wvmarle - Slashdot User

+ - Ask Slashdot: backup solution for small business 0

Submitted by wvmarle on Monday September 13, 2010 @02:29AM

wvmarle writes "For my small business I am looking for a reliable backup method, allowing me to relatively easily recover my data from a crash. This includes email (Cyrus IMAP), LDAP, /etc, user home directories, and other user generated data. This is all stored on a single server; users mount /home over NFS. No important data on the work stations.
There are two issues I am struggling with: first of all the backup method. Currently I'm making a simple tarball (daily updates, weekly updates, monthly full backups); while reasonably effective it's not easy to recover data and ldap/mysql databases don't like to be recovered that way. I've been looking at software but there are so many solutions that I do not know where to start. Something reasonably easy to manage, and reasonably easy to restore, with a scheme similar to the above.
Secondly the storage medium. Currently my backups are on a separate hard disk inside the server. Again not the best solution. I have been looking to use e.g. flash drivers for external storage, but my .tgz monthly dumps are about 30 GB and the largest USB drive that I found is barely bigger, doesn't make me feel happy. Also too much for DVD-Rs. And it's not enough to think about tape. Removable hard disks I wouldn't like to just toss in my bag to take them home for off-site storage, just hoping they survive those trips. I'm not really looking for permanent backup, 3-6 months while rotating the media will do."

+ - Chinese surfers see red over Microsoft black-outs 2

Submitted by wvmarle on Wednesday October 22, 2008 @03:29AM

wvmarle writes "Microsoft has decided to take action against Windows systems in China that fail the "Windows Genuine Advantage" check. Since the latest automatic updates, many users find their desktop background to be changed to black. This has left many users fuming and looking for alternatives. Also Microsoft Office is targeted, and Chinese software producers supplying competing products see their downloads soar by as much as 50% already. One of the main complaints is that Microsoft is hacking end user's computers, and users are afraid that if today Microsoft changes their background, what will they do tomorrow? More news reports available here and here."