It is probable old news that tape streamers are a thing of the past. As more and more data is generated, the negative aspects of tape streamers become more apparent. A tape streamer is a sequential device and to find a file takes a long time to search over all the other files. The other big problem is that media must be made to ever more stringent specifications for more denser and longer tapes. This means that tape are getting much more expensive. As a matter of fact the tapes are getting so expensive that it is more expensive than a hard disk of an equivalent capacity.

It therefore stands to reason that it is a better idea to use hard disks as backup devices. It is faster and can be used many times more than a tape. Because it is a random access device, files can also be accessed directly. This brings us to a backup system that works on a completely different method than before.

One of the most brilliant solutions to the problem of backup was first the development of the RSYNC protocol and ithe second the development of the backuppc program. This is the program we use to do most backups. The program uses unique features of the LINUX operating systems and therefore is not available on windows. With this program multiple backups can be stored online on the "backup server". It is very easy for instance to go back a number of days and view files online and see how it was changed. The RSYNC program allows files to be copied over the network in a very fast way.

The best way so see the features of the program is to look at the program in action. It can be done here.

A pc can be setup as a backup server but in many cases the backup function can be shared with other functions like that of a mail server or a proxy server.

Offsite backup is still required. Depending on the size of the data to be kept offsite, either external hard disks or DVD ROM can be used. We use his program extensively. It is very robust and makes backup a pleasure.