For most people, data loss is more than just an inconvenience. In the blink of an eye, years of research can be
lost. Data that is lost can be difficult or impossible to replace. So how do you protect your data from loss?
The best way to protect your data is to have multiple copies stored in separate locations. The ideal place to
store data is on the EAS file server, hypocenter. Hypocenter has a disk configuration that preserves data in
case of a drive failure. It also has a battery backup to help protect against file corruption caused by a sudden
loss of power. In addition, hypocenter receives nightly
backups, in which files are copied to a tape archive in another part of campus. The files are even copied to
multiple tapes in order to reduce the chance of data loss.
The most common cause of lost data is accidental deletion and saving undesired edits. This is another scenario
where hypocenter saves the day. If you accidentally delete or modify files on hypocenter, you have up to 30 days
to get them restored from the tape backups.
So what about files stored locally? Whenever possible, files should not be kept on local drives (C:, for example)
unless they are scratch files and not intended for long term storage. Hard drive failures do happen, often with
very little notice. Once a drive has failed, it can be very expensive to recover data, and some files may be gone
for good. For desktop users, this is less of a concern, since hypocenter is readily available. Laptop users don't
always have this luxury (although by connecting to the campus VPN, you can
access hypocenter files away from campus).
For your laptop files, copying to a CD/DVD or an external hard drive provides extra security for your data. Be sure
to keep them stored in a safe location.
The EAS IT staff works hard to ensure that there's always a safe home for your data. If you have any questions,
please don't hestitate to ask us.
