $850-1,650/yr, depending on level of file compression.