W3CBackupServices

Backups@W3C

Backups are critical for avoiding data disasters. There are numerous tools and methodologies for managing backups and synchronizing data. They can vary greatly depending on the user's operating system (Linux, MacOSX, or Windows), but many of the underlying transfer mechanisms are now shared by tools like BackupPC, Unison, and WinSCP. Whichever methods are used, it is imperative that a normalized procedure be used to keep your data fresh and secure.

In April 2008 Dan Connolly surveyed the current state of backups in W3C. The results of that survey are available for review. The results highlight the diversity of backup practices and methods team staff employ, and indicate the gaps where assistance is needed for some toward developing useful backups strategies.

The questions that were asked were:

• Do you need backup support?
• How do you back up your W3C work?
• Where do you keep your current email?
• What is your computing platform?

MIT site backup services

MIT provides a backup service that is free for the first 15 GB of data. It is a subscription service and requires an account with MIT IS&T. See the IS&T article for details.

Sophia site backup services

ERCIM (Sophia) site personnel have stable, well-documented backup services for UNIX and Windows clients based on BackupPC. Users wishing to participate in the BackupPC scheme can contact local staff to get their host configured.