Backup server to Multiple drives?

[Bill Smith]

Hi,

I am familiar with setting up Retrospect (in non server mode) to backup to multiple hard drives.

I have done this in the past so that I rotate a drive each week - keeping one drive off site.

Is it possible to have multiple drives with the backup server mode?

 

If so, how does the backup server know which drive to go to each week?

[CallMeDave]

I am familiar with setting up Retrospect (in non server mode) to backup to multiple hard drives.

Is it possible to have multiple drives with the backup server mode?

 

First, Retrospect does not backup to hard drives; Retrospect backs up to Backup Sets; those Backup Sets are the Destination of your Backup.

 

On the current Macintosh version of the product you can use a File Backup Set stored on a hard drive or use the hard drive as a Member of a Removable Disk Backup Set.

 

A Backup Server script can have multiple Destinations, and it will write data to whichever Destinations are present.

 

 

See page 80 of the Retrospect User's Guide:

 

Whereas a regular backup script follows a rigid schedule for its clearly defined source volumes and destination backup sets, a Backup Server script is driven by the availability of those resources...

 

So if you only have one of your drives connected, your Backup Server script will use that disk (either the File Backup Set on it, or write to it directly as a member of a Removable Disk Backup Set).

 

When you swap disks, Retrospect will use the second disk instead.

 

If both disks are there, it will write to the one that it didn't write to last time.

 

 

Dave

[Bill Smith]

Dave,

 

Thanks for the reply. That was very helpful.

In the scenario I described - where we keep a drive offsite for a week - does each drive have a complete set of backups?

 

In other words, if a disaster where to happen and we had to rely on the offsite drive, would we be able to restore all files based on the last time that backup drive was used as a backup?

[rhwalker]

In other words, if a disaster where to happen and we had to rely on the offsite drive, would we be able to restore all files based on the last time that backup drive was used as a backup?

If you had backed up enough (and the right) stuff, yes. Been there, done that, with tape backup sets when our floor of our office building burned down a few years back.

 

Word to the wise: Test your backup sets, not only so that you can verify that the correct things are being backed up, but also so that you know the drill when the crisis comes. The hours after a fire are not the time to learn that you didn't back enough stuff up, or to learn that you don't know how to do a restore.

 

Oh, and make sure that you are backing up your catalogs, too. Otherwise, you may spend days rebuilding catalogs before you can begin to restore.

 

Been there, done that, and Retrospect saved our butt. All computers were lost, but no data was lost.

 

Russ