Backups

Backups are critically important, perhaps the single most important computing habit everyone needs to develop. Any machine can break at any time causing your files to be irretrievably lost. There are few things worse than losing hours, days, or even years of hard work. If it was worth doing in the first place, it is probably worth backing it up.

The main department file server, gsesrv01, is backed up once every day Monday-Saturday at approximately 4:00-6:00am. As long as your files are on the gsesrv01 server, they will be backed up within 24 hours. There are three days of gsesrv01 backups kept in archive. Three days of backups in archive means you have three days to contact Technical Services with any lost file problems before your backed-up file on the gsesrv01 server is also lost forever.

The classroom server, gsesrv03, is backed up once every day Monday-Sunday at approximately 4:00-6:00am. Seven days of backups are maintained before the oldest is overwritten. Seven days of backups in archive means you have seven days to contact Technical Services with any lost file problems before your backed-up file on the gsesrv03 server is also lost forever.

THERE ARE NO BACKUPS OF ANY INDIVIDUAL WORKSTATIONS!!! Most users have moved to server accounts (roaming profiles). When using a sever account, anything you save in the account (under Desktop, Documents, Movies, Music, Pictures, etc.) folders is written to the gsesrv01 sever, which means it is backed up every night. If you do not know if you are using a server account or a local machine account, contact Technical Services. We can find out for you.

It is always possible to write files to the local machine. If you do you, you need to get a backup of the local machine file[s] on your own, or ask Technical Services to do it for you. 

For anyone still using a local account on a workstation (especially laptops) you need to contact Technical Services regularly and have us back up all your files. You may also consider purchasing your own external hard drive to backup your own machine whenever you wish. These typically cost under $100 for approximately 1TB of external disk, an excellent investment to protect all your work.

Adding an external drive as a backup is extremely easy in Apple OS-X 10.5 or higher. Attach the drive and Time Machine will pop up and ask you if you want to use the external drive for backups. Say yes. That is all there is to it. We recommend you do this the first time when you can let Time Machine run all weekend long to backup your entire machine. After that it immediately makes a copy of any file you change to your backup drive.

On Windows 7 or Vista, adding an external drive for backup is almost as easy. Connect the external drive and the machine should ask you if you wish to use it as a backup device. Say yes. Again this is best done the first time when you can leave the machine on all weekend and get a full initial copy of all your files.

Under Windows XP things are not quite as easy. It is best for Windows XP users to purchase a "one-touch" backup drive with software included. LaCie does this with every external drive they sell. Follow the drive manufacturer's instructions and install your backup drive, then follow their directions to get your machine backed-up. Make sure backups are done whenever you create any new work important enough you do not wish to lose it.

Whatever you do, be certain you have a backup copy of your work. Even emailing a file to yourself and leaving it on a mail server is better than no copy at all. Put it on a flash drive if you do not have an external drive. Machines can and do break. Getting a new machine is of no consequence compared to re-creating all the work you may have lost. Keep in mind backups are just as important at home as at work. Get anything you consider important at home (pictures, music, emails, etc.) backed up somehow.