Windows 2000 Server Backup

[Guest]

Hi All,

Can you please let me know what the standard Windows 2000 Server backup
utility actually does. Is this a complete system backup or does it only back
up the data files on the hard disk. There appears to an option for "system
status" or similar option - not sure exactly what this does.

Can you please also let me know what you would recommend for a complete
system back up. I have been recommended Norton Ghost - is this a good option?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Regards,

DRTP

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "DRTP" <[email protected]>

| Hi All,
|
| Can you please let me know what the standard Windows 2000 Server backup
| utility actually does. Is this a complete system backup or does it only back
| up the data files on the hard disk. There appears to an option for "system
| status" or similar option - not sure exactly what this does.
|
| Can you please also let me know what you would recommend for a complete
| system back up. I have been recommended Norton Ghost - is this a good option?
|
| Thanks in advance for your assistance.
|
| Regards,
|
| DRTP

For a server, the NTBackup utility shipped with the OS is often insufficient. The Veritas
and CA Arcserve softwares are more apropos.

Again in reference servers, the Norton line is for retail products while the Symantec line
is for corp/enterprise applications. Symantec Ghost Enterprise is an excellen package for
disater recovery and for destop configuration and deployment and can use multi-cast IP for
distribution of an image to multiple platforms at the same time.

A combination of an enterprise backup solution such as CA Arserve and Symantec Ghost is a
good way to mitigate future problems. Note that the Arcserve product, and I'm sure the
Veritas server line, can backup the Registry as well as the data selected for each job
submitted.

 

[Enkidu]

Hi All,

Can you please let me know what the standard Windows 2000
Server backup utility actually does. Is this a complete
system backup or does it only back up the data files on the
hard disk. There appears to an option for "system
status" or similar option - not sure exactly what this does.

Can you please also let me know what you would recommend
for a complete system back up. I have been recommended
Norton Ghost - is this a good option?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

It does both. It backs up the "System State" - that is the
registry settings and a number of other things. It also
backs up the files. If you have SQL server or Exchange on
there it will also back those up too.

I've used it on servers for years. Unless you have huge
amounts of data and/or a tape library, it should be good enough.

Cheers,

Cliff

 

[Guest]

To add to Cliff's information. W2K backup software is not as "robust" as
Veritas or CA's Arcserve. If you are a small shop and you don't need to have
a "database" to show what is on the backup and to keep track of it then using
W2K backup is fine. Just make sure you move the backup files to a different
media source. Don't backup to your server's hard drive. If your hard drive
crashes you won't be able to restore the system state because its gone.

Michael

 

[Guest]

Windows 2000 backup is fine for doing a full system backup but don't trust
the wizard to get you a full backup. You'll need to do a custom selection to
backup all of the data AND the SystemState. The SystemState includes a lot
of system configuration information, security databases (SAM and Active
Directory) and other databases that are not backed up as individual files.

Again, don't trust the wizard. Even when you select a full system backup,
it does not include the system state so make sure you do a complete backup by
selecting eveything manually, not thru the wizard.

Veritas and ArcServe have better capabilities regarding open files and
granular database backups but if you don't need these features, and this is a
simple server, the NTbackup utility should serve you just fine if you backup
to a removeable or remote media.

Hope this helps.

 

[Solei]

Hi All,

Can you please also let me know what you would recommend for a complete
system back up. I have been recommended Norton Ghost - is this a good option?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Regards,

DRTP

I've never use Norton for backup server, but I used it as antivirus
program. I didn't like it at all: after a month of use I couldn't
recognise my precious PC, it was run so slow and uncorrectly, so I
threw it out, and have never return none of Norton software back. Also
I read some bad reviews about it. I wouldn't recommend it to you.
I think, the best full system backup software is Acronis Server for
Windows[http://www.acronis.com.sg/enterprise/products/ATISWin/]. This
software backes up your server by creating a precise duplicate copy of
the hard drive at the sector level. It saves this copy to an image
file. Because this image file is a snapshot of the hard drive, it
contains everything you need for full recovery (such as the OS,
applications, database files and so on). I 've been using it for half
of the year, and didn't have any problem. Personally IMHO.