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Snapshot copies on "Disk" backup media. How necessary?


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Hi,

I'm doing "Disk" backups of a volume across the network to a UNC path on another machine.

 

I'm currently using the default setting which adds a copy of the latest snapshot to the media each time (it always gets added to the catalog file anyway, according to TFM).

 

Is there a compelling reason to continue doing this? The down side is my backup grows by about 250 meg (snapshot size) each session, even if a few scant meg of new files were actually backed up this time.

 

What's the up side to including the snapshot in the media itself? I presume the "Repair catalog" optiion would still work even if the media contained no snapshot? Wouldn't this regenerate the snapshot anyway? I presume a verify media would still work as well?

 

Is it OK to stop using this option?

 

Advice appreciated!

 

Thanks

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Hi

 

Snapshots allow you to easily restore to any point in time. It includes a copy of your registry as well as an image of what files/folders were on your drive at the time of backup. You can choose to turn off snapshots but that will limit you to file only restores. You will not be able to restore a bootable system.

 

If you are really hurting for space you can turn off snapshots but it is best to leave this enabled.

 

Thanks

Nate

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Seems I don't have a choice, unless I've misread again.. Either the snapshot goes into both the catalog file and the backup "media", or you say no and don't get a snapshot anywhere.

 

I see your point. But I do *want* a snapshot, just the *latest* one, not all the redundant previous ones. It would be nice to store it in the catalog file only rather than the backup itself.

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The snapshot is technically not stored in both locations. The latest snapshots for each volume are stored in the catalog. On subsequent backups the old snapshots are sent to the media, and the snapshots in the catalog are replaced by the new copy.

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Ah...

 

Thanks AmyJ.

 

You mention that the snapshot stored with the media is the *previous* snapshot, but when I check my backup files:

 

Initial full backup:

08/03/2004 09:35 629,153,792 AA000000.rdb

08/03/2004 09:37 629,153,792 AA000001.rdb

08/03/2004 09:38 629,153,792 AA000002.rdb

......etc

08/03/2004 13:13 629,153,792 AA000140.rdb

08/03/2004 13:13 119,377,920 AA000141.rdb

08/03/2004 13:16 216,702,976 AA000142.rdb

AA000142.rdb is the snapshot, isn't it? And it was added at the time of the full backup.

Next backup

09/03/2004 19:14 113,614,848 AA000143.rdb <<-data

09/03/2004 19:15 216,887,296 AA000144.rdb <<-snapshot

And the next

13/03/2004 15:03 257,515,520 AA000145.rdb<<-data

13/03/2004 15:04 217,337,856 AA000146.rdb<<-snapshot

 

Anyway, do you know of a way to stop retrospect copying these "old" snapshots onto the media, while retaining the latest snapshot in the catalog file?

 

Thanks for the response.

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