MLS and backups

Discussions around using and interfacing with the Church MLS program.
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aebrown
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Posts: 15153
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2007 8:48 pm
Location: Draper, Utah

#11

Post by aebrown »

Pilotfly wrote:I highly recommend that all stakes use flashdrives as the preferred method of backup - a whole lot easier than using floppies and much better means of keeping the data safe.
Flash drives are also much faster!
jfackerson
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Posts: 72
Joined: Mon May 12, 2008 9:34 am
Location: Longview, Washington, USA

Older Chapels have Large Windows in Clerks' Offices

#12

Post by jfackerson »

With larger windows comes risk that something, someday, might
just come flying through those windows.

Our ward has invested in a powered USB hub so that we can
plug in, at most, 4 flash drives at the same time.
We chose brand, Belkin.
It comes with a USB cable and AC to DC converter with cable
to power the USB hub.

One flash drive we always lock within file cabinet next to PC.
Other flash drives we always keep with us
as we exit Church Building.

To do multiple backups, we prefer to initially backup to
some pre-existing directory on PC hard drive.
I think this directory has already been named C:\mls_backup

Within that directory, we only keep the most recent
3 backup files. All others, we delete to Waste Basket,
and eventually empty that Waste Basket.

Then we've copied that directory as a Short Cut Icon onto
Quick Start pop-up Tool Bar, left side, at bottom of
Monitor Screen.
...Renamed it to something like, BACKUP MLS.

With only one backup from MLS, we can then select once
on Quick Start ICON to access above listed
Hard Drive directory.
Then we select (darken) the most recent backup file.
Select Copy To.
To each flash drive, one at a time, we direct a copy.
Each time, we return to main backup directory, and
again make sure that most recent backup file is selected
(darkened), then direct another copy be sent to at least
one more of our flash drives.

From each of our flash drives, we aperiodically delete
all but 3 of the most recent backup files.
russellhltn
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Joined: Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:53 pm
Location: U.S.

#13

Post by russellhltn »

H. Forth wrote:To do multiple backups, we prefer to initially backup to
directory on PC hard drive.
I think the directory name is C:\mls_backup
If you're running Desktop 5.5, then you also have a D partition on the hard drive. I strongly suggest you use D for the backup. Because if you do a Desktop restore, it will wipe out everything on the C drive. MLS, MLS data and any C:\mls_backup.

The D drive is not restored.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
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aebrown
Community Administrator
Posts: 15153
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2007 8:48 pm
Location: Draper, Utah

#14

Post by aebrown »

H. Forth wrote:Within that directory, we only keep the most recent
3 backup files. All others, we delete to Waste Basket,
and eventually empty that Waste Basket.

...

From each of our flash drives, we aperiodically delete
all but 3 of the most recent backup files.

Thanks for sharing your backup system. It sounds like you are exemplary in diligently taking backups offsite, which is what everyone should be doing.

However, there is one thing I would change. I would strongly recommend that you save more than 3 backups. With financial issues, it's possible you may not find out a significant problem until you have reconciled the next Church Unit Financial Statement. That problem could be 5 or 6 weeks in the past.

With the size of flash drives and especially the hard drive, I can't conceive of any reason why you would need to be so aggressive in deleting backup files. In that situation, I would keep 10 or more on each drive -- it costs you absolutely nothing to save more backup files. But if you are overly aggressive in deleting backups, you may well delete the backup you need before you realize it.
gcmay
New Member
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:09 pm
Location: Richmond, UT

#15

Post by gcmay »

nano wrote:Hi, regarding MLS backups. Floppy disks are not 100% realiable to make backups or restore MLS. Some of the clerks in our Stake are using flash drives and we were thinking to get flash drives for our Stake and put some type of software security in the flash drives. Can somebody suggest us flash drives(brands) and the software? or there are other alternatives that I don't kow?
I would think that somebody already made this change in their Stake or Ward.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Fernando
At http://www.newegg.com you can get Corsair 512 MB flash drives for $3.99 and encrypted flash drives for $4.99.
The shipping costs are almost as much as the drives though. Possibly if the Stake was to order for all units in the stake shipping could be reduced. Of course each unit would be responsible for their own, unless the Stake budget might just happen to be flush with money.

Gordon
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