Excerpt |
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ChemIT sharing their recommendations and best-practices for backups and group file storage. May be of particular value to research groups. |
ChemIT-recommended services
| Costs
| Resource links
| Notes and considerations
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EZ-Backup Central backup services (EZ-Backup) | As of 10/2013: Per 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.
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SFS Central (CIT) file server storage services (SFS) | As of 10/2013: 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 | - Service backs up all files
there - stored on SFS via EZ-Backup at no additional cost.
- Versioning (access to prior versions and deleted files) is
available obviously takes up some - requires a portion of the allocated space (~20%).
Set - Default is all folders and documents are shared by group.
- ChemIT can set up private folders for each member.
By default, can't see each others files. Has capacity for shared folders and documents, if sharing is desired.
- CIFS are Windows and Mac-friendly. (NFS option also available.)
- Accessible from off-campus via VPN.
- NetID-based - so no additional usernames and password are needed.
- If you need more than 1-2 TB of storage, other solutions may be more cost-effective. Contact ChemIT for more details.
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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) | [http://www.cac.cornell.edu/services/storage.aspx\\][http://www.cac.cornell.edu/services/rates/ ] | |
Box.com Central cloud storage easy to remember. Central cloud storage (Box.com)
| Free to CU members, up to 10GB (More data , via formal request. 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.
- 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
may be - is available to individuals; contact ChemIT to
explore this option- 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 |
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
- Please refer to our page geared towards backing up private cloud accounts for current ideas from ChemIT.