DAT24i's, Tapes, and Data Recovery, Oh My!

[Dollie]

I'm disguised as a Systems Administrator (not certified, but certainly qualified) at my job, and have been processing tape backups for quite some time on a Windows NT server using NTBackup.

We got a HP DAT24i tape drive and were using the SureStore software. When we moved to Win2K, the software was incompatible. We received TapeWare from HP and installed it. My backups seemed to be going great (I would verify the data every morning)....until I was asked to *restore* something from a month ago. ($#@%!)

After mounting the tape and reviewing the contents, I found the file and tried to restore it. After the program repeatedly asked for the wrong tape and it kept ejecting the tape I was trying to restore from, I gave up!

I need to figure out the absolute best method for data/disaster recovery for a small (dozen puters) network. What I'm doing now just isn't cutting it, my boss isn't happy and neither am I!! Restoring a file from yesterday is a breeze, but restoring something from a month ago is currently impossible!

I currently run a DOS script to backup misc. files from the workstations during the day, then another at night to copy our data (almost 5 gig stored in one root directory with many subdirectories for easy backups) to another server within the network, and then run the tape backup on the full system using the TapeWare software in the middle of the night.

I've been browsing through Data/Disaster Recovery examples, but none simply describe a good method of backup and recovery of data. I need to use the technology I have available to me: Win2K, HP Dat24i tape drive, NTBackup or TapeWare software. I'm tempted to return to NTBackup, and then backing up the entire file to tape, instead of running it the way I am now. I have a CD burner, but using it is out of the question because of the quantity of data and the fact that the backup needs to be automated to run at night to avoid database corruption.

I hope this message isn't too convoluted to figure out! Any help is always greatly appreciated from here!

Thanks y'all X-)

 

[bjverzal]

I guess I'm missing the real issue..is it tape rotation, backup software, procedural, ???

What are you looking to get from the group ?

Bill.

 

[Dollie]

I guess the message *was* a bit confuddled!

I've got the rotation, software, and procedures, but it's obviously not the best method. My real issue is a bit buried in the message, but I'm looking for a backup process suggestion that can utilize the technology I have available. My greatest concern is that we have a massive data loss (say, the computers float away in the next great storm), and I won't be able to recover anything.

 

[bjverzal]

I must be having a brain backfire. I am unable to separate what you mean by "backup process suggestion" from "...and procedures...".

How can I separate process from procedure ?

Bill.