[Elecraft] "Bit image backup": "Safe sectors"

[John Ragle]

Hi, Jim...

     There are several programs that make literal copies (mirror copies) 
of disk contents. This includes the OS and all program files as well as 
data...

     I happen to have been using one called "Macrium Reflect 
Professional" for the last few years. It produces a bit-for-bit literal 
image (a mirror copy) of the TOTAL contents of one or more hard drives, 
and can re-load such images. It does much more than copy data files. At 
present, I am using a PC with 2 inboard hard drives, each of 250 GB 
capacity. One of these is my WIN7 Ultimate OS and associated files 
(including programs, etc), and is about 80 GB in total content. The 
second is my Ubuntu 11.10 OS and a somewhat smaller collection of files 
(including programs, etc.) I back up the former almost daily onto a 1 TB 
external USB hard drive, and somewhat less frequently onto a Sandisk 64 
GB stick...the 80 GB on the C:\ drive fit nicely onto the 64 GB stick 
with the compression used by Macrium. The rate-determining step in these 
USB-based devices is the USB transfer rate itself; 80 GB takes about 25 
minutes to back or restore, and I do it last thing at night, letting 
Macrium close down the PC when finished.

     If I had a third drive bay, I would probably choose to back up onto 
a third drive...hard drives have become so inexpensive that you can 
practically use them like floppy drives. This would be significantly 
faster, about 10-12 minutes for the 80 GB contents of C:\

     A while ago, I used a Sparc 20 with a shoebox tape drive and "DAT 
Tapes," but that had little to do with my ham radio operation. These 
were unsatisfactory because the error rate was significant. I also tried 
using an elderly PC as a network server at home on our LAN. That too was 
somewhat cumbersome. My wife is an active software developer (vide the 
"OWL" system from Cengage), and separately uses a version of Macrium 
onto a 1 TB external drive, but much of her work is stored on a 
corporate "cloud," and hopefully backed up there as well.

     I do not have a high opinion of "Windows Restore" -- it is 
significantly more involved to use than is Macrium Reflect.

     An advantage (to me the most significant one) of doing a bit-image 
backup is that when it comes time to restore program files (i.e. .exe 
files, etc), one does not have to search out the distribution media and 
play "baking cookies" with those media for hours to rebuild the system.

     A disadvantage of doing a bit-image backup is that in the absence 
of good "garbage collection" one keeps using the same general structure 
over and over again...a case can be made for rebuilding from scratch 
(not from the bit image) on a regular basis...some have suggested once a 
year, at least.

     The Linux crowd can tell you of several useful Linux based 
utilities for total backup, restore, partitioning, etc...I won't 
enumerate them here, though many of them are very useful.

     In general, I don't favor running anything off the "cloud." My ISP 
is sometimes down for 1 or more hours, and that mode of dis-operation 
would leave me in the cold. Moreover, in view of the spate of successful 
hacking attacks, I don't trust cloud security. If I disconnect from the 
internet, the only ways someone can hack me are via my WiFi or to 
physically break into my home. I have taken pains to barricade the 
former. The latter takes care of itself in the usual way.

     Hope this answers your questions....

John Ragle -- W1ZI

=====

On 5/22/2012 12:59 PM, James Robbins wrote:
> John,
>
>
>
> Could you be more specific about your process for "bit image backup" and
> "safe sectors"?  Program you use?  What files you choose to backup?  Whether
> Windows Restore program is or is not a suitable substitute?  Thanks.
>
>
>
> 73,
>
> Jim Robbins
>
> N1JR
>
>
>
> "It is vitally important to practice "safe sectors." A bit image backup
> takes only a few minutes, and can be made on an auxiliary hard drive or a
> jump drive."
>
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-- 
Sent from my lovely old Dell XPS 420