In (e-mail address removed) had this to say:
My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:
To all Admins,
My network of win 2k machines are humming and running. As with every
network, a backup solution needs to be put into place. The backup
process can be theoretically easy to draft up, but the reality of it
always draws debatable solutions. What advice can you offer when
backing up data? What unpredictable problems have you encountered?
Here is my list of general questions:
1. What's software have you avoided and approved? (Is ntbackup &
scheduling the best solution?)
2. What's the most practical time to run a backup?
3. Full vs. incremental?
4. How often?
5. What system files are worthy of backing up?
Please contribute to one or all of the above questions. Your trial and
errors would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Doub
With 2k I was REALLY fond of an older version of Ghost... Such is no longer
available and is outdated so that it only works from DOS and isn't effective
with NTFS and, so, I'm stuck with a billion and three licenses. (Or about 50
or so if I recall that aren't in use any more.)
Since then I've quasi fallen in love/lust with Acronis products.
Practical is the least used time.
Full initially and then incremental.
Daily is ideal. Really... CAN you get away with that? No, not for the backup
you're asking about. A system state backup of "worthy" files on the hour
might not be bad or a real-time backup solution is a good way to go with
current and current changed files.
What files? This may seem absolutely insane but... All of them.
The key is to keep properly scheduled backups of all the date - yes all of
it - so that you can restore in an instant (or about there) if need
requires. If compliance issues don't demand you keep certain sets of data
for a certain time frame then a few months with a master backup of a bare
metal/current restore saved to DVD or tape AND off-site is a good idea.
I guess... Hmm... Part of what I'm saying is the above? The rest is what I'm
not saying and I'll try to express it but each company, person, or even data
set, is different. Each one has varied backup needs. A full set, something
to restore from, is important. Current and changed data sets are also
important. The frequency or importance of the data is up to you but if you
haven't deleted it then it's important or there are policies that need to be
put into place to determine what needs to be deleted, how it needs to be
deleted, and when it needs to be deleted. Data retention is essential in the
days of compliance such as SARBOX and HIPPA but secure deletion (which to me
is actually in the same field as backup) needs to be considered for a
variety of reasons as well as how you handle your backups.
Multiple copies - off site - are important. Encryption is essential. What is
up to you. A bare-metal restore is essential. Start with those and keep
digging.
--
Galen - MS MVP - Windows (Shell/User & IE)
http://dts-l.org/
http://kgiii.info/
"At present I am, as you know, fairly busy, but I propose to devote my
declining years to the composition of a textbook which shall focus the
whole art of detection into one volume." - Sherlock Holmes
