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Tech Magazine Loses June Issue, No Backup

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the happens-to-everyone dept.

Gareth writes "Business 2.0, a magazine published by Time, has been warning their readers against the hazards of not taking backups of computer files. So much so that in an article published by them in 2003, they 'likened backups to flossing — everyone knows it's important, but few devote enough thought or energy to it.' Last week, Business 2.0 got caught forgetting to floss as the magazine's editorial system crashed, wiping out all the work that had been done for its June issue. The backup server failed to back up."

7 of 245 comments (clear)

  1. Re:err... by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Informative

    hell with that. ever heard of competent IT staff? why has their CTO not been fired yet?

    honestly though, talking management into backup solutions is like pulling teeth, then they blame you for not having it in place when the failure does happen.

    Last place I worked at we were using 4 year old DLT tapes because management was too stupid and cheap to buy new ones.

    "we will buy new when those fail" is what we were told.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  2. Re:err... by dal20402 · · Score: 3, Informative

    /grabs hammer...

    *bang* *bang* *bang*

    Oops, it looks like a couple of those DLT drives are running into problems. We need replacements. Did you see what happened to Business 2.0?

  3. Re:How does this actually happen? by Paulrothrock · · Score: 4, Informative

    A mechanical failure doesn't grind the platters into sand.

    Doesn't it?

    --
    I'm in the hole of the broadband donut.
  4. Re:Wrong problem by ByteSlicer · · Score: 3, Informative
    I highly doubt that the kettle could demagnetize the tape in the safe, due to the Farraday shielding. Even if the kettle was on top of the tape (outside the safe), the generated magnetic field would not be strong enough (although the heat would probably melt the tape).

    Nice story, though. Reminds me of the sysadmin in my first company who automatically back-upped our server every day. Only problem was: the proces put a copy of the backup on a drive that was being back-upped. You can imagine what happened after a few weeks (it failed, disk full). He only noticed a few months later when we asked him to restore some files.

  5. Re:Why isn't this a default by metamatic · · Score: 3, Informative

    Why isn't it a default for an OS to ask where the backups should go when it is installed?

    Wait for OS X 10.5 and "Time Machine".

    --
    GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
  6. Re:We've all been there. Don't be too pious, here. by LurkerXXX · · Score: 3, Informative

    And if the data is that important then a suitable RAIDed disk array will sort things out.

    The topic here is backups, not RAID.

    Say it again with me everyone "RAID IS NOT A BACKUP"

    RAID increases-uptime by decreasing/eliminating the downtimes needed to do restores when an individual drive bites it. It is *NOT* a backup.

    RAID does not save you if someone accidentally deletes a needed file.
    RAID does not save you if your machine gets nailed by a virus/upatched-exploit.
    RAID does not save you if the drive power supply fries taking out attached hardware.
    RAID does not save you if a bugler steals your machine.
    RAID IS NOT A BACKUP.

  7. Re:After the swearing stopped. by loafing_oaf · · Score: 5, Informative

    The problem is that tech magazines are in the advertising business, not the tech business. I write content for the Web site of a tech radio show, and it's just a bunch of us in cubicles looking stuff up on Google. No tech people involved.

    --
    Always someone has power over you. The thing to consider is this: Is the power good, or bad?