I’m running a pair of 500GB LaCie drives in RAID 1 set that got out of sync recently during a hardware failure that resulted in Apple replacing my logic board. I first noticed this because Disk Utility listed my RAID set as ‘degraded’. Simple enough to fix, I thought, and clicked the Rebuild button. Wrong.

Turns out there is a bug in Leopard’s Disk Utility whereby you must use the command line to rebuild degraded RAID sets. If you are getting the infamous ‘Unrecognized Filesystem’ error when you try to rebuild your RAID set follow the instructions below.

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RSync is an open source program that provides incremental file transfer for both local and remote files. RSync comes pre-installed on most unix and linux based systems (including Mac OS X) but distributions are available for most popular operating systems including Microsoft Windows (e.g. cwrsync).

This article will focus on how to setup a personal backup using one of the suddenly ubiquitous shared hosting companies like DreamHost, LunarPages or BlueHost. If you already have a account with one of these companies it won’t cost you anything to start backing up your data to a remote server. If you don’t already have an account and want to setup online backup you have two choices:

1. Forget RSync, save yourself some trouble - sign up with one of the online backup services like Mozy which is priced nearly identically to a shared hosting account.
2. Buy a hosting account and forge ahead - if you’re reading this you probably want to get your hands a little dirty and a shared hosting account lets you do all sorts of neat things like host your own domain, web apps, etc.

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RAID is an acronym for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Drives. The purpose of RAID is to increase one or some combination of the following: performance, reliability, and larger data volume sizes. RAID systems distribute data across two or more disks to gain these advantages.

Why do you care? You should care if you are a computer user with large data storage requirements who uses a single hard drive for archiving your files. Obviously if your drive fails you are going to be in a world of hurt. With a RAID system, you set it up once and then don’t think about it again until a drive fails, at which point you won’t lose any data, you just replace the failed drive and move along.

RAID is an umbrella term for a few distinct systems which are identified by number. We will only discuss the RAID configurations that a typical computer user might use to achieve data redundancy and therefore fault tolerance.

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Carbonite was launched a little over a year ago as a photo backup service. Since then they have grown considerably, and launching international versions and expanding their services to include full-fledged backup.

Their pricing model @ $49.95 / year for unlimited backup is less expensive that most of their competitors. Carbonite’s software only runs on Windows XP and Windows Vista, so Mac users will need to look to another serivce, like Mozy. For Windows users, Carbonite offers a level of integration that its competitors can’t match. Their software allows you to see right from Windows Explorer (i.e. Desktop, My Documents, etc.) each file or folder’s backup status.

Carbonite’s security model is very similar to the other major players in the market, that is to say, very good. All files are encrypted twice; you may optionally manage your own private key to prevent even Carbonite employees from decrypting your data.

All-in-all Carbonite’s backup service is a very appealing one to Windows users who need simple online backup. The simplicity of their service combined with the depth of its integration into the Windows operating system and low price create a perfect storm for a great number of users. Odds are, one of those users is you.

Click the banner below to get started started with Carbonite.

I first heard about Mozy back in 2005 when it was in Beta but I didn’t try it until recently when I found out that they offered a Mac OS X version of their software. Apple users finally have access to the great backup service our Windows friends have been using for years. Signing up for the free 2GB Mozy account and installing the software couldn’t be simpler.

Installation on my Macbook Pro only took a few minutes. When it started up, it showed me a list of things I might like to backup. I simply checked the items I wished to backup, clicked start, and Mozy started backing me up.

Transfer rates were respectable, if not spectacular. The transfer rates would probably be higher if Mozy didn’t encrypt everything. Twice.

That’s right, your files are encrypted once locally with 448-bit Blowfish encryption and then again with 128 bit SSL when they are transferred. Mozy clearly wants you to feel that your data is safe. You have the option of using a Mozy encryption key, or a personal encryption key. If you go with a personal key, be sure to keep it somewhere safe because if you lose it you’re out of luck. Most people use the Mozy key, which in the event of an emergency means Mozy can help you decrypt your data.

If you outgrow your 2GB free account (easy to do for music or photo buffs) you can upgrade to an unlimited account for $4.95 / month. A steal when you consider the alternatives:

1. Praying that your hard drive won’t crash and you won’t get a virus (doesn’t work)
2. Backing up to hard drives or DVD-R and keeping them off-site. Safe from fires and burglars (works but a hassle)

I’ll be counting on my Mozy account to save my butt if (when) something bad happens to my computer.

Click the banner below to sign up for a free Mozy account.

BeInSync is an online backup product that, in addition to backing up your data, allows you to automatically keep folders on multiple computers in sync and share files with others. This is can be a real boon to people who do work on multiple computers, an office computer and a home computer for example.

The service is based on their Microsoft Windows software application which I tested this week. I should note that I am a Macintosh user and BeInSync doesn’t have a Macintosh compatible version of their software so I tested it in a virtualized Windows environment using Parallels. That said, setup was a snap. I signed up for their free trial and downloaded the BeInSync application which is only 9.5MB. I was up and running in under 5 minutes.

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Although the terms in question here are pretty descriptive, we will start with a few definitions. When we talk about a complete backup, we mean that the backup contains a copy of every file on the computer, and usually is bootable. Bootable means that the backup contains a complete working operating system that you could run on your computer. Everything else is a partial backup.

Complete backups seem, on the face, inarguably better. So why would anyone choose to go with partial backups? The main reason is that it’s somtimes just not necessary. Your operating system and other programs take up a lot of space, rarely change, and can easily be restored from installation CDs. Operating systems are also very fragile things. In many cases if you experience major hardware failure you will need to reload your operating system anyway. If you are keeping multiple versions of your backup (and you should be), complete backups can quickly become a hefty amount of data to store.

Even though complete backups aren’t always necessary, they are very powerful tools. If you do have catastrophic data loss, a complete backup can get your machine up and running in its previous working state in a matter of hours. If you have a lot of software that requires installation and configuration you could spend days getting it all set up again. Users for whom downtime is very expensive are the best candidates for a complete backup plan.

The best of both worlds
It’s very possible (and quite prudent!) to implement a hybrid strategy. A bi-monthly or weekly complete backup combined with a daily partial backup will keep you covered in most cases while keeping total backup size at a manageable level.

When you decide that it is time to implement a personal or work backup strategy or, the first question that you must answer is, “What type of backup is right for me?”

The answer to this question depends on a number of factors including how much data you need to secure and the rate at which you create new data. Each backup type has unique strengths and weakness. There are more backup options available to you than you have time to consider so it helps to narrow your choices down to a manageable size. The major types of backups are:

1. Online Backups (also called Remote Backups)
Online backup services use the Internet to transfer data securely from your computer to a server managed by a service provider. There are many advantages to this type of backup. Because the server that stores your files is in a geographically separate location, your data is secure from environmental dangers like flooding, fires, earthquakes and burglars. Also, because you are leasing the hardware that is storing your files, it if fails, your service provider is responsible for replacing it.

Of course, by outsourcing those responsibilities you give up some control. It is unlikely, but entirely possible that a backup company could disappear overnight, taking your backups with them. Putting your data in someone else’s system also forces you to trust them not to make your data available to identity thieves or other crooks. In some cases you may be legally required to use a service provider that complies with regulations placed on certain industries, e.g. HIPAA for the Health Industry.

2. Local Backups
Local backups work via a large variety of methods including hard drives, tapes, CDs and DVDs. The one thing all these methods have in common is that if you choose to use them, you take on full responsibility for administering the backup process. This maybe isn’t as bad as it sounds because you have a huge number of tools to choose from that will help you do the job.

By taking on more responsibility you gain complete control of the process. If you have unique requirements, this is the route you will have to take. If your requirements are small, online backup is probably where you need to be.

We’re only getting started
In future articles I will dig into the specifics of both Online Backups and Local Backups. The good news is, because the average person’s backup needs are increasing every year, backup utilities have improved greatly in recent years and there are now more options than ever before.

Many smart people, who in nearly all aspects of their lives behave rationally, foolishly fail to back up their data. Why do these people act so senselessly? There are multiple answers to this question which are contingent on one’s situation and sometimes quite nuanced. The fact is that almost all computer users have backup needs but precious few have a system in place. Identifying why you are ignoring a critical, yet relatively simple process which could save you an untold amount of money and / or heartbreak is the first step towards fixing the situation. Many fail to make backups because:

• They don’t realize the risk of data loss is great
• They don’t fully understand the consequences of data loss
• They are intimidated by the process and don’t know where to begin
• Data backup is not sexy

This site will explore all of these issues in some depth with the goal of helping people understand the importance of backing up their data. It will also examine various approaches to securing your data.