How to Choose an Online Backup Service

This week I have been testing the various online backup services, both paid and free, and here’s a summary of how these service compare against each other.

 

Why use an online backup service?

While it is easy to create a local backup of userr computer, the physical media where user are storing the backups, like the DVDs or external disk, may not be very reliable in the long term. The other disadvantage is that local backups don’t always happen in real-time.

It is therefore recommended that user switch to an online backup service – these are inexpensive and will automatically copy userr computer’s data over the Internet to a more secure off-site location (aka the data center) in near real-time without userr involvement.
 

Online Backup Services with Free Storage

If user only have a limited amount of data (< 2 GB) on userr computer that user want to store in the cloud, any of the following backup services should solve userr problem without user having to shell out a penny.

All the above online backup services (except for SkyDrive) work in a similar way – user get a small client to userr desktop, mark the local folders that user want to backup online and the tool will automatically monitor and upload files from these folders to the cloud. Once userr files are backed up, user can also access them online except in Mozy.

Of all these services, my favorites are SugarSync and ZumoDrive. They offer almost an identical set of features and are extremely easy to configure. SugarSync is available for Mac and Windows while ZumoDrive also offers a Linux client.

While Dropbox is also an awesome service for file synchronization and online backup, it has one major limitation – it will only backup files and folders that are placed inside the Dropbox folder. Hopefully this will change in future versions.

Subscription Based Online Backup Services

When 2 GB is insufficient to store the massive number of photographs, emails, documents and other important files that are piled up on userr hard drive, user can go for a subscription based service. Here are some good options along with their pros and cons.

1. Backblaze (tour) – The true ‘set it and forget it’ backup service

• Extremely easy to setup. The service will automatically backup userr entire computer excluding folders that contain the OS and userr applications.
• If user create a new folder on userr computer, user don’t have to remember to add it to the backup queue.
• The option to restore files from the backup could have been a bit simpler.

2. Carbonite (tour) – Makes data recovery really simple

• Colored dots on userr files and folders indicate the status of userr backup at a glance. No dot means the file is not selected for backup.
• You can remote access userr backups from anywhere using the browser and there are apps for iPhone and BlackBerry.
• The restore function in Carbonite is done pretty nicely and user can recover files using Windows Explorer itself.
• Carbonite’s web interface is clean but their desktop client looks old and a bit untidy.

3. Mozy (tour) -  The original cloud backup service

• Mozy will automatically group userr files and folders into “sets” like documents, emails, photos, music, etc. so it becomes easy for user to select stuff that user want to backup online.
• In addition to online backup, the more recent version of Mozy can also back up userr data to an external disk.
• Mozy offers quite a few easy ways to restore files from the backup.

4. iDrive (tour) – For quick and easy backups

• When user start iDrive, it offers a folder tree of userr computer – just select the folders that user want to backup online and user’re done.
• You can also add files and folders to the backup queue with a simple right click inside Windows Explorer.
• You can restore data through the iDrive desktop client. Individual files and folders can also be recovered from iDrive’s website.
• Their Family plan can help user backup multiple computers to a single IDrive account.

5. CrashPlan (tour) – One backup service for all platforms

• With CrashPlan, user can easily backup userr files to multiple locations including the cloud, to another folder on the same hard-disk, to other computer on userr home network or to any other Internet connected computer (social backup).
• The desktop client is intuitive and won’t confuse user with a plethora of options.
• CrashPlan is among the very few online backup services that’s available on all platforms including Windows, Mac and Linux.

6. Jungle Disk (tour) – Metered online storage

• Jungle Disk uses Amazon S3 for data storage.
• You can use a single license to backup multiple computers.
• Jungle Disk supports Windows, Mac and Linux.

7. SugarSync (tour) – Access userr backups from any mobile device

• SugarSync works in near real-time and will immediately back up any file changes that are made in one of the monitored folders.
• You can easily access userr backups over the web or from any of userr mobile devices through apps.
• SugarSync is not integrated with Windows Explorer and therefore it is a bit cumbersome to add new folders for backup.

8. ZumoDrive (tour) – Simple and elegant

• ZumoDrive is extremely easy to configure – just right click any folder on userr computer and add it to the ZumoDrive cloud.
• Restoring files from ZumoDrive may involve some effort. It offers ZIP archives of userr folders that user’ll have to manually extract to the right locations.

Online Backup Services Compared

The following chart compares the cost, available storage and other essential features of all the previously mentioned online backup services.

Which Online Backup Service Should You Use?

If user are looking for an extremely simple way to backup userr entire Mac or Windows PC without having to select individual files and folders, go with BackBlaze. It offers unlimited storage and requires no configuration but restoring data from BackBlaze is not very convenient.

SugarSync is another brilliant option for creating online backups as it works across multiple computers (and platforms) and user can access userr data on a variety of devices. However, if user have loads of data to backup, SugarSync can get a bit pricey.

The backup service that has impressed me the most is CrashPlan – it’s available for Mac, Windows and Linux. What’s unique about CrashPlan is that it also can create local backups on other computers that are either owned by user or userr friends. Thus data restoration will become extremely fast in the event of a hard disk failure because user won’t have to get backups from the Internet.

The downside with CrashPlan is that it doesn’t offer web access to userr backups. If user see this as a limitation, go with Carbonite. It integrates very nicely with Windows Explorer, user can backup any file or folder with a simple right-click and all userr files can accessed over the web anytime, anywhere. Data restoration is also easy with Carbonite.

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An RGB Laser And Its Applications

By Cornelia White

An RGB laser is that beam source that emits red, green and blue lights in form of laser beams either as a separate beam for each color or a combination of all the three colors in one beam. Through the process of additive color mixing which is achieved through combination of these lights, a number of many other lights can be obtained.

Arc lamp sources are now being replaced with RGB lasers for light emissions, particularly given that they are much better when it comes to performance as compared to the arc lamp beamers. Arc lamp beamers are known to be the cheaper alternatives but they have limited lifetime, poor image quality and impossibility to achieve high wall-plug efficiency.

Beams from these sources are known to be coherent in both wavelengths, both in time and space allowing for inferences. If the change in phase properties is able to take place at the same time over a long distance and at the same period of time, then such waves will produce a very clear image. It is possible to cancel such waves with a similar with opposite phase.

These lasers are known to produce beams of the three primary colors with very narrow optical bandwidth making them close to the monochromatic light beams. They are thus capable of producing very clear images on mixing, the reason why they are getting more application like in cathode tube displays, color printers and lamp-based beamers.

RGB sources however suffer from a major setback given that the power level that is emitted is usually of low level. Most cinema projectors for instance require up to 10 W per color or even more. This level of power sufficiency, maturity or even cost effectiveness is still beyond the existing RGB scanners. When it comes to beam quality, these machines have to operate with high quality beams for them to perform effectively.

This are at times fitted with power-modulators particularly in the instances where the use of optical modulators is not practical due to low-power miniature devices. This is done to achieve better signals and laser diodes are used in most of the occasions. These particular diodes help achieve increased bandwidth to tens or hundreds of megahertz which in turns significantly improves resolutions.

There are many methods of constructing RGB lasers. Three lasers with each emitting a particular light of a wanted color is for instance an approach that has been used for long. These visible light beams are however limited in performance as compared to those that are infrared based.

The other method is the use of an infrared solid-state laser where a single near-infrared laser generate a single color that then undergoes through different stages of nonlinear frequency conversion to produce the three colored beams. There are many other schemes of producing the desired wave lengths such as through combination of parametric oscillators, some frequency mixers and even frequency doublers in addition to other methods.

Technological advancement is however set to completely address the challenges in with an RGB laser. Just like other forms of lasers, they are set to be used in all other areas where there are need for lasers like in hospital machines, cutting technology and in entertainment industry among others.

About the Author:

If you want to find a top quality RGB laser, go to our web pages at www.stagelasers.com today. You can see details at http://www.stagelasers.com now.

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An Insight Into Project Management Software For Architects And Engineers

By Jeannie Chapman

When running a practice, there are lots of things that need to be handled. Organizing tasks and keeping track of various items can be both overwhelming and time consuming. To help your operations run smoothly and download up some of your time, you could use project management software for architects and engineers. Such tools have many advantages.

Youll be able to integrate many areas of your operations. These include portals, time sheets, email and calendar. This way, youll not only be able to communicate with easer, but also keep track of the progress those working under you.

Since it does most of the organization for you, youll be able to spend more time working. This will enable you progress faster through the tasks at hand, keeping you ahead of schedule. Its also possible to use the program for many projects.

Because online project management software is based on the internet, its possible to link up from any computer that has access. This accords one mobility at their fingertips. Most programs also come with their own mobile applications, which makes it possible to access the details from various smartphones. This can be a useful feature if youre travelling and need to check up on something. It could also be beneficial for those who work from home at times.

The scalability feature makes it capable of evolving with the entity. This eliminates any worries about the need to stay abreast with increases in demand. There is no need to scale back to meet the softwares needs since it is able to match continued project growth.

The program also makes it possible for one to update their project at any moment from any location. Since everything is readily accessible, it helps one keep the project details updated. This is helpful for those people who deal with tasks that are dynamic in nature.

However, these benefits would not be realized if one doesnt use the program properly. So how do you choose the right solution for your practice? First, you need to conduct an analysis of your needs. This will help you determine the particular features you need from the program. As such, youll be able to select one that augments well with what you require.

User friendliness is another important feature. Go for an intuitive solution that goes alongside your operations. You could also have some features customized if you have not found one that matches all needs. Have the special fields and categories modified or inserted to match your firms needs.

Brainstorm with your employees to enable you select these features. Consult those who will be constantly using the program so that you are able to select one which has a good fit. Your needs will be well met if your staff is involved in the selection process.

Make sure that the program augments well with vital apps like email. You can do this by checking the integration features of the program. Ensure that it interacts well with those apps that are commonly used within your firm.

Select project management software for architects and engineers which offers good community and vendor support. This is essential because youll be able to consult fellow users for advice whenever queries arise. The vendor should also be able to provide real-time support for any updates as well as troubleshooting.

About the Author:

You can visit the website www.project-note.com for more helpful information about An Insight Into Project Management Software For Architects And Engineers

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An Example of User Authentication System in PHP

In this post we’re going to create a very simple user authentication
system in PHP. It’d be like the one’s you see while logging in to
various sites/services (emails, forums, social networking sites etc)

User authentication is a way for sites to know who you are among the other
registered users and showing you relevant content (may be confidential). For
example it’s only you ho is authorized to see your emails because you
only know your authentication information.

In this post we’re going to create two files, a HTML page which will
collect the username and password in a form. These information will then be
send to a PHP script, which will verify and show the required information.

Below is the PHP code:

  <?php
  //define some constants
  define("USERNAME",  "goodjoe");
  define("PASSWORD",  "123456");
  define("REALNAME",  "Joe Burns");

  //have the data being passed
  $user=$_GET[user];
  $pass=$_GET[pass];

  //if username and password match
  if($user==USERNAME && $pass==PASSWORD)
  {
    echo "<h1>Hello ".REALNAME."</h1>";
    echo "<p>Nice to see you logging in again...</p>";
    echo "<p>USER: <i>".USERNAME."</i></p>";
  }
  //if not
  else
  {
    echo "<h1>Wrong username or password!</h1>";
  }
  ?>

The code above is pretty straightforward. You may change the constants that
hold the user information.

Now, as you know from Taking
User Inputs to Create Personalized Pages II, we need a HTML page with
a form to send information to this script. Here it is:

  <html>
  <head>
  <title>Simple Uesr Authentication System</title>
  </head>

  <body>
  <form name="form1" method="get" action="verify.php">
    <p>Uername
      <input name="user" type="text" id="user">
    </p>
    <p>Password
      <input name="pass" type="password" id="pass">
    </p>
    <p>
      <input type="submit" name="Submit" value="Submit">
    </p>
  </form>
  </body>
  </html>

Refer to Taking
User Inputs to Create Personalized Pages II to know more about the
form tag. Note that the PHP script must be of the name as in the “action=…”
of the form tag and in the same directory as the HTML page.

Notice this line

   <input name="pass"    type="password" id="pass">

The above code creates an element that shows asterisks (*) on entering anything,
just like on other sites.

Now, we’re ready to put these files on the server and request the HTML
page. Do it and play with the page for a while!

This is how it’d look.

A few points to note:

• 
  

  This is a very simple example and holds the user information in the script
  itself (hard coded). Real sites store user information in Databases.

  
  


• 
  

  For real-life applications, we’d also need to use session variables
  or cookies.

  
  

[Update: Read the next post An
Example of User Authentication System in PHP II]

Related Articles:

• 
  

  
  Taking User Inputs to Create Personalized Pages II

  
  


• 
  

  
  Taking User Inputs to Create Personalized Pages

  
  


• 
  

  Variables,
  Type Casting and Constants in PHP

  
  


• 
  

  Conditional
  Statements if...else in PHP

  
  


• 
  

  Configuring
  Apache Web Server and PHP

  
  

Read More..