Server Backup - Tape ? CD? Online?

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n00dy

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#15841 10-Sep-2007 19:48

I have rencently installed a small business server. I have a limited budget & decided a UPS was more essential than a backup device. Now I am thinking I do need a backup. Should I go tape , cd/dvd or an online option. Your comments and reasoning would be appriciated. Thanks in advance.

freitasm

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#86174 10-Sep-2007 19:56

CD/DVD will be a pain. Tape is not that reliable. I bought an Seagate external USB 2.0 500GB for a very good price at DSE, although you can get a 320GB and 160GB options (I bought a 500GB last week, and a 160GB today, because the prices were good).

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#86178 10-Sep-2007 20:05

Even in a low budget situation, I would consider my backups the most important thing.

If I see one more high profile customer who turns over many millions of dollars a year, and advertises their business on nationwide tv, and owns premium vehicles show me that their sole untested backup system is a USB ext HDD, I will scream.

This is what I would do for me as a bare minimum for any business that relies on its data in any way.

Buy a tape backup unit such as a DAT72+10+1 bundle
Buy ShadowProtect Server Edition
Backup on normal schedule to tape
Image weekly to spare HDD space on a client PC (keep as many images as you have spare GBs of space)
Take 60 minute incrementals to that same HDD space (which could also be a SATA drive in your server)

Probably about $2500 worth there. Dont skimp on backup. One day you WILL regret it.

Honestly, thats the least I would personally do.

Even more skimping could see the Shadowprotect and on-site imaging be discarded, with NT Backup being used to backup to tape.

Always always always always always always always always always always always test your restore capability before you ever need to.

Reasoning?

Tape is so easy, pull it out, put one in, take it home. No waiting. Assign the task to a non-technical person.

freitasm

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#86182 10-Sep-2007 20:10

Tape is easier, but I am not saying to rely on one external drive. Backup involves procedures of course...

In my case I have a copy of my SQL database plus all files on the server uploaded to two different FTP servers, and every day a full partition image created with Acronis to a remote computer.

And yes, I tested the restore procedure by loading the partition image to another server and to a virtual machine. And I test the SQL database dumps every couple of weeks on another SQL server just to be sure it can load the files if needed to.

Procedures, procedures...

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n00dy

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#86472 12-Sep-2007 20:32

So online backup not so good, no to DVD. Forgot to I set it up with raid whrere one drive mirrors the other. So I am down to External HD or tape, cant really afford both yet, the server (dell) has a bay for tape so thats good but would the external drive have enought transfer speed via usb? Thanks

rwales

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#86498 13-Sep-2007 01:54

decided a UPS was more essential than a backup device

That was a bad decision IMHO. UPS systems are expensive & rarely used. If the power goes out, your server will be down until power is restored. If your data is corrupted (and there are MANY ways this can happen) your server is down period unless you have a good backup routine. Given a limited budget, I would prioritize backup systems over UPS any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I set it up with raid whrere one drive mirrors the other

RAID is not a backup solution. It can mitigate the risk of hardware (disk) failure & increase I/O performance but will do nothing in the event of data corruption/destruction.

There are many thrifty backup solutions out there. Disk storage is cheap & backups don't need to be blazingly fast (full backups generally run over-night anyway). Acronis® True Image 9.1 Workstation* [http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/products/ATICW/] retails for approx 115NZD and provides a decent disk-image backup utility (incremental/differential backups, individual files can also be recovered etc.). DBMS offerings usually have on-board backup utilities for a more frequent backup cycle for live data.

In addition to standard backup policy, automate your backup system (the less manual jobs left to staff the better), DO check logs & reports to verify the backup occurred. DO simulate total server failure & run recoveries (on a test/virtual machine if necessary) so WHEN something goes pear-shaped, you'll be ready for it. I had a comedy failure on a development server last year (complete with smoke billowing out of the case). I wouldn't have been laughing without backups though, there were many years of development on that box.

Finally, I'm assuming you're using Windows. If you're using a *nix based server, there are a raft of on-board tools for backing up at the file & device level. Even the humble 'tar' is capable of full & incremental compressed backups to local or remote file-systems, SMB, FTP etc.

* I've only used Acronis® True Image home version but have been very happy with it.

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