Why RAID and mirroring are not substitutes for backups

[bubbaQ]

http://journalspace.com/this_is_the_way_the_world_ends/not_with_a_bang_but_a_whimper.html

 

Journalspace is no more.

 

DriveSavers called today to inform me that the data was unrecoverable.

 

Here is what happened: the server which held the journalspace data had two large drives in a RAID configuration. As data is written (such as saving an item to the database), it's automatically copied to both drives, as a backup mechanism.

[Joe L.]

http://journalspace.com/this_is_the_way_the_world_ends/not_with_a_bang_but_a_whimper.html

 

Journalspace is no more.

 

DriveSavers called today to inform me that the data was unrecoverable.

 

Here is what happened: the server which held the journalspace data had two large drives in a RAID configuration. As data is written (such as saving an item to the database), it's automatically copied to both drives, as a backup mechanism.

Ouch...  Whoever or Whatever zeroed the drive, it was faithfully done to both mirrored copies by the OS. 

 

RAID does not prevent you from this type of data loss. 

 

Only a backup copy would help here, and only if the backup copy was readable

(Ask me about backup "DAT" tapes in the corporate world some day... frequently they were only readable in the same drive that wrote them... on a good day)

 

Joe L.

[NLS]

this is elementary Systems' Administrator stuff... if they didn't know something SOoooo basic, I tend to say that it was just a matter of time

 

RAID is NOT backup

 

and oooooh how much I agree with Joe about tape... not only DAT but even the ultra expensive DLT

I never got why this medium survived the end of 20th century

 

 

[Billped]

Idiots.

[TSM]

Wow, yeah...  Not backing up your own personal files is one thing, but when you are providing a service and it's other people's stuff. 

[myndphunkie]

He will never make the same mistake again :-)