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!

 

[sdeb]

Hye,
I work for a reseller and I'm in charge of installing backup solutions so I won't be able to give you only
one example, but...

.How often do you back up your data?
.Do you perform full, incremental, differential ..

Most of the time people backup their data like this:

Incremential/differential during the week everyday (5 days)
And they protect thoses backups 1 or 2 weeks.
They also make FULL backups week ends (most of the time
friday night or saturday morning because full backups are very longs). Full's are protected 1 month.
They make monthly full backups for externalization (is it english ??).

·What type of backup software do you use?

I use VERITAS Backup Exec, VERITAS Netbackup and
LEGATO Networker.

·What backup devices do you use?

Now, most of the time I use LTO, Mammoth-2 and DLT8K drives.

·Do you have a written backup strategy/disaster recovery plan that you could share with me?

Most of the time those guides already exist and can be found with documentations.

·Do you store any backup tapes off-site?

Yes, or a better solution is to use two robots and put
a duplication strategy between 'em. One in building A, the other in building B.

You're welcome !.
Sdeb.

PS: Nearly the same for me ... (something like 25 years!).

 

[Meldric]

Here is our backup "strategy":

AS/400 is incremental Mon - Thu, SAVLIB Fri - tapes are held off site for two weeks. SavSys monthly(third Saturday) and are held off site for one month.

Win2k Servers - Roughly 350 gig. Full save Mon - Fri on LTO drives. Held off site for 2 weeks.

Users(PCs/Laptops) - We provide NetBackup Pro. Backup is user controlled and therefore the user's responsibility. Backs up to one of the servers which is backed up as above for Win2k servers.

As far as a disaster recovery plan goes, we have a rough plan, but nothing finalized do to business financial concerns.

What I have recommended is below:

- Hot Site or Guarenteed equipment replacement contract
- Secondary data provider(frame relay and T1)
- Secondary computer site capable of running our apps temporarily while data recovery is being performed

Now with all that comes significant cost and not much gain unless a real disaster occurs. I do not expect to get any of it so will have to make do with what is in place.

Hope this helped somewhat.

Roger