I need a new backup strategy-what's yours?

[cgwillard]

I am looking for some guidance for our network backup job. Here is our current situation:

·We back up 215 GB every night from 10 servers.
·We use 2 Sony AIT tape drives.
·We also use an Exabyte tape library with AME tapes.
·Daily backup job takes a total of 40 hours on three separate drives.

I’m looking for better ways to backup more data in less time. So, I’m checking around to see what type of backup strategies everyone else is using.

Can you share the following information with me?
·How often do you back up your data?
·Do you perform full, incremental, differential backups, or a combination of these?
·How much data do you back up?
·How long do your backup jobs take?
·What type of backup software do you use?
·What backup devices do you use?
·Do you have a written backup strategy/disaster recovery plan that you could share with me?
·Do you store any backup tapes off-site?

Thank you very much for your help!
cgwillard
Only 25 years until retirement!

 

[Zelandakh]

40 hours for 215GB? Suggest you find out why.

I back up more than that in less than half the time.

Backups:
often? Monday to Friday.
full or incremental? always full.
How much? About 250GB per night.
How long? 4 drives, 20 hours including verifying.
Software? Backup Exec and Retrospect.
Devices? DLT and AIT1.
Plan? Yes. Share? No. You need to write up each server, its full spec, how much storage space it has, the backup device you use and its capacity, whether you have done disaster recovery testing to another server, full instructions on anything special to do, list of every piece of software and its serial nos and patches and where the software can be found. This is so unique that you need to write it up yourself.
Off-site? Of course. What's the point otherwise. Disaster recovery means fire realistically. What's the point of keeping the tapes next to the server?

What did you miss? Cycles. Perform full backup called Midweek. Run that job Monday to Thursday. Perform full backup each Friday. Name the jobs Friday 1 to Friday 10. Each time you run Friday 10, package the tapes up and store them off site.

You now have each days backup for the last week, each week's backup for the last 10 weeks and each 10 weeks backup for ever.

You can vary this according to your company (and if they can stomach the cost of the tapes!).

 

[cgwillard]

Thanks so much for your input. It sounds like you have a good setup. cgwillard
Only 25 years until retirement!

 

[RiosCNE]

·How often do you back up your data? Our Data is backed up every night.
·Do you perform full, incremental, differential backups, or a combination of these? We use a method called GFS (grandfather, father, son) with a touch of tower of hanoi. It works this way. A seperate tape is used for every day. A full backup on tuesdays and fridays (fridays become your weekly -father- tapes with the last friday becoming your monthly -grandfather- tape with differentials -son- made on saturday, sunday, monday, wednesday, and thursday. In case of a restore, this allows you to use only two tapes (the last full backup and the last differential) to restore all your data.
·How much data do you back up? About half as you.
·How long do your backup jobs take? Full backups about 7-8 hours and differential about 2 hours.
·What type of backup software do you use? Backup Exec
·What backup devices do you use? Quantum ALT w/eight tape drive capability. in compressed mode.
·Do you have a written backup strategy/disaster recovery plan that you could share with me? I do have a contingency plan in place, but it is best to develope you own based on your experience and operating system. Your best bet is to start with the OEM of your equipment, then the OEM of your software. Money should never be an issue in disater recovery. Find a local expert that can help you on a contract basis if you do not have adequate IT personnel.
·Do you store any backup tapes off-site? Always do this and in a Media Safe, not just any safe. They are expensive, but worth every penny. Store your last monthly in a second off-site secure facility with limited access.

 

[cgwillard]

Thanks for the info RiosCNE. Very helpful. cgwillard
Only 25 years until retirement!

 

[Guest_imported]

*Nightly
*Full Deltas
*350 GB
*12 hrs.
*EVault
*Raid 5
*All Storage Offsite

We are a bank that has 45 branches with a 72 server environment. Our tapes were being verified, however we went to restore and the data was not there. In addition, we spent a minimum of 2 hrs. managing the process daily, which equated to a minimum of 10 hrs. a week. At $25/hr., that a $1000.00 a month minimum in man hrs.

We switched to electronic vaulting (EVault)and spend no time with the backup process. No tapes! We have a T-1 connectivity and the backups are a breeze. The backups take place automatically at night and file level restores take minutes, literally! No courier has to come out to pickup or deliver.

We also use the G-F-S, and found there are many advantages to EVault. Originally, I thought that it would not be secure and too expensive, but after they met with me and I understood the process, it is both more secure and cheaper. I am sold on EVault.

 

[cgwillard]

Thanks, Q-Dog. That's very helpful. cgwillard
Only 25 years until retirement!