Software Archive Practices

[504bloke]

I save all my programs on my laptop, second copy to usb drive

Every customer is in a separate directory, every machine in separate directory, every program change made done as a new revision number.

When back at work USB stick backed up to server (Raid 6), when home backed up to home server (Raid 5 duplex).

I have original programs going back 20 years worth of revisions.

I don't generally bother with CD's or Tape, chances of my home and works burning down together with my van going up as well is pretty remote....

My customers new and present, they have no backups other than the (e)eproms or cards fitted to the plc's or hmis if fitted by the manufacturer !

 

[The Plc Kid]

Do any of these have abilities to PREVENT unauthorized programming changes?

What about mulitple sites? Do you need the software to be installed at each site?

Harry

Yes they do both asset center amd mdt. You can limit based on user login just like policies in windows networks which is what these tools are based on. Here some techs can view only,some can force inputs and no outputs and some can do both. You can limit by routine or by program(logix 5000).

You can also track who made what change and when.

 

[The Plc Kid]

IT does regular backups of the servers as well as our laptops, but they don't keep the backups forever. The CDs mainly give us a history that we can refer back to - I can refer back to versions of programs that are several years old.

Alaric

We have our own network just for maintenance and engineering but we store our stuff on the corporate network just as a second backup. You are right IT only keeps backups so far but we keep all versions forever. Even on decommissioned equipment that is now in the scrap yard.

Myself i have had problems with using optical media for archival storage on personal level so i stick with disks for that reason only. IT here keeps backups for 12 months and i know of a few cases where we would have been in a pickle if we were counting on just the IT backup.

Plus i have known deduplication to fail before.