[dba-Tech] Symantec Backup Exec

Wow!   I did not know that about bootable backups. (Not that I know that
much about backups to begin with...) Thank you for that...I will continue to
research other backup options then!

Janet

On Tue, Mar 30, 2010 at 3:50 PM, Jim Lawrence <accessd at shaw.ca> wrote:

> Hi Janet:
>
> A system does not need a full image backup continuously. I traditionally
> use
> an image backup to set a 'Tomb Stone' and then just have the backups app
> doing a regular backup. In the event of a major set of updates of system
> configuration then an image can be redone. If a full restore is ever
> required then the image backup is first used to rebuild a fully bootable
> drive and the regular backs are use to restore the current status.
>
> There is something that seems to not be common knowledge:
>
> First; a fully bootable image of a drive can not be created while a system
> is running. The system must be stopped then booted from a DVD/Memory stick
> with your favourite Image backup application on it and then the full image
> can be created.
>
> Second; products that claim they can do a full image while the system is
> running are not telling the whole truth. There is only one way they can
> even
> start a backup and that is by either having exclusive use of the drives,
> not
> practical on an operation server or do a Shadow backup. Neither of those
> methods are complete on an operational drive.
>
> Third; a Shadow backup is a backup created from the system's duplication
> method. Those duplicated file tend to be sporadic especially on a very
> active server and image does not end up with any of the primary drive info
> or boot track information as it can not be duplicated while the system is
> running...also having Shadow Copy feature running on an OS drive sucks up
> recourses like crazy. For those and other reasons Shadow Copies should
> never
> be used on the boot drive...only on data drives.
>
> HTH
> Jim
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Janet Erbach
> Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 9:28 AM
> To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
>  Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Symantec Backup Exec
>
> Jim -
>
> Like you, we've been backing up to a portable device and taking the disks
> off-site using Casper.  But I was told last week that Casper does not
> provide a truly bootable image for SBS 2008.
>
> I guess I balk at the standard Windows backup from an ease of
> recoverability
> standpoint in a total server crash.  I like the idea of backups that
> provide
> a bootable image that can be restored onto another machine without having
> to
> re-install every bit of software.  I've never been in that kind of
> dead-in-the-water situation (thankfully!) so I'm just going by what I
> imagine the recovery process to be like.  Which, of course, is very likely
> way off the mark.  Am I putting too much emphasis on the importance of a
> bootable image?
>
> Thanks for the info on logmein - I will look into that more.
>
> On your client's SBS 2008 machine...do you happen to know what the base
> line
> day-to-day memory usage is?  Ours is running at around 12gb out of 16
> total...and I'm starting to think that 2008 is such a resource pig that it
> really does require that much.  I would be curious to know if your client's
> machine runs like that as well.
>
> Janet
>
>  _______________________________________________
> dba-Tech mailing list
> dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>