1 Backup Server, 1 tape drive, 10 tapes, 6 questions

[EliW]

1) I am using Retrospect Workstation Backup 5.5. I see 5.6 all over the place here. Is that an upgrade I can just download, or does it need to be purchased?

 

I create a Backup Server script to run overnight from 8 PM to 8 AM, and on weekends.

I set it to back up 20 workstations. Assume for the moment that this cannot be completed in one night, nor will it all fit on one tape.

I have one tape drive and ten tapes (to be used one per night over two weeks), and I don't arrive at work until 10 AM weekdays.

Also assume there is no budget for additional hardware or software.

 

2) I insert a blank tape, and that night, Retrospect backs up the first four workstations before running out of time. The next day, I forget to change the tape. Does Retrospect overwrite the tape, or continue where it left off? If it never overwrites the tape, how can I use the tape again two weeks later when it is already full?

 

3) Same as #2, except the tape runs out overnight while backing up the 4th workstation. Will Retrospect still "wrap up" on schedule by 8 AM in the morning, or will it wait for another tape and then "wrap up" after receiving it, possibly taking until 11 AM?

 

4) In #3, what happens to the backup of the 4th workstation? For that matter, how do I find the most recent backup of a specific workstation among all ten tapes?

 

5) What impact would there be if I were to schedule this Backup Server--which is also the company's main file server during business hours--to run 24/7?

 

6) Perhaps there are better ways to do this that I'm not seeing. How would *you* accomplish backing up all 20 workstations, as close to Daily as possible, when they cannot all fit on one tape? What schedule(s) would you use, and what type of backup(s)?

 

Thanks for your help!

[EliW]

Oops! This post is probably better suited for a different forum. Sorry.