Advice on LRS or RA-GRS for Azure Storage
  • sanferno
    1
    Hi there!

    After using for some years OneDrive and Amazon Cloud Drive for backing up my data (~4TB), I ended a bit fed up because of the continuous changes on offers. I've been testing Azure blob storage for a few months thanks to a sponsorship I've received from Microsoft. While expenses are free of charge, I've been using RA-GRS redundancy but, this credit will expire on September and I don't know if change it to LRS, basically to save money (from ~175€ to 92€, using "archive" tier).

    My back up strategy includes as first option HDDs (two "naked" drives mirrored), apart from that annually I burn Blu Ray discs (HTL) with all the new data generated over the last year. HDDs are stored at home, and BDs are at the same building but in a room placed one floor higher, this way I keep them separated (concrete floor). So, I have 3 copies, 2 in HDDs and 1 in BDs.

    As you could argue, the BD copy is not 100% isolated from the HDDs, so the cloud copy, is really one that's far away from home so, having in mind my situation, what would you suggest me to do, using LRS or RA-GRS?

    Regards.
    sanferno Options
  • Denis Gorbachev
    6
    ↪sanferno
    hi!

    what would you suggest me to do, using LRS or RA-GRS? — sanferno

    For the given situation, I'd say that LRS will be enough (you don't need to meet any SLA's, right?). You still have your local copies and chances, that your drive AND BDs are destroyed at the same time as the whole Microsoft data center is quite low (minimal actually).

    While we are on the topic of prices, have you considered BackBlaze B2 for the cloud solution? They are cheaper/better suited for home usage. They don't offer such feature diversity as Microsoft, but if we are talking data storage-wise, it'd been my choice.
    Denis Gorbachev Options
  • sanferno
    1
    ↪Denis Gorbachev


    Thank you, Denis! Your opinion helped me to confirm what I was thinking. I think RA-GRS, although good, I might be an overkill in my case and LRS is enough (no need to meet any SLA). I’d love to buy CB Backup Ultimate because my 4TB are near to your 5TB limit for Desktop Pro, but 300$ is quite an investment for me. ☹

    I've heard of B2, but never looked much into it. I'll have a look at it .

    Until now, I think Azure fits better my needs because at work I need Windows to run the program I use most frequently. The main advantage for me, since I use most of the time Azure for backups and running a VM for dev/test, it’s the special pricing MS offers for that purpose on Windows machines, which rounds up to 50%.

    Of course, AWS is nice too, it has data lifecycle, which I think MS will have at some point, but it hasn’t the offering for dev/test Windows EC2 instances. Apart from that they are more or less equal to my needs. Could you share your opinion on this? (I know it's a simplistic question for a complex subject) :)
    sanferno Options
  • Denis Gorbachev
    6
    I've heard of B2, but never looked much into it. I'll have a look at it . — sanferno

    They gain a lot of attention and expand rather quickly, now aiming at SMB market and, quite frankly, owning it)

    Apart from that they are more or less equal to my needs. Could you share your opinion on this? — sanferno

    I will sound quite general, sorry for that.

    However, I believe, that everything really depends on:

    1. The use-case. If their offers fit your needs, then why choosing a completely different platform?
    2. The infrastructure. If you, your organisation or your environment mostly interact with Azure services.
    3. The aim and purpose. If you are aimed towards learning Microsoft Azure (which is the second biggest cloud vendor in the world, right after AWS), then Azure it is. Microsoft is reportedly investing quite hard into their cloud solutions.

    but it hasn’t the offering for dev/test Windows EC2 instances. — sanferno

    Have you ever checked with AWS Free Tier program: https://aws.amazon.com/free/ ?
    They're running free 750 hours/month of EC2 on Windows t2.Micro and Linux right now. This is for 12 months only, but might be interesting.

    It's not I'm trying to convert you to AWS, though. If, as I've said, you are into Azure, then it's better to expert Azure and only then move to AWS )
    Denis Gorbachev Options
  • sanferno
    1
    This is for 12 months only, but might be interesting.
    Yes and I used that actually, but now it has expired. Lambda Functions are still better than Azure Functions, so that's the only thing I'm currently using from AWS (a bit of S3, but no big deal). The permanent free tier is more than enough for in that case... Lambda is awesome, MS needs to catch up on that still.

    It's not I'm trying to convert you to AWS, though. If, as I've said, you are into Azure, then it's better to expert Azure and only then move to AWS )
    Don't worry, I undertand your point. As you said, as Azure fits better my needs in terms of pricing and platform, I think I will stick to it for now. Though I'll keep an eye on other providers...

    Thank you for your time Denis.
    sanferno Options
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