The Short-Media Stability Plan
So.. we are up and running well 
"But what if something went wrong?"
We have that covered
"But how?"
The forums code & SQL database is housed in a secure datacenter. We have a "cron job" (pre-scheduled task) which nightly backs up the whole server to a remote backup server at Sarcnet HQ, via SecureFTP. This backup server is also backed up into the local network at Sarcnet HQ for additional redundancy.
These backups are kept religiously ordered and dated in the event of a need for recovery of either/both db's and code
In the event of a total crash and system failure, we could restore the forums and site back to fully working condition in a matter of hours. The loss of posts and threads would be minimal (how ever many hours have passed since the last nightly backup).
All coding work for Short-Media is undertaken in-house by Shorty, Park & TD_Isles only. All admins and coders know what db's do what and connect to where. Nothing gets changed or moved without full communication to all.
TK (our UNIX moderator and Sarcnet network administrator) checks our logs, monitors the server performance and deals with any serverside bugs we may encounter. He is also responsible for our security as well as stability. TK could find a vulnerability in a toaster oven program. No errata report is missed, no patch left undone following extensive testing. Nothing get's missed any step of the way.
We are working to keep Short-Media working fast and interactive but also safe and secure so that everyone from staff to guests can enjoy what we have to offer without fear of us suddenly being lost into digital oblivion.
"But what if something went wrong?"
We have that covered
"But how?"
The forums code & SQL database is housed in a secure datacenter. We have a "cron job" (pre-scheduled task) which nightly backs up the whole server to a remote backup server at Sarcnet HQ, via SecureFTP. This backup server is also backed up into the local network at Sarcnet HQ for additional redundancy.
These backups are kept religiously ordered and dated in the event of a need for recovery of either/both db's and code
In the event of a total crash and system failure, we could restore the forums and site back to fully working condition in a matter of hours. The loss of posts and threads would be minimal (how ever many hours have passed since the last nightly backup).
All coding work for Short-Media is undertaken in-house by Shorty, Park & TD_Isles only. All admins and coders know what db's do what and connect to where. Nothing gets changed or moved without full communication to all.
TK (our UNIX moderator and Sarcnet network administrator) checks our logs, monitors the server performance and deals with any serverside bugs we may encounter. He is also responsible for our security as well as stability. TK could find a vulnerability in a toaster oven program. No errata report is missed, no patch left undone following extensive testing. Nothing get's missed any step of the way.
We are working to keep Short-Media working fast and interactive but also safe and secure
so that everyone from staff to guests can enjoy what we have to offer without fear of us suddenly being lost into digital oblivion. 0
Comments
Send your check or money order for $6,000 to:
"The Server Security Setup Document"
sarcnet industries, inc.
16135 Harper Avenue, Suite 100
Detroit, MI 48224
Yes
We are tremendously fortunate to have tk who is a highly skilled BSD and *NIX guy. Short-Media runs on OpenBSD 3.1 with all patches and security fixes. He is extremely careful on everything he does and our position. Nothing gets past him
We are very lucky indeed
We have been using them constantly on our /dev server. The backups are helping us test builds of the frontpage and its integration into the forums (and vice versa)
Everytime the dev server borks on us, its the backups that we are restoring.
I pledge my support for this.
Please let me know what the needs are for secure backup storage, and I'll get to work. I'm thinking the most elegant solution would be an USB external hard drive. I'm sure I can find us a deal, and will start a thread for donations. First though, I need to specific needs.
Let me know.
Please PM or email at lharder@charter.net
LYNN
External HDs don't address one branch of our backup strategy: offsite backup. I want to have backups out of the office. If there's a fire on site, all of our backups are gone. Plus, I have yet to have success with external HDs, either USB2 or FireWire, for reliable backup situations. I don't trust them. Optical is archival, and that's what we're going for.
I think a donation scheme for a DVD burner would be a great idea, I never even thought to compare it to the SMx project, but it's the same thing. I can supply the media, I have a good source, but the burner just needs to be purchased. What do you guys think?
Officemax has a DVD +R/RW & (DVD -R/RW) on sale this week for $150 AR (2 Rebates $80)
Prime YGPM
I also think a DVD backup system would be better, as the data is not only much less fragile, but could be (comparatively) cheaply duplicated. Also, the backups (as prime said) could be easily mailed out to other locations at little expense.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=5&manufactory=1009&Type=Refurbish&sortby=14&order=1
DVD-RAM is better for file archival. I believe the discs are 8GB, and readily available.
If your blade has a IDE connector you could use IDE.
DVDs scratch, HDs from WD in removable trays do not. Business safe woudl be a good idea. Once on tray, if you had two carriers, one in another computer, the other computer could burn to DVD or whatever, and you would be more likely to get more broad use out of a DVD if it were in your business office. I have been doing this kind of thing (the HD part) for over a year, and I burn the copy to CD-RW or CD-R and those go offsite in a fireproof safe with good thermal protection (bank vault medium sized safety deposit box actually). The vault ones rotate, I keep three sets for core stuff and oldest gets pulled when I stick new one in and used fro newest.
Bank vaults are cool that way, they are air cooled and reasonably secure. My Dad the lawyer kept legal stuff like wills in his for years, no deterioration for 20-25 years for things like his passport and his will.
Cheaper, no shipping loss or intercepts either. so look at what you have handy,maybe a burner in another box that could be used or maybe even a USB 2.0 port on the blade and use an external HDD and burn offsite to boot. USB 2.0 kits for IDE HDs are also available and would take less server load to burn than the DVD which makes a server busier and should be faster for a backup when you need a freeze and the server down for backup to get a really good image. Go to year-behind or 2-year behind tech when on a budget.
If the site server box is not Windows (AFAIK it is not) would use HD approach for better compatibility, and HDs in trays look like ordinary HDs to BSD or Linux. Do it that way all the time. SCSI UW kits are a tib more expensive but can be hot-swapped.
Monarch Computer has SCSI UW stuff including blade bays and carriers. Just antistat bag teh whole carrier and if really wanting to protect use foam in a 2-3 gallon cooler around drive-- make it neat bed out of either furniture foam or.
On Telegraph, bout a mile above Tel-12 mall on the rigth as you go north, there was a data warehouse company that provides guards and security and a pure data environment for customers, including some of the banks up in Detroit.
They took over a Bank data repository and built a business just in that. Been a while since was there, one of my brother's weddings a year back, but IFAIK it still is there.
1. Someone with the cash available order that DVD burner - that price is too good to pass up. I just can't spend the money right now; $4000 in automobile repairs in the last month! (No kidding.:banghead: ) I'll be happy to make the first donation, though - but I can't afford to wait for rebates right now.
2. I used to run the ICX fund, so I'll start another fund for the DVD-burner, to compensate whomever orders the burner.
3. Within 24 hours I'll start a thread in - please suggest best sub-forum - for donations. I'll link the thread in Deal Depot & Trading Post.
4. Any excess funds will be returned to senders or will be given to the Short-Media Donated Computer fund (what are we calling it these days?). The choice would be the donors.
PLEASE - I NEED AN ADMINISTRATOR's authorization to start this because it will be official, on behalf of the staff as a whole.
Let me know.
Leo
The HDDs suffer from use after repeated access for storage, that can eventually cause them to fail.
HDDs to back the images up are far more expensive than 1.25$ DVD-RAM discs.
Each DVD-RAM disc is 1.25$, holds 8GB. In the price it would take to get one MODERATELY priced SCSI HDD (200$ new), you could get 1.28 TERRABYTES of storage in a DVD-RAM.
I fail to see how the HDD is more secure. HDDs are more prone to failure than optical medias are, and you can store several dozen times more space with optical.
All the pieces of equipment would be handled with exquisite care. I don't see how the DVDs could get scratched with that exquisite care.
Thank you everybody. This site wouldn't exist if it wasn't for all of you. This is truly a team-driven site.
Of course, we could wait for the donations to come in. If it were a hard drive we were purchasing, I wouldn't worry, as hard drive super deals come around about every two weeks. I'm not exactly up to speed on DVD drives (pardon the pun).
Leo
Let me talk to the Purchasing Manager at my father's office. She lets me buy things for personal use, so she would order, front the cash, then I will reimburse her when the fund is fully funded with funds.
Top man