Backing up data is like flossing – we know we should, we just don’t get around to it as much as we’d like. Nobody will admit it, though ;).
Here are the rules of backup club:
- Make it automatic
- Make it easy
You might hear that the full-blown solution is to keep multiple versions of files around so if one got corrupted by a virus 3 months ago, you could restore to a version 3 months + 1 day old. Also, you need to make your backups in triplicate, sending each to geographically dispere locations along with one set of tapes constantly in the mail (re-mail it to yourself once you receive them).
Yeah, right. Just getting a redundant copy would be great for most people — don’t ask for the moon. Realistically, the best backup system is the one you actually use. So here’s the system I actually use.
Backing Up Email
你为什么要备份邮件?或基于web的电子邮件?Lotsofreasons．To backup gmail, do the following:
- Enable POP3 for Gmailand download into Outlook Express or Thunderbird. You can still keep your email on the server and read it from Gmail.
- Export your contacts．You might need touse Outlook Express as a middlemanin order to import into Thunderbird. Crazy, I know.
Other providers: Hopefully they provide POP or IMAP access so you can download messages as above. Otherwise, consider forwarding your important messages. It’s a pain, I know, so be thankful if your email provider supports POP or IMAP.
How’d we do?
- 自动:差不多。邮件下载将“自动”下载每次您打开雷鸟或Outlook Express。我开始越来越多地使用雷鸟——我仍然很享受桌面邮件的体验。
- Easy: It’s middle-of-the-road. The instructions on gmail are a bit long, but only need to be done once. Ask your resident geek for help setting up your accounts.
Backing Up Files
FolderShareis an easy way to keep directories in sync. You can even access files online if one of your computers is up.
我把我的照片和个人笔记同步到笔记本电脑和台式电脑上。如果其中一个在线，它们就开始同步。
Have a friend? (I know you do, somewhere). Agree to have a common foldershare folder with a subdirectory for each of you. Each person drops their non-confidential files (or encrypted confidential files) in the backup folder. Everyone backs each other’s stuff up. Haven’t tried this yet, due to the aforementioned friend requirement.
Syncbackis a simple tool that can copy one folder to another, on a schedule. I use this to copy my personal notes to my USB drive (always plugged in) on a schedule. Foldershare wouldn’t work because the USB drive is not actually a computer.
These are both automatic (foldershare more so – it transfers in the background), and fairly easy to setup. Again, this is only a one-time setup.
Backing up Programs
I haven’t found a great way to backup programs and settings. Luckily they are the most replacable of the bunch. Here’s what I use:
- Portable applications:I have a directory (c:tools) with a bunch of portable applications. You’d be surprised how many apps just work without a proper install. I have a subset of these on a USB drive.
- SometimesI’ll take screenshots打开开始菜单，提醒自己安装了什么。对于大多数应用程序来说，如果你搬到一台机器上，却不记得某个应用程序，那么你可能不怎么使用它。Here’s how to make a list of your start menu and program files:
dir /b "C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuPrograms" > startmenu.txt dir /b "C:Program Files" > programfiles.txt- Ikeep a directory for all the various installers(c:download). I periodically back this up to CD (last “backup” was sometime last year) so I can re-install a new machine quickly. Realistically, I don’t mind losing the installers since I want the latest version anyway.
- You can visitoldversion.comto get older (aka faster, simpler, less annoying) versions of software like Acrobat Reader or AOL Instant Messenger.
These techniques aren’t automatic but are fairly easy.
Backing Up Code and Websites You’ve Made
现在这些吸盘是不可替换的，如果它们经常更改(它们确实会)，那么您确实需要使用某种类型的版本控制。Subversionwith the niceTortoiseSVNinterface works for me.
I use subversion to backup and update the code, text and images onInstaCalc.com．我还有一些正在进行中的作品，它们都有自己的回购。
但是，我不备份备份存储库。这是一个理论上的问题吗?是的。它会困扰我吗?不太多，它在我的升级清单上。
Using source control is the most difficult backup strategy, but gives you the most power. Trust me, for the amount of time you spent on your code, it’s worth it.
Backing Up Blogs
Ah, blogging – I’m pretty new to this. WordPress has a database backup plugin which, for some reason, isn’t working for me. So I’m going to dump the raw sql periodically:
mysqldump --all-databases -u UserName -pPassword | gzip > db.gz您还可以定期使用PHP发送电子邮件给自己一个文件。我将这两个任务放入一个作为cron作业运行的脚本中，因此我每天都要进行数据库备份。
Note there isno space在-p和密码之间。You can turn this into a shell script and have a cron job to email it to yourself every night.
您可能还需要考虑对主题进行版本控制，以防其发生变化。我还没有做过这个，所以这又属于理论修正的范畴。同样，这也不是很难补救，但是您需要注意设置不应该保存的文件和缓存。
根据您所拥有的插件，这可以是简单和自动的。对于一个包含你回忆的博客，再次强调，这是值得的。
Conclusion
It’s tough to start a backup program before you really need it (it’s a bit like exercise that way). But try, try, try, and use the easy techniques above. It brings you peace of mind. Take even a small step each week, like backing up your web-based email.