Backup Strategy

[Suzan]

Need to find the most effecient strategy, that does a thorough backup, is most efficient, and convenient, and uses as few CDR-W disks as possible.

 

My idea is:

 

Run a scripted back-up set A, to back up Documents, daily, M,T,W,TH,F.

 

and Run another set, scripted back-up set B, to back up C:drive, weekly?

 

Is this practical?? Any suggestions??

 

 

[lv2ski]

This is a great idea.

 

Run Backupset A M T W Thur Fri...

 

and Run Backupset B maybe on Wed only. That would be fine.

 

 

[Suzan]

Thanks, for your fast response.

 

Now, another detail...to set up the scripts properly:

 

(Keep in mind I want to use as few disks as possible, and make the operation, as automated as possible)

 

I use Re-writable CD's. Currently it takes One CD to backup "Set A", and Two CD's to backup "Set B".

 

Does it make sense for Back up A (Documents only) to be "Normal"? Would you suggest a weekly or biweekly "Recycle"?

 

For set Set B (Complete Hard Drive) does "Recycle" make more sense than "Normal" for this purpose?

 

I think I understand the difference between the Two? Just not sure the reasons for choosing one or the other? Please Advise.

[lv2ski]

For Backupset B I would suggest recycle. Only because otherwise you will be doing a normal - incremental - from a week before. Which seems silly. ALTHOUGH, not much should change as it is your system....not just documents which change all the time. Hard to say.

 

 

 

As for your documents I would say a single recycle every Monday would be a good idea.

 

Although I would have 3 BU sets total.

 

 

 

Week 1 Documents alternating weeks

 

Week 2 Documents alternating weeks

 

Backset B - entire system on Wed Recycle each week.

 

 

 

Why the two document bu sets? Because that way when you recycle the one set on the 3rd week if something was to happen during the recycle - Recycle - Retrospect erases the media and then rebacks up. If the power goes out right after the erase, then you would have nothing to fall back on if you needed to do a restore. That is why I suggest having a 2nd set that if that bad luck was to happen you would have something to go to.

 

 

 

Just a suggestion.

 

 

 

Melissa

[shadowbox]

But Suzan should be aware that if she recycles once a week she could lose a file if she accidentaly deletes something and doesn't realize it. For example: You have everything backed up. You delete "File X." Currently "File X" is still in your backup set. A week goes by and you do a recycle backup. "File X" has been deleted from your main drive and so can't be backed up again. A week later you realize you need "File X." But you are out of luck. Whereas if you just did normal backups, this wouldn't have happened.