[mythtv-users] A MythTV backup proposal

[David Segall]

Mitch Gore wrote:
> On Sat, Apr 5, 2008 at 9:41 AM, David Segall <david at segall.net 
> <mailto:david at segall.net>> wrote:
> 
>     I recently posted on the subject of MythTV backup
>     <http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/327389#327389> and
>     received responses advocating everything from enterprise level backup
>     and servers to "it's only TV".  I found the former too expensive and the
>     latter barely credible from anyone who expends the effort maintaining a
>     MythTV system and following this mailing list.
> 
>     The backup of operating system and database data is assumed and well
>     covered in the MythTV Wiki. I want to ensure that my backup also
>     includes recorded TV to the extent I can afford. I would like a script
>     that copies the recorded TV using the available backup space and
>     following exactly the same rules as my MythTV setup would use if it had
>     the same amount of space. That implies that if a program has been
>     deleted it would also be deleted from the backup. I would probably also
>     want to exclude some news programs that I only record in case something
>     interesting happens.
> 
>     I would be interested in your opinions. For example, would you change
>     MythTV's expiry rules if you had substantially more, or less, disk
>     space?
> 
>     --
>     David
> 
>     _______________________________________________
> 
> 
> Look at rsync.  You could set up a cron job to sync the two 
> folders/drives every hour or two. 
That would work well if my backup disk space was about the same size as 
my MythTV disk space. However, I can only afford a certain total amount 
of disk space and I need to trade the amount of space I would like to 
have for my live MythTV against the space I would need if the live 
MythTV failed. My current feeling is that I am prepared to loose about 
90% of my recorded programs rather than devote 50% of the available 
space to duplicating the recorded programs in case of the, relatively 
small, chance that the live MythTV drive(s) fail. That is why I proposed 
a backup that weighted the value of the backed up recordings rather than 
use rsync that treats all the files equally.
-- 
David