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Wide area disasters

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 6:22 pm
by aclawson
Today's tornado in Oklahoma City serves as a good warning - in 2013 there needs to be a standardized solution for offsite backup of the admin computers that does not involve manually carrying a USB drive back and forth between home and church - what happens if the home is taken out in the same storm as the meetinghouse?

Re: Wide area disasters

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 6:50 pm
by russellhltn
The Church makes an automated backup of MLS every month. Some information like finances, membership and callings are effectively backed up every send/receive.

As for non-MLS data, I'd venture to guess that if the disaster was that large, people would have bigger issues to worry about then the lost data.

Re: Wide area disasters

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 7:02 pm
by aclawson
russellhltn wrote:I'd venture to guess that if the disaster was that large, people would have bigger issues to worry about then the lost data.
For the first 24 hours, yes. But they won't always be in recovery mode and when they are getting back to normal they are going to want/need their files again.

Re: Wide area disasters

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 7:07 pm
by jdlessley
aclawson wrote:...there needs to be a standardized solution for offsite backup of the admin computers that does not involve manually carrying a USB drive back and forth between home and church...
What do you suggest that does not involve third party servers?

Re: Wide area disasters

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 7:18 pm
by russellhltn
aclawson wrote:when they are getting back to normal they are going to want/need their files again.
What kind of files? How important? How many hours to re-create or what would be the affect of losing them?

Re: Wide area disasters

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 7:34 pm
by aclawson
If HQ is 100% adamant that even encrypted data can't be stored on 3rd party servers then buddybackup.com - files from one unit can be backed up to another unit.

Or, since disk space is insanely cheap HQ could set up a storage farm for local units. 1500 stakes, 10 units per stakes, add a bunch of overhead to cover underestimating the number of units and we're at 15Tb to give each and every unit 5Gb of secure, off-site storage. Figure RAID 5 configuration so 50Tb worth of disks. 1Tb disks currently sell for $100 each with 5Tb coming by the end of the year. 50 1 x 1Tb disks = $5,000. Add in all of the extra hardware and whatnot to get everything working and throw in more overhead and you can provide 5Gb of storage, in-house, for every unit in the US for $50,000. Dirt. Cheap.

(By comparison, 16 Tb of data costs $9,600/year from Google)

Re: Wide area disasters

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 7:36 pm
by aclawson
russellhltn wrote:What kind of files? How important? How many hours to re-create or what would be the affect of losing them?
Ward histories - which are largely priceless and irreplaceable.

Tracking scouting advancement.

Minutes. Notes. Calendars. Bulletins. Templates. Things I can't even imagine but are important to the people in the ward.

Re: Wide area disasters

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 8:10 pm
by russellhltn
aclawson wrote:Dirt. Cheap.
Plus development cost and the cost to administrate the system.

The real question - what value does the church put on those items? There's any number of projects suggested here that the proponent says is real important and they don't seem to be happening anytime in the next few months.

Bottom line, it's what the top-level guys say. We don't have a way to run it by them.

Re: Wide area disasters

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 8:15 pm
by aclawson
Exactly. Quite discouraging at times that our ideas and thought are not valued or respected.

Re: Wide area disasters

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 9:22 pm
by lajackson
aclawson wrote:Ward histories - which are largely priceless and irreplaceable.

Tracking scouting advancement.

Minutes. Notes. Calendars. Bulletins. Templates. Things I can't even imagine but are important to the people in the ward.
The history should be part of the stake history and at Church Headquarters.

Scouting advancement for our units here is online at the national office.

Calendars may or may not be online. Minutes, notes, bulletins, and templates may well be lost. New templates will be developed or borrowed again from the same source from which they originally came. Or even the Handbook.

But trust me. The only thing important to the people in the ward (4 or 5 wards in this case) is life. Absolutely nothing else will matter. This is Moore's third major devastating tornado. There are two wards in that city, a suburb of Oklahoma City with other wards and branches. The stake center is there (Oklahoma City South).

If, for some reason, the computer is not there on Sunday, stolen by thieves or mother nature, in a week or so they will plug in a new computer, download finances and membership information from Headquarters, and carry on.

The members will not be concerned with any of the things mentioned. They will be rebuilding and cleaning and home and visiting teaching and going to the temple. And while Brother Orr is helping the city folks get cleaned up, the city folks will be out at Brother Orr's horse ranch helping him get cleaned up.

I am not saying those other things are not needed, or that they are just nice to have. They are important. And when the members are ready for them again, they will have them.

The gospel is wonderful. And it is pretty amazing how the Lord helps us organize our priorities from time to time.