backups

[forsyth@plan9.cs.york.ac.uk forsyth@plan9.cs.york.ac.uk]

>>Just wondering... what do folks without WORM jukeboxes do for
>>backups?  I've just been copying important files over to 

i configure the file server with a pseudo-worm for `main'
(and a plain file system for `other', for paging files).

the dump file system is so useful (and such a good demonstration)
that to me it's worth the pain of having to mkfs -a & mkext everything
every 5 months or so when the pseudo-worm fills up.
(the file server has only got 2 x 512Mb discs, holding both `main' and `other'.)
possibly i might get a 4 Gb or 9 Gb disc to act as a pseudo-worm,
making full dump/restore less frequent.

i also periodically dump (mkfs -a) the file system contents to tape via unix;
that's just in case the scsi discs blow up that hold the pseudo-worm.
it's tempting to add mirroring code to the file server instead.

at home i simply dump the disc to a scsi tape.

juke boxes are not too expensive now, but i haven't got the money for one.
otherwise i'd get one.  `9fs dump' is Very Useful (not just for backups --
i rarely destroy files -- but for things like `diff -r `{yesterday .} .')