Help with Backup

[Laser]

I have a small office with 7 computers all running XP-Pro. We connect to
each other with a simple network connection and to the internet through a
NetGear router/hub that allows us to share a DSL connection.

One of the computers (we call it the server) is used to store files that we
need to share and is the local email server.

I backup the data files daily to a CD but I'm unable to do a full system
backup daily because of the size of the files. What I would like to do is
set up an extra computer to "mirror" the "server" so if (or should I say
when) the server machine crashes we will be able to immediately switch over
to the backup system.

I understand how to copy all of the data from one computer to the other but
what I'm not sure of is if there is any way that I can load all my programs,
programs setting and system/user configurations from the server to the
backup computer.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated, as I am a bit of a novice
when it comes to this type of thing.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

I have a small office with 7 computers all running XP-Pro. We connect to
each other with a simple network connection and to the internet through a
NetGear router/hub that allows us to share a DSL connection.

One of the computers (we call it the server) is used to store files that we
need to share and is the local email server.

I backup the data files daily to a CD but I'm unable to do a full system
backup daily because of the size of the files. What I would like to do is
set up an extra computer to "mirror" the "server" so if (or should I say
when) the server machine crashes we will be able to immediately switch over
to the backup system.

I understand how to copy all of the data from one computer to the other but
what I'm not sure of is if there is any way that I can load all my programs,
programs setting and system/user configurations from the server to the
backup computer.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated, as I am a bit of a novice
when it comes to this type of thing.

Mike,

If you want a total copy that actually works, you need to have
two computers that have sufficiently similar hardware, i.e. very
similar. Then you could use some software that copies entire
partitions bit by bit, like Norton Ghost or DriveCopy,
DriveImage or some such. You may have to mount one hard disk in
a drawer, so you can put it in the other computer temporarily
for backing up. I'm not sure if there are any network solutions.

A simple, but complete backup can be done with the backup
program included with XP, but you'd have to restore that to the
other computer, and you wouldn't replicate deletions that way.

Another compromise is what I do here. I have to parallel
installations and replicate only the data. I have to
conscientiously do all installations and software settings on
both computers though. To replicate the data and some settings I
use robocopy from the resource kit, but XCOPY or XXCOPY could
also be used.

Some more hints, not exactly for your particular problem though,
are available at http://www.michna.com/kb/WxMove.htm.

Hans-Georg

 

[Laser]

Hans,

Thanks you've given me several good suggestions, this will help.

Mike