Results 1 to 19 of 19
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New Jersey

    Home Computer Network Question

    For a number of years we only had one desktop computer in our house. Our current desktop is a few year old Dell PC running Windows Vista. We recently bought a new Dell laptop for my wife that runs Windows 7. She primarily uses it in the kitchen for home use and creates some documents, but nothing major. It won't likely leave the house anytime soon. Both PCs have ample memory, but we also bought a Western Digital 1TB MyBook World Edition external hard drive to backup our files, music, photos, etc.

    I am trying to figure out the best way to configure my home network for both efficiency and in case something crashes and I need access to my data. I've been able configure the network so the relevant files and folders are shared between the laptop and desktop with full access and info on both computers are backed up by the WD drive. Here are some of the configurations I thought of:

    1. Leave all the data on my desktop computer and make that the "hub" for all data. However, if that computer is off then I cannot access the info from the laptop. In order for my wife to work, the desktop must be on for her to access her files. Also, since that's the oldest of the three, is it more likely to crash than the laptop or the WD drive?
    2. Move my wife's documents to her laptop and leave the photos and other stuff on the desktop. With this setup she can access her documents on the laptop even if the desktop is off, but the other stuff cannot be accessed with the desktop off. Plus, everything isn't in one convenient location.
    3. Move all of my stuff to a shared folder on the WD drive and use the WD drive as the hub of the network since it's always on and can be accessed by either computer at all times while they are on the network, but what happens if that crashes? Then all of my data and the backup of that data could be gone.


    Making sure both computers are on is not a big deal, but can be a pain. For instance, in Scenario 1, if someone creates a document on the laptop to be saved on the network with the desktop as the hub without saving the latest version and then someone turns off the desktop. But my biggest concern is if something crashes and retrieving data, but I figured I should try to do this as efficiently as possible now instead of changing things around later.

    Any suggestions are greatly appreciated (but please refrain from advice suggesting a Mac -- that shipped has sailed -- or buying more or other equipment).
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    For a number of years we only had one desktop computer in our house. Our current desktop is a few year old Dell PC running Windows Vista. We recently bought a new Dell laptop for my wife that runs Windows 7. She primarily uses it in the kitchen for home use and creates some documents, but nothing major. It won't likely leave the house anytime soon. Both PCs have ample memory, but we also bought a Western Digital 1TB MyBook World Edition external hard drive to backup our files, music, photos, etc.

    I am trying to figure out the best way to configure my home network for both efficiency and in case something crashes and I need access to my data. I've been able configure the network so the relevant files and folders are shared between the laptop and desktop with full access and info on both computers are backed up by the WD drive. Here are some of the configurations I thought of:

    1. Leave all the data on my desktop computer and make that the "hub" for all data. However, if that computer is off then I cannot access the info from the laptop. In order for my wife to work, the desktop must be on for her to access her files. Also, since that's the oldest of the three, is it more likely to crash than the laptop or the WD drive?
    2. Move my wife's documents to her laptop and leave the photos and other stuff on the desktop. With this setup she can access her documents on the laptop even if the desktop is off, but the other stuff cannot be accessed with the desktop off. Plus, everything isn't in one convenient location.
    3. Move all of my stuff to a shared folder on the WD drive and use the WD drive as the hub of the network since it's always on and can be accessed by either computer at all times while they are on the network, but what happens if that crashes? Then all of my data and the backup of that data could be gone.


    Making sure both computers are on is not a big deal, but can be a pain. For instance, in Scenario 1, if someone creates a document on the laptop to be saved on the network with the desktop as the hub without saving the latest version and then someone turns off the desktop. But my biggest concern is if something crashes and retrieving data, but I figured I should try to do this as efficiently as possible now instead of changing things around later.

    Any suggestions are greatly appreciated (but please refrain from advice suggesting a Mac -- that shipped has sailed -- or buying more or other equipment).
    The WD MyBook World Edition should have come with software to either backup or sync files. You can use it as a NAS connected directly to your router and just sync each computer at a present time. This keeps two copies of your files.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
    Quote Originally Posted by Kdogg View Post
    The WD MyBook World Edition should have come with software to either backup or sync files. You can use it as a NAS connected directly to your router and just sync each computer at a present time. This keeps two copies of your files.
    Thanks, but if my files are stored on the WD drive in the first place, and not on either computer, what is the WD drive backing up? My other concern is if something happens to the WD drive, isn't it possible that I'll lose all copies kept on that drive? Or is that really unlikely?
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  4. #4
    Option 3 is the best. Then use software such as Synctoy from Microsoft to mirror the contents of the the WD MyBook to your other computers. That way you'll have multiple copies of all of your files. Setup Synctoy to run every night, and you won't have to worry about having to sync manually. You can do two-way sync or, if you choose the "Echo" option, changes will only be propagated one way. Very nice, free tool.

    If you prefer commandline tools, robocopy will work just as well or better than Synctoy and is more configurable. Robocopy is already on your computer if you're using Vista or 7.

    So if your WD crashes, your other computers will have the data on their drives as backup, also.

    I'm pretty much just repeating what Kdogg said.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Watching carolina Go To HELL!
    For file backup and restoration, you just can't be Carbonite.com. Last May when my desktop died (mother board - not worth replacing), my years of pictures and files were all backed up off-site by Carbonite. When I got my new computer, I was back in business, with everything there, a few hours later. All done automatically after logging in and selecting their restore function. For $55/year, you can't beat it. PM me your email address and I'll send you a referral, and we'll both get a couple of extra free months tacked on to the end of the year.
    Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!

    Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
    9F 9F 9F
    https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
    Quote Originally Posted by OZZIE4DUKE View Post
    For file backup and restoration, you just can't be Carbonite.com. Last May when my desktop died (mother board - not worth replacing), my years of pictures and files were all backed up off-site by Carbonite. When I got my new computer, I was back in business, with everything there, a few hours later. All done automatically after logging in and selecting their restore function. For $55/year, you can't beat it. PM me your email address and I'll send you a referral, and we'll both get a couple of extra free months tacked on to the end of the year.
    Thanks Ozzie. While I trust your opinion, I decided to move my stuff from Dell Datasafe Online, a service similar to Carbonite, to the WD hard drive. I just like the idea of having all of my stuff in my house rather than with an external provider I have to pay every year. I just felt too tethered and somewhat held hostage. I'm happy with the WD hard drive and feel it offers a lot of convenience -- it even allows me to have access to my files through the web using its Mionet application. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to optimize its use.
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  7. #7
    alteran is offline All-American, Honorable Mention
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham-- 2 miles from Cameron, baby!
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    Thanks Ozzie. While I trust your opinion, I decided to move my stuff from Dell Datasafe Online, a service similar to Carbonite, to the WD hard drive. I just like the idea of having all of my stuff in my house rather than with an external provider I have to pay every year. I just felt too tethered and somewhat held hostage. I'm happy with the WD hard drive and feel it offers a lot of convenience -- it even allows me to have access to my files through the web using its Mionet application. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to optimize its use.
    For the paranoid, there is a significant edge to offsite storage. A fire, lightening strike, or theft could conceivably wipe out your backups. Can't steal an offsite backup.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Watching carolina Go To HELL!
    Quote Originally Posted by alteran View Post
    For the paranoid, there is a significant edge to offsite storage. A fire, lightening strike, or theft could conceivably wipe out your backups. Can't steal an offsite backup.
    Exactly. And I'm certainly not paranoid, but I do think it's a smart way to do it.
    Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!

    Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
    9F 9F 9F
    https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
    Well, this falls under the category of "buying more or other equipment," which I expressly ruled against in my original post so I'm officially discounting this as an option.
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Quote Originally Posted by OZZIE4DUKE View Post
    Exactly. And I'm certainly not paranoid, but I do think it's a smart way to do it.
    Hah. My husband is paranoid so we have both onsite and offsite back up of our data on HDD. The onsite back up drive lives in the safe and is updated monthly. The offsite back up is my brother's closet several states away. We update that hard drive twice a year.

    But I second Robocopy if you know how to make it work. My husband sets it up so it's like magic to me. It might be simple; it might be complex. What do I know?

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    Well, this falls under the category of "buying more or other equipment," which I expressly ruled against in my original post so I'm officially discounting this as an option.
    Microsoft gives you 25 GB of free space with Skydrive. There is no automated backup but it is off site and free. There is even software that will intergrate with Windows Explorer to show up as a drive.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
    Quote Originally Posted by DukeCrow View Post
    Option 3 is the best. Then use software such as Synctoy from Microsoft to mirror the contents of the the WD MyBook to your other computers. That way you'll have multiple copies of all of your files. Setup Synctoy to run every night, and you won't have to worry about having to sync manually. You can do two-way sync or, if you choose the "Echo" option, changes will only be propagated one way. Very nice, free tool.

    If you prefer commandline tools, robocopy will work just as well or better than Synctoy and is more configurable. Robocopy is already on your computer if you're using Vista or 7.

    So if your WD crashes, your other computers will have the data on their drives as backup, also.

    I'm pretty much just repeating what Kdogg said.
    So, just to make sure I have it straight, you're suggesting that I move everything to the WD drive and access my documents, photos, etc. from that drive when I need to see, read, review or edit them. New docs would also be saved on the WD drive as my network hub.

    Then, I would use SyncToy on each computer such that the WD drive is the "Left Folder" and the desktop and/or laptop is the "Right Folder"? So, basically the computers are acting as the backup for the WD drive?

    I've already setup the WD drive to auto-backup the content of the computers, so the WD drive would then backup the backup, wouldn't it?

    Have I restated your suggestion correctly? Does this sound like overkill and a waste of memory to you or am I missing something?
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    So, just to make sure I have it straight, you're suggesting that I move everything to the WD drive and access my documents, photos, etc. from that drive when I need to see, read, review or edit them. New docs would also be saved on the WD drive as my network hub.
    Yes, in the situation you describe, I think that makes the most sense.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    Then, I would use SyncToy on each computer such that the WD drive is the "Left Folder" and the desktop and/or laptop is the "Right Folder"? So, basically the computers are acting as the backup for the WD drive?
    Yes and no. The computers would be acting ONLY as a backup if you set SyncToy to the "Echo" or "Contribute" settings. You could also set SyncToy to "Sync" in which case the computers and the WD drive would all be mirroring each others' contents. In "Echo" and "Contribute" changes are only propagated in one direction, but with "Sync" changes will propagate in both directions. Syncing is a redundancy strategy but not necessarily a backup strategy.

    You can really set this up however you like. You can have the laptop only backup or sync certain files, while the desktop backs up others. Or you could have them both backup all the files. Or you could only have one of the two backup all the files. Or you could keep all of your files local and have them backed up to the WD drive. You have to decide what backup strategy makes the most sense for you.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    I've already setup the WD drive to auto-backup the content of the computers, so the WD drive would then backup the backup, wouldn't it?
    If you move all data to the WD drive and implement SyncToy to sync or backup, you could stop the auto-backup you've already setup.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    Have I restated your suggestion correctly? Does this sound like overkill and a waste of memory to you or am I missing something?
    In my mind, one can never have too many backups. Personally, I have a Windows Home Server that backups up all of my computers' entire hard drives daily (the incremental and deduplication features of WHS means this takes no longer than 5 min). I then mirror all of my documents to the home server using Robocopy. I also backup my most important documents and records offsite/online to Amazon's S3 storage service using JungleDisk (5GB of data only costs me $1 a month due to JungleDisk's deduplication and compression features).

    So overkill is relative. I do agree that having your files backed up twice on the same drive (the WD) doesn't make sense. But having the files backed up on multiple computers in your house does make sense. (And I would agree with other posters that offsite/online backup is essential for your most important documents, as well.)

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
    Quote Originally Posted by DukeCrow View Post
    Yes, in the situation you describe, I think that makes the most sense.



    Yes and no. The computers would be acting ONLY as a backup if you set SyncToy to the "Echo" or "Contribute" settings. You could also set SyncToy to "Sync" in which case the computers and the WD drive would all be mirroring each others' contents. In "Echo" and "Contribute" changes are only propagated in one direction, but with "Sync" changes will propagate in both directions. Syncing is a redundancy strategy but not necessarily a backup strategy.

    You can really set this up however you like. You can have the laptop only backup or sync certain files, while the desktop backs up others. Or you could have them both backup all the files. Or you could only have one of the two backup all the files. Or you could keep all of your files local and have them backed up to the WD drive. You have to decide what backup strategy makes the most sense for you.



    If you move all data to the WD drive and implement SyncToy to sync or backup, you could stop the auto-backup you've already setup.



    In my mind, one can never have too many backups. Personally, I have a Windows Home Server that backups up all of my computers' entire hard drives daily (the incremental and deduplication features of WHS means this takes no longer than 5 min). I then mirror all of my documents to the home server using Robocopy. I also backup my most important documents and records offsite/online to Amazon's S3 storage service using JungleDisk (5GB of data only costs me $1 a month due to JungleDisk's deduplication and compression features).

    So overkill is relative. I do agree that having your files backed up twice on the same drive (the WD) doesn't make sense. But having the files backed up on multiple computers in your house does make sense. (And I would agree with other posters that offsite/online backup is essential for your most important documents, as well.)
    Thanks. This is really, really helpful and you've given me a lot to think about.

    I like the idea of using the backup program that came with the WD drive since it shows versions of edited documents and allows me to recover files that are inadvertently deleted (until I run a purge). However, my concern with using the desktop as the hub (if it's off I can't access the files from the laptop) would be alleviated if I ran Synctoy between the desktop and laptop. Then all files could be accessed through either computer regardless of the status of the other and both are "backing up" the other in the sense that the files are being synced each day.

    Right now I have the WD backup program running for both computers so all of the synced info would be backed up twice if I kept it this way. Given that I have 1TB on the WD drive that's probably not too much of an issue, but I guess I could turn off the backup program for one of the computers so as to avoid a second, duplicative backup of the same info.

    I think this makes sense even though I wouldn't be using the WD drive as my hub as you suggested. Did I miss anything? Do you see any flaws in this plan?
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  15. #15
    Sounds good. I don't see any issues beyond the obvious delays in propagating file changes/new files when the desktop is turned off.

    Having backups with versioning can be very useful, so that makes complete sense.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
    Quote Originally Posted by OZZIE4DUKE View Post
    Exactly. And I'm certainly not paranoid, but I do think it's a smart way to do it.
    OK, so after almost a year of using (and loving) my Western Digital backup hard drive, I'm now also considering using a service such as Carbonite or Mozy for additional backup just in case there is a catastrophe at my house. Does anyone have any preferences between these two or other options I should consider?
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    OK, so after almost a year of using (and loving) my Western Digital backup hard drive, I'm now also considering using a service such as Carbonite or Mozy for additional backup just in case there is a catastrophe at my house. Does anyone have any preferences between these two or other options I should consider?
    I also noticed that Comcast, my internet provider, has a service called "Safe & Secure," which seems to be run by Mozy. Not sure if that would be a good option or is any different than just using Mozy. The terms of use and costs seem to be the same.
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    OK, so after almost a year of using (and loving) my Western Digital backup hard drive, I'm now also considering using a service such as Carbonite or Mozy for additional backup just in case there is a catastrophe at my house. Does anyone have any preferences between these two or other options I should consider?
    Nothing wrong with either Mozy or Carbonite.
    A couple other options that you might want to investigate are Jungle Disk and Crashplan.

    Jungle Disk has a "Simply Backup" option that is $2/month for 5GB and then $0.15/GB per month for anything beyond 5GB. They use compression and deduplication for the backups, so you'll use less space than you think you would. You'll be able to access your backups on the web and even using an iPhone/iPad app.

    Crashplan has quite a few different offerings. Everything from $1.50/month for 10GB to $6/month for unlimited. They also have a really interesting plan that is completely free. If you have a friend or family member that is willing to let you use storage space on one of their computers (of course, you could do the same for them), then Crashplan can be set up to backup your files to that computer for free.

    All of these 4 services have little quirks that make them slightly different than each other. They are all good choices, so which one is best for you will be dependent on what your exact needs are for an online backup service.

    Hope that helps.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Watching carolina Go To HELL!
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    OK, so after almost a year of using (and loving) my Western Digital backup hard drive, I'm now also considering using a service such as Carbonite or Mozy for additional backup just in case there is a catastrophe at my house. Does anyone have any preferences between these two or other options I should consider?
    Well, I just renewed for another year of Carbonite at $54.95. I'd love to send you a referral - we'd both get a couple of free months if you sign up under the referral. It works, and it's transparent. What more can you ask for?
    Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!

    Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
    9F 9F 9F
    https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com

Similar Threads

  1. Home Refinance/Home Equity Question
    By Rich in forum Off Topic
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 01-07-2009, 05:12 PM
  2. Computer Question
    By pamtar in forum Off Topic
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 01-01-2009, 04:56 PM
  3. Quick computer question
    By The Gordog in forum Off Topic
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 01-14-2008, 11:29 PM
  4. Home Computer recommendations
    By Devildog in forum Off Topic
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 05-08-2007, 11:50 AM
  5. Computer Programming Question
    By Channing in forum Off Topic
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 04-21-2007, 09:16 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •