Here is their story:

Can you trust your data to the cloud? For users of an online storage service called The Linkup, formerly known as MediaMax, the answer turned out to be a resounding “no.”

The Linkup shut down on Aug. 8 after losing access to unspecified amounts of customer data. The Linkup Web site has a message saying the service is no longer available and urges visitors to try out another storage site called Box.net. The Linkup had about 20,000 paying subscribers, according to a story on Demo.com.

“I was traveling throughout North and South America … and used [the service] to back up copies of documents in case of emergency,” a user named Jacob Sherman tells Network World in an e-mail. “I just want my data.”

The Linkup CEO Steve Iverson says at least 55% of the data was safe. How much of the remaining 45% was saved is not clear, he says.

“We know there was definitely a lot of customer problems, and when we looked at some individual accounts, some people didn’t have any files, and some people had all their files,” Iverson says in a phone interview.

Enterprise IT shops that subscribe to or are considering a cloud storage service might be most intrigued by one factor in The Linkup’s meltdown: the company’s relationship with Nirvanix, a cloud start-up offering online storage services to business customers.

Nirvanix and MediaMax/The Linkup trace their origins to Streamload, an online storage company targeted at consumers that was founded in 1998 and then split in two in July 2007, resulting in the formation of business-focused Nirvanix and consumer-focused MediaMax, both based in San Diego. (MediaMax changed its name to the Linkup earlier this year).

Commenters in the blogosphere blamed The Linkup storage problems on Nirvanix, spurring the company to issue a lengthy rebuttal on its blog two weeks ago, with a detailed explanation of storage procedures which Nirvanix says would prevent any loss of data.

According to Nirvanix, MediaMax contracted with Savvis in July 2007 to host its application and database and contracted with Nirvanix to host “old Streamload/MediaMax servers and storage systems.”

“MediaMax’s intent was to migrate users and files from the MediaMax application and old Streamload/MediaMax storage system into the new TLU [The Linkup] application and the new Nirvanix Storage Delivery Network,” Nirvanix writes. “However, as documented on the TLU blog on their impending closure, this migration was only partly possible and only a portion of the files were transferred.”

According to Nirvanix, MediaMax has previously said in its blog that the company’s storage problems began in June 2007 — before Nirvanix was incorporated. The Nirvanix Storage Delivery Network itself was not launched until October 2007, Nirvanix says.
There is now only one post left on The Linkup blog — a message dated July 9, 2008, explaining that the service would close on Aug. 8 and all customer information and files would be deleted. Users were urged to download their files before that date.

“It was not possible to satisfactorily complete the move of files from MediaMax to The Linkup as we had expected, and as a result cannot offer a service that meets your expectations and our business requirements,” The Linkup blog states. “This is a very disappointing outcome for us, and we know it has been a frustrating experience for many of our customers.”

The Linkup updated the post two days later with the following statements:

1. The only files that are available for download are the files that are currently in your The Linkup account.
2. Nirvanix cannot provide access to any additional data or assist with accessing your files. Please do not contact them.”

The Linkup blog does not say how much data is inaccessible.

Iverson says he is not aware of any efforts to recover the inaccessible data. Nirvanix was managing The Linkup’s servers and storage, which were separate from the new Storage Delivery Network platform on which Nirvanix stores data from its own customers, Iverson says.

“We were paying them a pretty significant amount of money [to manage the servers and storage],” Iverson says. “I think it’s a horrible outcome. It’s a worst-case scenario, for really everybody involved.”

Nirvanix, on its blog, says that the files Linkup customers can no longer access — the ones that were not transferred to The Linkup application as intended — are not exactly lost. They “remain secure in the old Streamload/MediaMax storage system.”

However, Nirvanix says it can’t access these files because that would require “the MediaMax application and database front-end which Nirvanix has no access to. Ownership of the MediaMax application front-end and user data belongs solely to MediaMax, Inc.”

Iverson says he doesn’t agree with Nirvanix’s assessment on this point. But he said it would be difficult for him to uncover all the reasons for the system’s failure because Nirvanix was the one managing the hardware.

“Over the last year or so there were a number of problems that contributed to not being able to successfully migrate [data] to The Linkup,” Iverson says.

Nirvanix says it has not deleted any customer data, and promises that its Storage Delivery Network is immune to the problem that plagued The Linkup. At The Linkup, a “system administrator ran a script that misidentified active account data and disassociated physical files from their owners,” Nirvanix says. “This led to files being marked offline in the old Streamload/MediaMax file system when they shouldn’t have been.” Iverson, meanwhile, claims it was a Nirvanix engineer who caused the data loss.

Nirvanix says it prevents any similar problems in its own Storage Delivery Network by making the system fully redundant.

“This means that all files, and pointers to those files, are replicated within the system,” Nirvanix says. “Furthermore, a series ‘checks-and-balances’ has been installed natively within the [Nirvanix] framework. If a customer deletes a reference to a file, the system logs the removal of the reference, and leaves the physical file associated intact. After three days, the pointer to the physical file is logged [with a time stamp] and the pointer to that file is removed. Finally, after eight days of the original removal of the customer’s reference, the file is deleted off of Nirvanix storage. At any point during this eight-day process, the file can be fully recovered.”

Nirvanix’s network also contains multiple servers at each site running integrity checks against all files. “Any file which shows even the smallest problem is marked offline and recovered immediately from one of our redundant copies,” Nirvanix says.

Nirvanix was featured at NetworkWorld’s DEMO 08 conference and tabbed by Network World as one of 10 storage “companies to watch” this month.

(read the full story at NetworkWorld)

So, that said, I am up for a class action lawsuit. Anyone with me?

However, if these prices are still being written out… why on earth is this visible to concerned customers such as a myself? I am beginning to question their sensibilities.

Screen Shot of the Link Up’s Pricing Schedules

The post states “exciting” news. MediaMax is undergoing yet another upgrade. Instead of fixing their already broken product, they’ve decided to change the name and cut cleanly away from it. The new service, The Link Up, will offer exactly what we have now but with a few important differences.

First, there will be no bandwidth restrictions – you can download as much as you want and no longer have to worry about exceeding your monthly transfer rates. Don’t let that excite you though because with it, they are always taking away our unlimited storage. They cite raising storage costs as the reason for this change. Last that I checked, storage costs have dramatically DECREASED on an almost monthly basis. Some MediaMax related blogs have said that paying subscribers will have somewhere in the realm of 250 gb of storage.

So, what the hell happens to those of us that have accounts in the upper echelons of 30 terrabytes? Do we simply lose everything over their quota? Are we going to have to pay more for storing anything extra? How much? The details are scarce. They do say that monthly rates will go up and that you will automatically be given the Link Up plan that most closely resembles your usage. If you head over to the Link Up site, however, there are no plans listed.

The Link Up website itself is unfinished, with the majority of the links on the site going nowhere (except of course the ones where you can sign up to give them more money!). The expected turn over date is April 30th. That is only two days away that they will begin redirecting all MediaMax customers over to the new site and charging us more without a bit of information available about the specifics. Bravo, MediaMax. Well played! It is always a good plan to keep your customers in the dark.

The unlimited storage was the only thing that MediaMax had to offer over competitors. Their support is horrible. They release “upgrade” after upgrade that only makes the system more broken than it was before. They don’t see the need to inform their customers of massive changes like this – I mean, seriously, do they think we all sit around read their blog? This is a horrible way to treat your customers. I think it is safe to say that I will be ending my seven year relationship with them on April 30th.

(Yes, I know that I can’t really cancel my account immediately- you can only cancel your account by writing their support desk… and that just gets you a form response saying that they are really busy and to expect a week or more for a response… I guess that is why they have such a horrible Better Business Bureau rating!)

Thanks and sorry for the delay!

*EDIT* Up and running two hours later. Hooray. :) I am not sure what caused the problem but upgrading the forum and doing some maintenance on the database seems to have cleared up the problem.

Are you intending to punish the people with large accounts? I’m sorry I was grandfathered in from Streamload. I’m sorry my main file view has over 3000 folders. But haven’t you punished us enough with crappy upgrades, slow load times and lost files?
Please add some sort of “Jump to Page” function or allow us to sort by a larger number of files per page. And why is it that it ALWAYS loads back to the first page of my account after I open a folder or send a file? Couldn’t it *pretty please* load back to the page I was actually on so that I don’t have to wait for 16 pages to load before I can get back to page 17?

What do you all think? Have you had any problems with Streamload (AKA Mediamax) since they’ve upgraded?

Also, what do you think about the little player thing? Do you like listening to random anime songs with each post?

PS. Leave me your MM name and I’ll reward your comments.

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So you’ve decided to sign up for a MediaMax™ account – lucky you! Creating an account on our system is fast and easy; you’ll be storing, sharing, and accessing your files in no time!

Step 1: Go to MediaMax and Sign Up

Username: You may choose any username you wish. Tip: Your username uniquely identifies you on our system and cannot be modified once created, so be sure to choose a username that you don’t mind giving out to your friends and family!

Password: Passwords must be at least six characters and cannot contain certain commonly guessed password strings (such as the password being the same as the username). Remember, your account’s security is only as good as your password! We recommend that you choose a secure password that contains numbers, letters, and symbols.

Email: Enter in your valid email address. After you create your account, we’ll send you an email to verify that the address you’ve used is correct. You will need to click the verify link in the email you receive in order to complete the sign up process, so be sure to watch your email program!

Step 2: Choose your account type

Choose from our free account, or subscribe to MediaMax, powered by Streamload, on a monthly or yearly basis.

Step 3: Create your account

You must mark the checkbox to agree to our Terms and Conditions of use before your account can be created. Click the Terms and Conditions of Use link on the sign up page to view them, or click here.

Step 4: Get some files

Head over to the forums and request some files. You’ll recieve an email when they are ready for you to download. You can donate if you want to recieve all the stuff we have. Also, you may want to sign up for a paying account to better feed your anime addiction. Pricing starts at $4.95/month for 5 gigabytes of downloads a month.

J-Drama – 3 Swordsmen [ AVI ] (10)

J-Drama – A Star’s Love [ AVI]

J-Drama – All About Eve [AVI]

J-Drama – Amai Seikatsu [ AVI DVD ] (2)

J-Drama – Antique Cake Store [ AVI DVD-rips ] (11)

J-Drama – Asako in Ruby Shoes

J-Drama – Attic Cat [ AVI ]

J-Drama – Autumn Tale [ AVI ]

J-Drama – Be Nice to People [ AVI DVD-rips ] (7)

J-Drama – Beautiful Life [ AVI MPEG ] (10)

J-Drama – Bingwoo

J-Drama – Brand [ AVI ] (11)

J-Drama – Bright Girl [ AVI ]

J-Drama – Bright Girl’S Success [ AVI ]

J-Drama – Bounce Ko Gals [ AVI ]

J-Drama – Bus Stop [ AVI ]

J-Drama – Christmas in August

J-Drama – Crazy First Love

J-Drama – Food Fight [ AVI DVD-rips ] (11)

J-Drama – Friday’s Lovers [ DAT MPEG ] (6)

J-Drama – From the Heart [ DVD-rips ] (12)

J-Drama – Fun Movie

J-Drama – GTO (2)

J-Drama – Guns and Talks (1)

J-Drama – Heaven Cannot Wait [ AVI DVD-rips ] (10)

J-Drama – Heaven Cannot Wait Special [ AVI DVD-... (1)

J-Drama - Hero [ MPEG DVD-rips ] (12)

J-Drama – Investigator Mariko [ AVI DVD-rips ] (2)

J-Drama – Kilmanjaro

J-Drama – Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake [ AVI ] (1)

J-Drama – Kizuna [ AVI ] (4)

J-Drama – Le Bel Homme [ AVI DVD-rips ] (4)

J-Drama – Long Vacation [ AVI MPEG DVD-rips ] (11)

J-Drama – Love Generation [ AVI DVD-rips ] (10)

J-Drama – Majo no Joken [ AVI ] (11)

J-Drama – Merry Christmas in Summer [ MPEG DVD-... (10)

J-Drama - Meteor Garden [ AVI ] (27)

J-Drama – Meteor Rain [ RM WMV ] (4)

J-Drama – Sailor Moon Live Action [ AVI ] 1-28

J-Drama – Salaryman Kintaro [ S1, S2 Complete] (2)

J-Drama – Salaryman Kintaro Special [ MPEG DVD-... (2)

J-Drama - Shomuni (2)

J-Drama - Shota no Sushi [ AVI DVD-rips ] (17)

J-Drama – Sleeping Forest, A [ AVI DVD-rips ] (1)

J-Drama – Strawberry on the Shortcake (9)

J-Drama – Summer Snow [ AVI DVD-rips ] (11)

J-Drama – The Last Witness

J-Drama – The Miracle Box

J-Drama – The Scandal

J-Drama – To Heart [ AVI DVD-rips ] (12)

J-Drama – To Love Again (12)

J-Drama – Tokyo Wankei

J-Drama – Toshiie and Matsu [ AVI DVD-rips ] (6)

J-Drama – Trouble Buster [ MPEG ] (2)

J-Drama – Unmarried Family [ AVI DVD-rips ] (12)

J-Drama – Usukoi [ AVI ] (4)

J-Drama – Virgin Road [ AVI ] (13)

J-Drama – Where is Love [ AVI DVD-rips ] (2)

J-Drama – Winter Sonata [ AVI ]

J-Drama – Yamato Nadeshiko [ AVI ] (5)

J-Drama – Yanpapa [ AVI ] (6)

J-Drama – You’re Under Arrest [ AVI DVD-rips ] (3)

****NEW Japanese and Hong Kong Television Shows***
—- Too lazy to put in alphabetical order, yet. :)
Make sure you put them in order when you request!!!
Also, despite the J-Drama prefix – many are Hong Kong!

J-Drama – Ba Chu Thuong Hai (14)

J-Drama – Bang Cung Cong Chua (7)

J-Drama – Chuyen Gia Dam Pham (18)

J-Drama – Ddieu Hung Tranh Bip (14)

J-Drama – PsyDuck – Hiep Ddao Thap Nhat Lang – SVCD (9)

J-Drama – HUNG BA THUONG HAI (21)

J-Drama – Kiem Tieu Giang Ho – Part II (15)

J-Drama – Kim Phuong Hoang (21)

J-Drama – Kim Xa Kiem [complete] (20)

J-Drama – Luu Tinh Ho Diep Kiem (28)

J-Drama – Nguoi Chong Mat Tri – Square Pegs [Complete] (30)

J-Drama – NHAT KIEM CHAN GIANG HO I (14)

J-Drama – Song Gio Cuoc Doi – Reaching Out [Complete] (77)

J-Drama – Tasuki – So Luu Huong [Set I] (5)

J-Drama – Thai Binh Cong Chua (27)

J-Drama – Than Dieu Dai Hiep (42)

J-Drama – Thien Dia Vo Tinh (16)

J-Drama – THIEN LONG THAN KIEM (20)

J-Drama – Tieu Ngao Giang Ho (30)

J-Drama – Tieu Thap Nhat Lang – Treasurer Raiders [Complete] (32)

J-Drama – Tinh Vo Mon (2)

J-Drama – Tai Hien Hung Phong (14)

J-Drama – Anh Em Nha Bac Si (16)

J-Drama – Ba Chu Thuong Hai part 1 (14)

J-Drama – Bich Huyet Kiem (20)

J-Drama – Cai The Hao Hiep

J-Drama – Cau Vong Trong Dem bt (32)

J-Drama – Chan Menh Thien Tu (20)

J-Drama – Co Gai Do Long old version (40)

J-Drama – Dieu Hung Tranh Bip (14)

J-Drama – Dong Doi Oan Trai (4)

J-Drama – Duel To The Death (1)

J-Drama – Gia Cat Luong (54)

J-Drama – Hiep Khach Dao (22)

J-Drama – Hung Ba Thuong Hai (21)

J-Drama – Kiem Tieu Giang Ho (14)

J-Drama – Kim Phuong Hoang (21)

J-Drama – Kim Xa Kiem (20)

J-Drama – Ky Duyen (4)

J-Drama – Loc Dinh Ky (40)

J-Drama – Mat Na Hung Thu (30)

J-Drama – Moc Que Anh (60)

J-Drama – Nguoi Dan Ba Dau Tien (17)

J-Drama – Sac Mau Tinh Yeu (16)

J-Drama – Se Duyen bt (10)

J-Drama – So Luu Huong (40)

J-Drama – Song Hung Ky Hiep (20)

J-Drama – Tam Quoc Chi- The Three Kingdom

J-Drama – Tay Du Ky (25)

J-Drama – Than Dieu Dai Hiep (50)

J-Drama – Thien Long Than Kiem (20)

J-Drama – Thien Su Ky Mon (20)

J-Drama – Thien Tu Tam Long (32)

J-Drama – Thieu Nien Hoang Phi Hung (48)

J-Drama – Tieu Ngao Giang Ho old verison (30)

J-Drama – Tieu Thap Nhat Lang (32)

J-Drama – Tin Vo Mon (20)

J-Drama – Tinh Nguoi Virtues Of Harmony (44)

J-Drama – Tran Chien Huyen Vo Mon (26)

J-Drama – Tri Dung Canh Gioi (46)

J-Drama – Truong Binh Cong Chua 2003 (50)

J-Drama – Tuyet Hoa Than Kiem (15)

J-Drama – Vo Dich Thanh Thien 2003 (64)

J-Drama – Vo Si Co Tuong (32)

J-Drama – Vu An Hinh Su 4 (20)

J-Drama – Trung Nguyen Kiem Khach DVD (6)

*************Added to here ***********

J-Drama – Tuyet Hoa Than Kiem (2)

J-Drama – Ve Tu Ly Truyen Ky – The W Files (46)

J-Drama – VU AN HINH SU IV (20)

J-Drama – Vua Thoi Nay [complete] (30)

J-Drama – Cuong Hiep Ma Nu (14)

J-Drama – Winter sonata (22)

J-Drama – Noi Lai Tinh Xua (15)

J-Drama – Trung Hoa Anh Hung part 1- (3)

J-Drama – Bich Huyet Kiem (20)

J-Drama – Hung Ba Thien Ha – VietMyEntertainment.com (12)

J-Drama – Loc Dinh Ky (40)

J-Drama – Meteor Garden (Eng Sub) (27)

J-Drama – Nhan Quy Ho Ly Tinh (19)

J-Drama – Song Hung Ky Hiep (20)

J-Drama – Tan Luu Tinh Ho Diep Kiem (2)

J-Drama – Te Thien Dai Thanh (7)

J-Drama – Thien Long Bac Bo I (36)

J-Drama – Thien Long Bac Bo II (20)

J-Drama – Thien Long Bat Bo (34)

J-Drama – Thien Tu Tam Long (32)

J-Drama – Anh Hung Xa Dieu (3)

J-Drama – My Date With A Vampire (8)

J-Drama – Vo Si Co Tuong (32)

J-Drama – Yang Saga (5)

I ask for donations to help fund this webpage and my MediaMax account, obviously. I am constantly striving to make it better for everyone. Also, it takes tons of time and effort to keep all this stuff going. :) If you have any questions about this process feel free to email me with your questions or concerns. I only ask for donations to help better the site and make up for the time it takes to send the many terrabytes of anime goodness.

How Donating Works

I receive donations through Paypal.com. I am a verified seller there, which means you can check my feedback. You will receive everything listed on the Anime & Manga page directly to your MediaMax account. The entire assortment of anime, manga, OSTs, artbooks, J-Drama, & Foreign films are approximately 12 terrabytes. That’s right: TERRABYTES!

You can send donations via Paypal (the preferred method), MediaMax Gift Certificates, or Money Order. Contact me on the forum for the specifics if you want to send a money order. If you send a money order, PLEASE make sure to include your MediaMax account somewhere.

After you have send your donation via Paypal or Gift Certificate, within 72 hours, I will send you the files. Files can only be sent via MediaMax. Please don’t ask me about sending them via MIRC, AIM, CD, etc.

Artbook – Ah! My Goddess – Artwork & Postcards

Artbook – Ah! My Goddess – 2003 Calendar

Artbook – Ai Yori Aoshi – 2004 Calendar

Artbook – Angel Sanctuary

Artbook – Animage Noir Special

ArtBook – Argento Soma

Artbook – Artificial Angel

Artbook – Assault Armoroid Angelio

Artbook – Ayashi no Ceres

Artbook – Boogiepop Phantom

Artbook – Capcom vs SNK

Artbook – Chobits – For Your Eyes Only

Artbook – Chobits – 2003 Calendar 01-02

Artbook – Coven

Artbook – Cowboy Bebop

Artbook – Cowboy Bebop Manga

Artbook – Dawn

Artbook – Digi Charat

Artbook – El Hazard

Artbook – Evangelion

Artbook – Evangelion Instrumentality Project

Artbook – Fathom Swimsuit Special

Artbook – Final Fantasy 9

Artbook – Final Fantasy X-2

Artbook – Fruits Basket

Artbook – Futari Ecchi- Yura Yura

Artbook – Gainax

Artbook – Ghost in the Shell – MiniBox

Artbook – Gravitation

Artbook – Haibane Renmei

Artbook – Haibane Renmei Lifestyle Diary

Artbook – Inuyasha – 2004 Calendar

Artbook – Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne

Artbook – Kenshin

Artbook – King of Fighters

Artbook – Kohime – Kaleidoscope

Artbook – Lain

Artbook – Love Hina

Artbook – Luminous Girls

Artbook – Magic Knights of Rayearth

Artbook – Mahoromatic Groundwork 2

Artbook – Metal Gear Solid

Artbook – Nausicaa

Artbook – Neon Genesis Evangelion

Artbook – NieA_7

Artbook – Pigeon Blood

Artbook – Porco Rosso – Hayao Miyazaki

Artbook – Ranma ½

Artbook – Record of the Lodoss War

Artbook – Sakura Taisen

Artbook – Serial Experiment Lain

Artbook – Shirow – Intron Depot

Artbook – Shirow Masamune

Artbook – Soul Calibur

Artbook – SpellBound

Artbook – Star Ocean – Treasure

Artbook – Tail Tale

Artbook – Travis Charest

ArtBook – Trigun

Artbook – Utena – Luxury

Artbook – Venus

Artbook – You’re Under Arrest