Backup Strategy

[ErikD]

I am looking to dial in my backup startegy a bit. I have pretty much decided on using ntbackup as it is free and runs automoatically, and should work well enough for my purposes. Basically I have a Windows 2003 server and a SBS server that need to be backed up. The 2003 server would be more important as it has all of the data, and the SBS is pretty much the PDC.

I run backup on the server, and it writes the backup file to a seperate drive in my main PC over the network. I like it because it means no tapes or DVDs to change etc. So if I am away on business or not around when it needs to start it is no big deal. I can then make a backup of this on a DVD every so often as I see necessary or have time. I am basically thinking of making a DVD image of the latest backup file once a month or so and keeping it in the office just to have an offsite copy.

What I have started to do, as a beginning anyway, is to make a full normal backup once a week. I backup everything here, the system state and all data. I overwrite the file from the previous week. Then everyday after that I just do an incrmental backup and append that to the file made earlier.

Now if there is anything I could do better I would love to know so I can learn and improve my setup. My only real thing is that I don't want to spend a lot of money on an application, I basically want free. I don't think it is that big of a deal as most of what I have is music I copied from CDs anyway, some pictures, and other things. Basically if everything were to get lost it would be annoying, but it wouldn'tbe the end of the world. The bigger point here is I just want to learn about backups in general and further my knowledge because I am strting out in IT and would like to move on to be a network or system administrator.

[ErikD]

Also I was looking over things while it was backing up and the logs last night. I noticed I was getting redundant backups of shared folders, ie network drives. All I would really need to backup is the physical drives of each server, correct? Because as I am seeing it now it backsup the physical drive data, and then the network drive. But this is the same data, so I am basically doubling the size of the backup file for no real reason, right?

Also as I am was backing up the network drives I was getting a copy of the data on both servers shared folders with each backup. So essentially it looked like the backup file from one server had a copy of the physical drives, then the same data but listed as a network drive, and the network drives of my other server. This just adds to the size of the backups, and the time it takes to do the backup, correct? I should be perfectly safe if I just backup the physical drives ONLY from each serever?

Thanks again.

[YeOldeStonecat]

You running Windows backup on each server? Or just from one? The backup included in SBS is quite robust...a bit more to it than the backup in vanilla Server.

I don't follow what you mean when you say redundant? Are you already backing up shares across UNC...then backing up the drives mapped to them?

I'm not a fan on incremental backups...I always set all my backups to full.

[ErikD]

I have been running backup on both servers just to get everything that needs backing up. I am not sure that it would all be caught if I just ran it from one. Like on the Server 2003 I have SQL running. On SBS I have Exchange. Plus I have different shares on each server, profiles, etc. So as far as I can tell the only way to completely get everything is to do a backup on each one.

What I originally setup it had been backing up through UNC, and through local paths. One night I sat and watched what was going on and saw that I was copying files and saving them in the backup of both servers by the UNC and on the server that had the physical drive through that path. This isn't really necessary, is it?

So you would recommend a full backup each night that overwrites the one from the previous night over some full+incremenatl/differential/dialy? I guess since it runs overnight when nobody is using the things it doens't make a big difference.

Thanks.

[YeOldeStonecat]

One night I sat and watched what was going on and saw that I was copying files and saving them in the backup of both servers by the UNC and on the server that had the physical drive through that path. This isn't really necessary, is it?

So you would recommend a full backup each night that overwrites the one from the previous night over some full+incremenatl/differential/dialy? I guess since it runs overnight when nobody is using the things it doens't make a big difference.

If you appear to be backing up the same data both directly (drive letter:\folders\stuff)...as well as UNC (\\servername\stuff)..then yes..that's redundant..just a waste of time and backup destination space and wear'n tear.

Backup strategy is a preference. In the past, when I've dealt with some substantial data restores that came from incre backup stratgies...where it'd been a tough time putting the pieces back together. Get one bum backup job or tape during that week...and it'll toss a kink in your restore job. I don't want to deal with that anymore..."Want me to support your server? We'll be doing full backups each night!"

[ErikD]

Full backup every night works well enough for me if it ensures that the recovery process will be easier or mroe reliable. Afterall it happens over the network and I will never notice the difference as it is after I should be sleeping anyway.