network backup question

[ggggus]

I'm looking at software like Symantec Ghost, read a few bad reviews on that one...and other software like it. I need some suggestions on the topic.

My main area of expertise is web programming, and I've been put into the position of IT manager(among several job descriptions) of a very small service company with 5 computers. I need suggestions on a backup system.

From top to bottom, software and/or hardware...

Mainly the accounting software, and database of customers and work done on customers equipment needs to be backed up daily. I would also like to be able to restore settings on the PC's.

I guess I also need suggestions on hardware, should I be backing up to cd's, dvd's, tapes, a server's hard drive, or other?

BTW, these are all PC's running different OS's, one of them is on Japanese Win98. The others are on Win2k Pro, Win2k Server, and WinXP Home

I guess I'm looking for direction, guidance, and suggestions on making sure that all data on the computers is safe and recent in case of a catastrophic failure.

Jeremy

***************************************
J. Jacobs

http://www.piercedmedia.com

 

[ReddLefty]

If your budget is not too tight, I suggest Computer Associates ArcServe or Veritas BackupExec.

I don't know BackupExec as well, but I do know they have similar products to ArcServe.

Arcserve with a good DLT drive. DLT's can go from 20 to 120Gigs!. If DLT is too expensive, you can always go for a DAT Tape to try and cut a bit of costs, but the time it takes for backups will increase accordingly.

You may install the ArcServe Clients (Push Agents) on all your servers and they will backup any Windows OS.

Arcserve also has add-ons, such as Exchange Server Agent (to backup your Exchange Dbase and Mailboxes), Open File Agent (To backup open files - carefull, not databases), SQL Agent (To backup SQL Server Databases).

The big draw back is that it comes with a hefty price tag for 20 users, but I would recommend it anyhow, since it's a long-term solution. The last thing you want to do is use something like NT Backup on schedualed jobs and find out it hasn't been working properly for the last few weeks and you need to restore something...



"In space, nobody can hear you click..."

 

[ggggus]

Why is windows task scheduler not reliable?

Hard Drives seem to be cheaper than tapes from what I've looked like... why tapes? What is the shelf life of information on a tape?

 

[ReddLefty]

The main reason for tapes is that they are relatively inexpensive for the size that they store AND most importantly, they are mobile and not too fragile.

If you will be taking care of the backups, this also means taking copies "off-site". If your office suffers a catastrophy like it burns or another 9-11, you must have copies outside the destroyed office so you can get the company up and running again with no major loss of data. This is the major reasons tapes are considered one of the best solution.

You could use hard drives, but if somebody mistakingly erased a file 6 weeks ago, it will be tough to get it off a hard drive that will probably not have enough data store long enough to cover for that.

Also, drop a tape, then drop a hard drive, and see which one still works... hehe.


You need a backup plan, Here is a monthly plan: let say you want to have Monday to Friday tapes (5 tapes), then every week (Friday 1 to 5) then once a month (12 Months) and I take one out every end of year, that will give you 5+5+12+1= 23 tapes. You label them, Monday to Thursday, then Friday 1 to 5, then Month 1 to 12 (or you can write the months on them). Also, the fifth week only occurs every 4 months so you sorta get a quartely tape. I call them Quarter 1-4 instead of Friday 5.

You can use smaller plans, like Monday to Friday, Weekly and Monthly and reroll the tapes. It all depens on how long and how many gaps in the backups you think you can afford. Medical companies have a backup a day. 365 tapes! A small office around the corner might only use 6 tapes (1 per weekday and one per month!) That part is up to you.

Test your restores every once and a while too. Too many admins think that backups are a juniors job.. I tend to say that it's taken too litely by network admins. Backups and restores are one of the most important tasks in your line of work. If you can't restore something important and your supposed to be able too, that means you can't do your job.... not a good sign to the boss...hehe.



"In space, nobody can hear you click..."

 

[ggggus]

Again, I'm a total newbie to this Admin stuff, and thank you for all your help so far.

You mention taking tapes off site, which makes a lot of sense. But it also seems to contradict your previous post a little. Why do a need a system like ArcServe which will automate my back-ups and not depend on A windows scheduler, if I have to change a tape everyday anyway, why not manually initiate the backups.

Or is it that ArcServe is superior software for the back-up itself, and more reliably saves data for future restores.

Also, do you know of any good open source back up software? I guess I'll check sourceforge

Thanks again.

 

[ReddLefty]

Well, there is a certain balance between your hardware and software. The better the tape and software, the less chances of failed or corrupted jobs. ArcServe has proven to me, over the year, to be sturdy and reliable. When something goes wrong, it tells you right away. The reporting on Arcserve is also superior to NT backups and the BIGGEST advantage of a good software: DATABASE. The software can hold a catalog of tapes (and the files on the tape), so when your looking to restore, you don't have to load up the catalog on the tape every time, which you WILL need to do with NT Backup every time you wish to restore.

Unfortunatly, only you know your needs and I cannot tell you what to do... If you think you can get by with NT Backup, then that's fine too, but that was designed more for personal use. Like I said above: Don't underestimate the value of backups! They are a HELL of a lot more important that most people think. In fact, many network administrators place their juniors to do the backups which I find is a fatal mistake (personal opinion of course).

For open source stuff, you might not find that much, since NT Backup is already included with Windows, so why write another one?

You could maybe find better backup software that comes sometimes with the tape drive. If you get a DAT drive, it will probably come with a lite copy of Backup Exec or something like that, which may be good for you. It's a lot better than NT backup and will be more sturdy too, since it's been tested with the tape drive you just purchases.

Good luck!





"In space, nobody can hear you click..."

 

[ggggus]

Ok, one more question...I think.

Currently on the system there is a combined 80Gb of hard drive space, approximately 40 of which is used. How far do these back-up software systems compress information... how big do the tapes I get have to be? will 20/40 Gb Dat's work?

I the forseeable future I can see another computer added to the system with another 40Gb hard drive... I don't want to buy another system in a year because we've out grown it, but we only add computers about 1 per year.

thanks.

 

[ReddLefty]

A rule of thumb is to always have a tape drive the size of your data... so if you have an 80G drive, then get an 80 Gig tape at the minimum.. but read further and you'll see this is not always the correct thinking.

If your planning to expand, or need to backup OTHER servers (as is usally the case), you can plan another tape, or a bigger one, like a 60-120G.

As far as the data on your system, to be safe, just always stay 1.5 times ahead, but this always depends on the data.

If your company does music for a living, then you'll have a ton of MP3s, and they are already compressed.

If your company is an engineering firm, most likely you'll have alot of Text based files which compress nicely onto tape.

If you say 40 Gigs is already taken, play it safe and think that you will need 1.5 times that, so 50 Gigs on the tape.

In Arcserve, you can do a job size estimate and see what it says.



"In space, nobody can hear you click..."