Backup Redux

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I have been wanting to close the loop on my backup strategy for some time, so here it is!

Let me first introduce you to my current computing environment and their OS’s:

  • Workstation: Win 7 Professional
  • Netbook: Ubuntu 11.04
  • Laptop: Win 7 Professional
  • Chromebook: Cr-48

First off, the workstation. With my new ReadyNAS, this was simple. I am using the current Windows 7 Backup Utility. I didn’t bother with system images etc. as I have never used them. I typically like to wipe the slate clean if a system issue comes up. So, Windows backs up my main box every week, selecting only files/folders I choose.

The laptop is actually my wife’s. Initially, this one was problematic as she had Windows 7 Home installed. Since MS made the brilliant decision to not allow network backups on Home editions, and I wanted to utilize my new NAS for backups, I considered buying a 3rd party software for this task. Then, her machine caught a nasty virus which required a re-pave at which time I upgraded to Win 7 Pro (which allows network backups).

My netbook is using Deja Dup for backup. I chose this since it was coming default in the next version of Ubuntu (see here). It was dead simple to set up, and since I don’t have too much data on my netbook, it runs extremely fast.

The Cr-48 doesn’t require backup at all.

All in all, I am satisfied with my backups. I (luckily) have not had to restore much of anything, but with a mirrored NAS I do feel significantly better about my data.

The other interesting point that developed in the last few months is the proliferation of Google Music/Amazon Cloud Player. Both services can host a bulk of my data (which indecently is mostly music). To that end, I am backing up my entire MP3 collection to Google (in case my house explodes), and saving all new music bought through Amazon on Amazon’s cloud.

I also use DropBox, although I am becoming a bit disillusioned with them after a recent security exploit (no one needed passwords!).

97 Things Every Programmer Should Know edited by Kevlin Henney

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97 Things is a collection of essays spanning a wide range of programming topics. While I found most of the topics interesting, and generally a well written, I took exception to the title. I understand the need for a catchy title, as O’Reilly has to capture the interest of the reader. That being said, I think it would have been better titled something more like “97 Software Essays” or something similar.97 Things Every Programmer Should Know

Now, I don’t want to come off leaving the impression that this isn’t a worthy read. I actually liked the style of the book in that the essays are short and make for a quick read. Its a great pocket read for the commute or for when you are stuck at the mechanics (note: I actually did read most of this at my local Toyota dealer). It definitely allows you to pick up the book at any point and just read. Unlike most technical books, you don’t have to overly dedicate yourself to any one topic or chapter.

One point of note about this book is that the essays are written by many different individuals. Some of the authors show up more than once, which can be good or bad depending on the topic and how well they write. It also means that the tone of the book is a bit uneven, which can be expected since there are so many authors. The authors are all seasoned software professionals (each with a bio at the end of the book), but none I have heard of or read before. At first I thought that not having what I would call “Software All Stars” would be a detriment, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was wrong. From the reading, it became apparent that the authors in “97 Things” were all battle tested professionals. To me, that gave their essays a sense of realism and credibility.

While I would not consider this book mandatory reading for a programmer, I think its a worthwhile read in an enjoyable pocket format.

 

Cr-48, meh . . .

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So, I am a bit down on the Cr-48. In all honesty, as excited as I was to use it, I haven’t touched it in a few weeks.

The first real issue I had was due to a software issue with WiFi. Specifically, I couldn’t use WPA w/ TKIP and have anything work. They have actually just fixed this, so I should look into that soon.

But overall I find the machine slow and lack of a normal hard drive frustrating at times. Take for instance a simple use case: listening to a voice mail message emailed to me via a .wav from Vonage. It couldn’t be done. Another annoying use case: I have a metric ton of music streaming from my local network NAS. I would love to be able to play the music from the laptop (think working outside and you want to hear a tune). It can’t (currently) be done. Oh, and one more: a terminal that really doesn’t all too well out of the box.

I will keep testing it out, but for now its more of a toy than something I use on a regular basis. The odd thing is, I find Ubuntu on my Dell Mini 9 to be much more usable - even with the smallest, most annoying keyboard in the world!

Backups!

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Last year, I had the unfortunate experience of having the primary drive on my workstation fail. It was an unsettling experience to say the least. It was up there with the failing install of DOS 6.2 on my dads computer some 20+ years ago.

I actually did get a bit lucky. I had an older external hard drive that I had been using as a backup store for Win 7. That being said, I never tested the backup.

The Win 7 backups I had been using actually managed to save the day once a new drive was purchased. That being said, I vowed never to let myself get caught in a situation like that again. I wanted to have a feeling of confidence in my backup routine, such that losing another drive would not bother me past the point of just getting a new drive and installing it.

Fast forward a few months, and I still had not done much to change my current backup situation. I knew that the external drive was limited (it was getting packed with too much data), and then I read a decent article by Dvorak on PCMag.com. So, like him, I made a New Year’s resolution to improve my backup situation.

This week, I was greeted by a very welcome site upon coming home one night:

Newegg Shipment

In it, is the solution to my backup problems. I will detail what’s in there and how I set things up in future posts.

I’m Posting every week in 2011!

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I’ve decided I want to blog more. Rather than just thinking about doing it, I’m starting right now.  I will be posting on this blog once a week for all of 2011.

I know it won’t be easy, but it might be fun, inspiring, awesome and wonderful. Therefore I’m promising to make use of The DailyPost, and the community of other bloggers with similiar goals, to help me along the way, including asking for help when I need it and encouraging others when I can.

If you already read my blog, I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes, and good will along the way.

Signed,

Ron

Chrome OS and the Cr-48

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Today I received the Google prototype laptop for the Chrome OS – the Cr-48.

I am particularly excited about this as I was following the Chrome OS development for a while now. I actually thought the project was dead as there has been little news on the OS for the last year or so.

Then – on the same day Google announced the beta program, I received an email asking me to fill out the application form. I did so happily – but didn’t think it would yield any return.

I was excited to find the UPS list of shipments on the net for the second wave of laptop distribution contained my home town. A quick call to UPS led me to find out the package was indeed heading to my house.

So – today I finally got the package. I will try to post a much fuller review – but here are some quick first impressions:

  • I love the hardware. Its svelte – I love the black matte finish. It is about the perfect weight and feels sturdy.
  • I hate the trackpad. It’s a bit clumsy with its two fingered gestures, and takes some getting used to.
  • Chrome OS is slow. Very slow. Most sites take a while to load. Youtube was useless. I am hoping this has to do with the beta software. As a comparison, my netbook with Ubuntu 10.10 feels like a speed demon. I am hoping this isn’t just my experience as I haven’t heard this complaint much on the net.

I am still excited about the machine. I think it would be a perfect netbook replacement for a secondary laptop.

Jack of All Trades?

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While I am nearing the end of my masters program, I am looking forward to getting back into programming and development.

There are several topics that I am interested in, like Yii, Ruby, Python and of course more .Net items like MVC and EF. Of course, this list tends to change daily depending on my mood or a current project I am working on.

There were some interesting topics discussed on Stack Overflow relating to this issue. The general consensus that I gleaned from that was it is better to spread yourself a bit thin rather than focus on one item. That being said, a lot of the thought leaders I follow (i.e. on twitter or blogs) tend to be specialists in one aspect or another.

With my new found time coming up, I am definitely wondering if I should be more focused or scattered. I am thinking scattered for now – it may keep the boredom away.