Backup methods, advice

[Steve Brame]

Here’s the method we’ve used for many years, and has done us well –

After a shoot, we copy the media from all camera/audio cards to our online media RAID for editing. At this point we have 2 copies.

Next, I run a ‘backup routine’ that duplicates all RAID media to a backup drive in a 2-bay swappable drive enclosure. This drive always contains a duplicate of all media currently on our media RAID. Now we have 3 copies of the media just shot.

I usually also copy all camera/audio media from a shoot to a separate archive drive also in the swappable drive enclosure. I have many of these swappable drives holding all media from jobs past. Now I have 4 copies of the current media.

The ‘backup routine’ mentioned above also makes a current copy of the folder that the Premiere/AE project files are in, minus any preview files. It also archives the older version of the project files instead of simply overwriting them.

After a project is completed, the entire project and it’s media files are archived to the original swappable drive that I copied the media to.

Of course, during the project the project files are also continually being backed up to our CC account.

At some point, when time permits, I’ll also archive the entire project to a Blu-ray set. Of course, we’re currently only shooting in HD – if we begin to shoot in 4k or higher, the Blu-ray archive might have to be eliminated.

Sounds a bit unwieldy, but with the automatic backup routine setup correctly, that part only requires one mouse click, and can even be run automatically.

Steve Brame
creative illusions Productions

[Joseph W. bourke]

And don’t forget Adam – if you don’t have a complete backup offsite, then you don’t have a backup at all…

Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com

[Adam Lewen]

Thanks for the replies, and thanks Steve for the generous information!
I would love to hear about those swap-able backup drives. do they come with a simple piece of software? How are they connected to the PC? Can I try and arrange such method via USB3?

Regarding the off-site (i am looking for the best cloud solution, still researching…)

Thank you all.

[Steve Brame]

We’ve used Sans Digital’s MobilSTOR towers for many years. The connect via eSATA, USB 3.0 or Firewire 400/800. There are other brands though, and some offer Thunderbolt connectivity. You simply purchase the enclosure which comes with HD ‘trays’ to attach to standard SATA hard drives which are relatively cheap today. As you fill the drives up, simply buy another drive and tray.

Steve Brame
creative illusions Productions

[Walter Soyka]

Tape backups (yes, tape) help me sleep better at night.

First, the downside: tape drives are a expensive. LTO-7 drives cost around $5,000. But there are two big advantages. First, tape storage is relatively cheap. An LTO-7 tape holds 6TB uncompressed and costs about $100. Second, tape longevity and reliability is higher than mechanical hard drives. LTO offers a shelf-life of about 30 years.

You can still get new models of older standards like LTO-5 and LTO-6 for a lot less money. In general, LTO drives can write back one generation and read back two. That means an LTO-6 drive can write to LTO-6 media or LTO-5 media, and can read LTO-6, LTO-5, and LTO-4.

There are a number of post-oriented solutions, including BRU and YoYotta.

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
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