| If you run a small business, chances are you're saving | | | | 4. Grandfather-Father-Son - A Case Study |
| important files to a server. But what happens when | | | | The grandfather-father-son schedule is the most |
| disaster strikes? How are you ensuring that your files | | | | widely used method, and involves backing up data in |
| won't be lost? Many people fail to realize that the | | | | the following way: |
| loss of files could cripple their business. You can insure | | | | * daily - on the "son tapes" |
| your office and equipment, but you can't insure files. | | | | * weekly - on the "father tapes" |
| You can't repair or buy back lost files. Ipso facto, | | | | * monthly — on the "grandfather tapes" |
| they are lost! | | | | This system is far more powerful than the five-tape |
| This brings us to the concept of disaster recovery. | | | | rotation, but requires more tapes. |
| What is disaster recovery? If you're thinking that | | | | This strategy provides you with the ability to restore |
| disaster recovery is about frantically trying to get | | | | data from the last week, plus any Monday over the |
| back data that's already been lost, then you're | | | | last month, plus any month for as many monthly |
| already behind the 8-ball! Disaster recovery is about | | | | tapes as you have. Variations on this scheme are |
| safeguarding your organization's data so that it can | | | | available, and provide a trade-off between the |
| be safely restored in event of a crippling disaster. | | | | number of tapes required, and the number of |
| And having an industry-standard file backup strategy | | | | monthly tapes available. |
| is undoubtedly the most important part of disaster | | | | 5. Different types of backup |
| recovery. | | | | Different types of backups are available in backup |
| What you have to do is ensure that all files on the | | | | software. |
| server are backed up to another storage medium - | | | | * Full - all files, system data |
| tape, removable hard disk, NAS device, and so on. | | | | * Differential - all files added or changed since the last |
| Most businesses choose to use tape. Let's look at | | | | full backup |
| how you can set up a tape backup strategy for your | | | | * Incremental - all files added or changed since the |
| own business. | | | | last full, differential or incremental backup |
| 1. Tape - the perfect backup medium | | | | * Daily - all files added or changed on the day of the |
| Isn't tape an anachronism in the age of optical disks, | | | | backup |
| removable hard drives and a plethora of whiz-bang, | | | | A Full backup will copy all files and system data to |
| random-access storage media? Tape is indeed a | | | | the backup media. It allows for the complete restore |
| dinosaur in relative terms, but it's ideal for backup. | | | | of all data from one single tape. |
| Tape is slow, but can store a lot of data... one | | | | Differential, Incremental and Daily are partial backups |
| mid-range tape should be enough to backup your | | | | are designed to reduce amount of data backed-up to |
| entire server. Plus, tape is extremely cheap - | | | | the media, resulting in faster backups. To restore |
| mid-range tapes cost around $20 each. | | | | data using one of these backups, the last Full backup |
| 2. When should you backup? | | | | tape will also be required, along with any other partial |
| Typically, tape backup is performed at the end of | | | | backups since the last Full backup. |
| each day. Just put in the tape and let the backup | | | | 6. Tape backup software |
| process run overnight. If your server ever suffers a | | | | At this point you may be thinking that performing |
| catastrophic disaster, you have at least saved all | | | | tape backup is a complex task. Tape rotations, |
| your files from the previous day. | | | | incremental backups... sure, you can try to do this |
| 3. Tape Rotation | | | | manually, but this would make the backup process |
| The ideal tape backup solution would involve using a | | | | hideously difficult and prone to human error! The |
| new tape for each backup. This means purchasing a | | | | solution is to invest in a good piece of server backup |
| new tape for every day of your business's | | | | software that will manage and schedule your tape |
| operations. This is hardly cost-effective for your | | | | backups for you. |
| business. Tape is cheap, but not that cheap! | | | | What should you look for in tape backup software? |
| This is why we speak of tape rotation. Tape rotation | | | | For many small business owners, the price is crucial. |
| means to reuse tapes from previous backups. The | | | | Many brands of backup software are just too |
| simplest tape rotation scheme is to have one tape | | | | expensive - in the $1000+ range - and contain |
| for each day of the working week. Tapes are labeled | | | | features that you'll never need. Look for a backup |
| Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. | | | | utility that's designed specially for small business |
| You can restore data from any one of the tapes in | | | | instead. It should be simple-to-use, reliable and |
| your library, or in this case, any day in the past the | | | | affordable. Choose a good tape backup program and |
| week. This strategy requires only five tapes, but only | | | | you'll be well on your way to safeguarding your files |
| provides one week's data backup history. | | | | and data. |