Prefered mode of backups 1

[NEXCOMPAC]

I am currently looking for the most ideal way of backing up our server running windows 2003.

Two things I need help with:
Software req's
Hardware application - ie. tape drives, external hdd's etc....

I have had run-ins with Dantz but find the software robust. Plus, they allow backup of workstations.

I'm not fond of tape drives, they break, get dirty, scratched, only 20gigs....

Ok, any and all help would be great!!

 

[mrdenny]

There are tape drives out there much larger than 20 Gigs. The ones we use hold 200 Gigs each I believe.

The nice thing about tape is that you can take it off site.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000) / MCTS (SQL 2005)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

 

[tfg13]

Several solutions for you, but it all depends on what the budget allows, as well as knowledge. Are you up for a challenge with a SAN?

http://www.emc.com/storagemanagement/

There is always NAS as well:

http://www.sun.com/storage/5000/5300/5310/index.xml

If budgeting could be an issue, thought about a having an external company provide a backup solution for you?

http://www.usdatatrust.com/landing/tape-backup.asp

Lot's of choices, just need to find the best solution for you and the company.

 

[tfg13]

I'm going to agree with MrDenny. You can take tapes offsite, and I didn't notice the 20 GIG comment:

http://www.quantum.com/Products/Media/Index.aspx

All the way up to 1600GB compressed....

 

[NEXCOMPAC]

Yea so you can take tapes off site, what about exteral HDD's? And how about the REV drive system that Iomega has?

 

[NEXCOMPAC]

Yea.... Not this option. We are much smaller than these needs and our budget wont constitue the price below for the SMALLEST option.....

http://www.sun.com/storage/5000/5300/5310/index.xml

$48,995.00

 

[ScottCr]

How much are you looking to backup and from how many servers?

http://scottcross.blogspot.com

Windows and NT Admin.

 

[NEXCOMPAC]

We have two servers.
One will back up to the other, then we want to back up this one and will be looking at about 40 gigs compressed.

 

[tfg13]

Sounds to me like you might be more interested in:

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=751269

(check around, as CDW doesn't necessarily have the best price)

Maxtor claims that this is a "one touch" deal, but I have not been able to get it to work on a server. May want to look into getting a third party app (like Veritas Backup Exec). Never tried to get the NTBackup function to work, and that might do the trick for you as well....

 

[NEXCOMPAC]

Ok, Ghost and Acronis, do either back up workstations on the network?

 

[JGALEY]

You asked about REV drives earlier: for what it is worth, I know a guy using REV to backup his network, and it works fine for him. He backs up all his key servers to the REV drives, then he moves the cartridges offsite, plus he gets the benefit of faster throughput than tape. The cartridges seem to be more expensive than tape.

I use NTBackup to do disk to disk backups all the time, and they work great and fast. We use that for hourly backups of critical data (like SQL Server backup files), and then we use BackupExec to move them to tape once per day for offsite storage (our tapes are up to 90 GB compressed). With NTBackup, I can go out to workstations or servers, and it is free, since it comes with Win2k and Win2k3.

I used Maxtor's One-Touch drives in combination with NTBackup for some sites, but I did have some problems with the drives overheating and failing. Personally, I prefer an external drive with a fan built-in to the case for better cooling, but maybe my situation was an abberation.

Jason

http://www.catotek.com

 

[mrdenny]

No matter what backup solution you select you need to make sure that you do test restores from the backup soltuion on a regular basis, and that you've thought out your DR solution and have tested it as well.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000) / MCTS (SQL 2005)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

 

[birky]

Wont be long before DPM (Data Protection Manager) will be the way to go for Windows environments.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/dpm/techresources/winbackup.mspx

PinnacleData Systems (UK)

 

[wasisnt]

I use a program called Backup Assist. Its an addon for ntbackup and it works like a charm. Its only $150 too.

http://www.backupassist.com/

I backup to USB hard drives.

http://www.onlinecomputertips.com