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SalA
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Registered: ‎11-05-2007
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Backup Strategies

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‎06-18-2008 01:48 AM - last edited on ‎04-13-2011 08:35 AM by Administrator

What is a backup?
A backup is a system to protect your data wherein there are multiple copies of the data stored in multiple locations. For instance, a good backup might include the data on the computer, an external drive that has the data and is kept with the computer, an online online backup of very important files, and also DVD’s or another external hard drive kept in a safety deposit box.

Backup Basics
Applications and hardware can fail no matter how reliable a PC or server is, so it is vital to have a good backup solution. Though once costly and complex, backups are now inexpensive, simple to use, and depending on the solution, completely automated. If your data, your time, and your money money are truly important, it makes sense to develop a strategy based on those needs to keep your data safe and to choose hardware and software that fits with your strategy.

What is the difference between imaging, archiving and backing up data?

  • Imaging is a way of backing up the computer that allows you to store the entire computer, including the operating system and programs, in a single file (an “image”) that can be used to restore the computer to exactly the way it was when the image was made. 
    This is a good way to recover from major hardware failure without having to spend lots of time reinstalling programs, restoring emails, etc. 
  • Archiving is the process by which you store the files on a single storage media with no secondary copies.  Because this results in no second copy of your data, no backup, this method is not recommended.
    The main differences between an archive and a backup is that, in a backup, files are kept on both the original drive and the secondary drive. 
    Archived files are normally deleted from the source, e.g. your system disk or data drive. That is why with archiving, you would normally use a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc as storage medium. For archiving large amounts of data, there is not currently a storage medium that is able to provide the security of a hard medium like CD's, DVD's, or Blu-ray discs that has the large capacities needed for today's large data-intensive storage.  
  • In a backup, the files that are backed up are not deleted from the original source. 
    Backing up data is typically more efficient than copying and takes up less space on the storage media because you can make “incremental” backups, as opposed to full backups. As a result it's easier and more cost-effective to make frequent backups of multiple versions of data. Backup software automatically copies data into a single file that can be directly read by the original applications or explored through Windows Explorer or (My) Computer. Some software offers the ability to compress the backups and can prevents unauthorized access by protecting them with passwords or encryption. 

Which backup strategy is the right one for me?  
You should backup your data as often as it changes. 
Murphy's Law applies to data in this way: The likelihood of suffering data loss increases in direct proportion to the elapsed time since your last backup. 
In layman's terms, the day you do not back up your data, something will go wrong.

Here is our recommended backup strategy:

  1. Backup all data (documents, music, movies, etc.) and applications that you want to protect with a full backup, to be repeated on approximately a weekly basis.
  2. In between, perform incremental backups to protect data that has changed since the last full backup. 
    An incremental backup is one that picks up only the files that have changed or been added since the last backup, thus allowing you to have the most recent data without having multiple copies of the data. 
    The best time to run a backup is when you are not working on your computer, as every file accessed by applications or by the user will be locked and will thus not be backed up. Running your backup can therefore best be done manually when you have finished your work and before you switch off your computer, or it can be scheduled at times when nobody is using the computer in cases where the computer is switched on most of the day or longer. Some of today's backup programs offer the ability to backup open files, and this ability is very helpful for enterprise environments, but it should not be the only way you backup your important files due to some of the inherent limitations of trying to backup open files. It is very important to fully understand any messages that the backup software you are using may provide to you since no one wants to think that they are protected and then finds out later that the file they need wasn't being backed up because of an error in setting up the software.

How many backups do I need?  
A good backup strategy should include backups of your backups. The reason for this is that your original data and your backup might be damaged or lost (for example, lightning strikes or a burglary at your home/office). That is why it is wise to use multiple backup media, such as 2 or 3 external drives, alternating between them, one of which you always take with you off-site. That is, if it is within your budget.  
Keep in mind that the more important the data is to you, the more backups you should have; it is always cheaper to have multiple backups than to have to send a drive to a data recovery service to retrieve data.
Other backup alternatives include CDROM, DVD, online storage such as eVault, tapes, and Blu-ray discs.  

System recovery
If your system fails completely, you will need to do what is called a system recovery. This process calls for reloading the operating system, the backup software, and all applications and restoring the data. 
With the aid of disaster recovery software like DiscWizard, Seagate Replica, Seagate BlackArmor software, and Apple Time Machine. If you used one of these solutions to back up your computer before the system failure, the image backup will allow you to perform the restore process to get the operating system, data, and applications back onto the computer. 

In the case that you have a data-only backup, you would first need to reinstall the operating system and the programs before moving the data files back to the computer.

For more information, please see:

See Document ID: 213011 - Interactive Seagate and Maxtor Software Guide for more information on which Seagate or Maxtor-brand product offers which bundled backup software.  Please note that DiscWizard and manual backup methods can be used on any external drive (except for Seagate Replica).

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