https://github.com/potatoqualitee/eol-dr

From a security perspective, it isn’t ideal, but a simple unencrypted external drive might be the best solution.

I run a lot of tech, containerized workloads in AWS, home firewalls running on protectli boxes for all my family around the country, wireless controllers to run APs for my family around the country, but as I got older one thing I stopped rolling my own instance of was data backups. My data backs up to OneDrive and iDrive, so two copies of my data. My wife has access to both via shared credentials in a 1password folder that she knows how to access and uses regularly.

As I got older and I had a family, the pictures of our kids, wills, financial records, insurance documents are all just too important. Every service that holds my data is paid annually for less than $200/year total and auto renews. She could call either company and prove ownership if she ever did need help getting access. Also, I can easily share folders to her.

It's funny how getting older makes you think of the sorts of issues enterprise teams have. Don't implement solutions where you will be one deep, have a succession plan, and complexity is the enemy. All the tech I run now is fun and helpful, but can be replaced with a trip to BestBuy. The data and pictures however must be easy to retrieve for her.

So I don't have a good self hosted solution for you other than to say that at some point it's ok to change your strategy. And if you are worried about privacy, you can encrypt subsets of your data locally before it is backed up.

All of our data is backed up 2N+C - two NASes and an encrypted rclone in S3. This includes family videos, photos, and all "paper" records (Paperless-ngx for the win).

I've documented my homelab in Joplin, and stored all my homelab passwords (and Bitwarden password) in a Keypass database. Those files are stored on a USB stick in our household safe, along with a printed letter instructing my wife to pass everything on to one of my brothers.

The first half of my homelab manual details how to return our smart home to un-smart. The second half contains detailed technical data on how my entire home network hangs together.

I'm currently thinking about some sort of dead man's switch, where copies of the letter and files from the USB stick are auto-emailed to my wife and both my brothers in the event I don't check in for a period of time - say two weeks or so. That way, should the house burn down with only me in it, my wife will still be able to get to all of our records and memories.

I don’t self host to the extent many here seem too but I have had the same thought and joked with my wife about it.

Ultimately everything I’ve setup I’ve done in part because it’s my hobby and it interests me. When I’m gone my family will revert to whatever they’d normally be doing without me, because they don’t have interest in it like I do.

this is a great untapped business idea. people need an idiot proof but safe and yet a succession/trust plan. i struggle with phone backups too.

Can't imagine any perceivable value of my media for family members, even if they could figure out how to use it.
Since my desktop isn't running Windows I'm not sure my sister could just start using it instead of my old rig I gave her.

How long do SSDs last in a time capsule?

Slight tangent, but I recently cleaned out the house of a parent after they passed away. There were boxes and boxes of family photo albums. We kept them for a while out of guilt, but we really didn't know anyone in the photos aside from one or two people. Eventually we got rid of them. Point being the value of your stuff is probably far less to others then it is to you, especially photos to future generations.

You know how you need to test any backup solution? This is the same. Have anyone that you're expecting to do this run through the process entirely from your documentation. If they can't, adjust the doc/process until they can. Then include that with your will, or with other documents people will be looking through in the event of your death.

Honestly, maybe having it also backup to a consumer grade external HDD enclosure. As much as it pains to say. But like one of those WD mybook things or similar. Designed to be dead simple for the average person.

Every couple months when I do server patching I run a script that downloads our immich library, paperless documents and bitwarden backups to an external hard drive. Then I put the drive in my gun safe. She knows where it is. After that she is on her own. Everything else isn't important and she will be just fine.

Besides the technical stuff you should probably write that ownership transfers to your spouse and kids into your will. Maybe even write part of your backblaze or even password manager password into the will and the other part in a safety deposit box.

Much easier and quicker for your family to gain access if they have the password than if they have to proof that they are next of kin.

Well, we will all miss you in the event of your death. Anyway maybe you could find a family friend that's tech savey.

Often thought of the same thing. So leaving this comment here in case someone got a good solution that don't involve big tech.

When I get the time my plan is to read up on big techs solutions, fx Google and Apple, who as I understand can give your family access under certain conditions if your've passed.

EDIT: And replicate their solution using FOSS / self hosting.

I want the opposite. I want all of my data to be completely inaccessible to anyone, and potentially even self-destruct somehow.

I have an external drive plugged into my NAS that receives a daily sync of important documents. My wife knows to take it if anything happens to me. I'll create documents that explain anything that needs explaining and make sure they're synced there.

'bus disk' a unique piece of media that contains all my access credentials to be used in the event of my being hit by a bus (sudden death).

let the people that matter know where it is, if i get hit by a bus they or another IT professional ( like one of the kids) can get access.

ive always had some form of a bus disk for professional and private life. keep that shit air gapped also

I don't have a solution really, but I'm also thinking along your lines.

For files I share with my girlfriend, I have set up syncthing. So my server and our phones have a copy of the files, I like this solution. But it wouldn't work for large amounts of data.

For my server stuff, it is backed up encrypted on backblaze. so I guess that is lost. Most files are also rsynced onto a usb drive connected to a raspberry pi (not encrypted). So that should be accessible, except for a linux'y filesystem (probably ext4) that doesn't work on windows

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

3 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 13 acronyms.

[Thread #333 for this sub, first seen 3rd Dec 2023, 22:25] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]

Encrypted file with all the necessary instructions inside (sensitive passwords excluded, these should be on paper only) shared through several cloud storage platforms. Encryption key part of a separate bitwarden account with a takeover feature. Anyway, that's my setup.

Just give them access to it now? There shouldn't be any issue with it continuing to be available or a while if you should get hit by a bus.