Steve Erbach
erbachs at gmail.com
Wed Jan 13 08:45:53 CST 2010
Mark, >> I saw there are already a lot of responses to this thread << ...but there don't seem to be any clear-cut answers. Backup is as much a black art as security, methinks. That "hot" backup idea is good. I'll chat with Janet about it. Only she will be able to tell whether the boss is willing to spring for a second HP server. >> Sure I would have to map the printers again, and we might have no domain controller for few days, but once everyone has access to machine B, you are good to go. << That is one of the things that simply astounds me regarding backup "philosophies": isn't it better all around if the backup system has got all of those things ready to go? I mean, with an image backup of the server to a drive in a docking station, you don't have to worry about conflicting domain controllers or what have you; but all that's needed is for the backup drive to be designated as the boot drive on the server and, mirabile dictu! The server is back up with ALL the domain controller and email and printer definitions, etc. What is so frickin' magical about servers that that type of backup can't be done? Sorry, not yelling at you...I simply am shaking my head over this simple setup and the apparent impossibility of the backup task as stated. Thanks for your input, Mark. Steve Erbach Neenah, WI On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 3:23 AM, Mark Breen <marklbreen at gmail.com> wrote: > Hello Steve, > > I saw there are already a lot of responses to this thread, but I can tell > you what I do with a few servers that I am responsible for. > > 1) I have a spare machine on the network, and I use DeltaCopy to mirror > certain folders from Server A to machine B everynight. This has worked > well > for three years now. > This gives me hot backups, every 24 hours. I could actually increase the > frequency to every 12 hours if I wished. Very little network traffic, as > DeltaCopy only copies differences. > > 2) Using DeltaCopy again, I make a second sync of the files from Server A > to > a WebServer that happens to exist in a data centre off site. For > connectivity I use Hamachi. You could offer the client this solution and > even host the off-site machine at home, once Hamachi works at home you are > ready to go. > > These two options give me hot 24 hours, on and off site backups, fully > automated and cost almost zero. If Server A went down, all data is stored > on machine B, on site. Sure I would have to map the printers again, and we > might have no domain controller for few days, but once everyone has access > to machine B, you are good to go. And of the building burns, floods, or > all > equipment is stolen, you have 24 hours off site backups. > > 3) I periodically copy selected data onto CD / DVD / tape once a quarter as > a point in time archive. > > Hope that helps somewhat, > > Mark > > > 2010/1/12 Steve Erbach <erbachs at gmail.com> > > > Dear Group, > > > > My wife, Janet, wrote a while back asking for advice on server backups. > > She's the *de facto* system administrator where she works, a retail > > high-end natural food supplement store with a large Internet presence [ > > www.naturalhealthyconcepts.com]. I said "de facto" because she really > has > > no experience with hardware or networking. Databases, queries, a little > > web > > design, sure. Trouble-shooting network and backup issues? Yuck! > > > > Anyway, I've been, of course, privy to her continued struggles with the > > backup issues she's been having. This all started when Janet's boss had > a > > new server installed. It's a Windows Small Business Server 2008 system. > > That's a hybrid of Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2005. >