Tools and Strategies of Backup

Critical data, files or records in computers are very important for enterprises and individual users. Once data lost, immeasurable loss may happen. Hence, learn some common sense of backup and restore is extremely necessary.

Basic Tools of Backup

1. Built-in backup program in Windows, Mac, etc.
2. Backup tools in application system.
3. Professional backup system bought from the third party.
4. Zip / RAR compression

Strategies of Backup

We need to determine strategies of backup after choosing storage backup software and technology. Three elements need to be considered: content of backup, time of backup and methods of backup. People can make different strategies according to concrete situations. There’re three strategies widely used at present.

1. Full Backup

Full backup is to use a tape to full backup of the entire system including system and data. It is intuitive and easy to understand with this method. Data can be restored with only one tape which contains backup before disaster happens. However, full backup of entire system everyday results in large duplicated backup data, such as operating system and applications. It’s really cost people much time and money.

2. Incremental Backup

Incremental backup aims at back up changed files after last backup. This kind of backup avoids the disadvantages of full backup, but it is difficult to recover data. You must have tapes of last full backup and all incremental backup. It is dramatically increase recovery time by recovering data in a time sequence from full backup and incremental backup.

3. Differential Backup

Differential backup is that backup data is relative to the new and modified after last full backup. It cost less time and space, because there’s no need to do full backup for entire system every day. You can get full recovered with the combination of full backup tape and backup tape used one day prior to disaster.

In practical application, backup strategy is a combination of all above three methods. For instance, you can do incremental backup or differential backup from Monday to Saturday, full backup on Sunday, and full backup at the end of each month and each year.

Original post:  http://datakeeper.blog.com/2013/09/03/tools-and-strategies-of-backup/