strategies, here are a couple good rules of thumb to remember when making
your choice:
If the backup strategy and policy is too complicated (and this holds true
for most security issues), it will eventually be disregarded and fall into
disuse.
The best scheme is often a combination of strategies; use what works.Choosing Backup Hardware and Media
Any device that can store data can be used to back it up, but that is like saying
that anything with wheels can take you on a cross-country trip. Trying to fit
10GB worth of data on a big stack of CD-RWs or DVD-RWs is an exercise in
frustration, and using an expensive automated tape device to save a single
copy of an email is a waste of resources. In addition, those technologies are
rapidly disappearing.
In this section, you find out about some of the most common backup
hardware available and how to evaluate its appropriateness for your backup
needs. With large storage devices becoming increasingly affordable (you can
now get multiple-TB hard drives for around $100), decisions about backup
hardware for small businesses and home users have become more interesting.
Removable Storage Media
Choosing the right media isn’t as easy as it used to be when floppy drives
were the only choice. Today, most new machines do not even have the once-
common DVD-ROM drives that can read but not write DVDs, which would
rule them out for backup purposes anyway. Instead, USB hard drives and
solid-state “pen” drives have taken over the niche previously held by floppy
drives. Both USB hard drives and solid-state drives are highly portable.
Support for these drives under Ubuntu is very good, and the storage space is
rising, while prices are continuing to fall. A large USB external hard drive is
also within the budgets of most and is the preferred option for anything more
than could be held on one pen drive. The biggest benefits of USB drives are
data transfer speed and portability.
CD-RW and DVD+RW/-RW Drives
Compared to floppy drives and some removable drives, CD-RW drives and
their cousins, DVD+RW/-RW drives, can store large amounts of data and are