filepro and saving data

[Fairlight]

With neither thought nor caution, Walter Vaughan blurted:
> I'm really not trying to sound like a *utt-head, but you really have to
> define what *you* mean by data loss.
>
> A RAD5 array with spares would handle multiple drive failures.

I'll agree there.

> What about someone $ cd ../appl/filepro $ cat /dev/null > */key

They wouldn't wipe out anything.  At least not on a sane system:

[cobalt] [~/tmp] [4:36pm]: mkdir aa ab ac
[cobalt] [~/tmp] [4:36pm]: echo "hi" >aa/map
[cobalt] [~/tmp] [4:36pm]: echo "hi" > ab/map
[cobalt] [~/tmp] [4:37pm]: echo "hi" > ac/map
[cobalt] [~/tmp] [4:37pm]: cat /dev/null > a*/map
a*/map: Ambiguous.
[cobalt] [~/tmp] [4:37pm]: cat a*/map
hi
hi
hi
[cobalt] [~/tmp] [4:37pm]:

It's an ambiguous redirect.

I take your meaning about being able to maliciously wipe out multiple
files, and I agree with you.  I'd probably have stuck with the classic 'rm'
examples in this case though.  :)  (Also not meaning to sound like a
*utt-head--it's just that what you cited was technically inaccurate.)

> ...that's loss of data. And if you had an automatic sync, it then the
> backup would have nothing as well. So you need snapshots as well.

Might consider a Network Appliance, whose underlying works provide just
such a thing at the device level, and makes it available via .snapshot
directories hidden in every directory.  I'm not sure what OSes are
supported though.  The only one I -know- this works for is Solaris.  I
couldn't attest to anything else without doing some research.  Be happy to
check it out if commissioned.  Else, it's an exercise for the reader.

> <whine> These are things that are automatic in professional grade
> databases. However, since the excellent tools that fpTech supplies for
> creating Rapid Applications are tied to a single proprietary database,
> you have to do it all by hand. </whine>

Even in the case of MySQL though...okay, let's -take- transaction logs.
The only time it's really safe to take one and rsync it over is when it's
not the last one in the list.  Otherwise it's just as subject to race
condition as trying to pull the raw database.

So depending on the granularity with which they're generated, you still
stand to lose a good portion of data...at least part of a day's worth.

> Is money still no object? <grin>

Money is always an object.  It's how willing people are to part with their
objects that's usually at question.

mark->
-- 
There is no "I" in TEAM.
This would be the primary reason I've chosen not to join one.