Greetings!
I thought I would share a higher level of backup strategy with my Fellow
FoxHeads. I it's one that has taken a Belt & Suspenders approach in File
Backup to a new level, where one can add "Nail Gun" to the Belt &
Suspenders". Here is the layout I am going to implement on a business
system (for an unnamed business) this week (after a new LTO3 Tape Drive
arrives, everything else arrived already)...
The current File Backup solution is one where the Servers and Mission
Critical PCs are using r_DriveImage (Servers) and either Norton Ghost or
Norton Save & Restore (Client PCs) to perform an image of the Boot Drive on
a once a week basis, usually scheduled (internally or via Windows Task
Scheduler) to run on a Sunday. They are also using SyncBack to run a
complete File Backups once a week, usually on a Saturday, after business
hours. The remaining days of the week they are performing a differential
File Backup using SyncBack. The target Backup Unit is an External USB Hard
Disk Drive (HDD) for each Server/PC, with one directory for the Image file
sets (retains the most recent 4 Image File sets), and a separate set of
directories for the File-By-File backups for each day of the week other than
the day the Image Backup is created.
Further, there is a separate set of duplicate External USB HDD units kept
off-site, and are rotated on site monthly, at which time the on-site units
are rotated off-site. The disk-to-disk backups run very quickly since the
processes are handled on the local Server/PC USB2 connections, and the
disk-to-disk data transfer speeds far exceed disk-to-tape data transfer
speeds. Further, since we are doing disk-to-disk copies, which allows us to
access the target device in a random manner as opposed to linear access on
tape units, we can send on the new and newer files from Source To Target, an
intelligent backup process as opposed to a simple linear (send everything to
tape) approach. Finally, since this is all disk-to-disk, the entire process
is automated other than the unit rotation, no tapes to swap in and out of a
tape drive unit.
But, as nice as this approach is, one must still rotate all the local USB
HDDs off site once each month, which for the number of machines in this case
is a fairly significant task. So, here is how I am going to set these folks
up this week, after their new LTO3 Tape Drive unit arrives. The Primary
disk-to-disk USB HDD Backup units remain in place, and are processed as in
the past. The Secondary USB HDD Backup units are going to be connected to a
Target Server on their network. After the weekly File-By-File and Disk
Image processes are completed on the local Servers/PCs, SyncBack will be
used to copy the most recent set of Full Backup and Image File Sets to the
Secondary USB HDD units on the Target Server. Because the Secondary backup
processes are still disk-to-disk, only the new and most recent file versions
will be sent over the LAN, overnight, so there is minimal LAN traffic and
LAN speed degradation during business hours.
Then, early in the week the Target Server will the HP Tape Backup software
to copy the most recent Backup and Image files from the Secondary USB HDD
units to the LTO3 Tape Drive unit. LTO3 can store 400Gb of data natively,
and up to 800Gb with compression (I anticipate a more realistic 600Gb or so
since the Image Files are already compressed). With 5 days during the
business week to pop LTO3 tape media in and out of the LTO3 drive, all of
the Secondary HDD files sets can be copied to tape well before the end of
the week.
With this approach only the LTO3 Tape Cartridges have to be rotated off
premise, and there is on premise a Primary and Secondary disk-to-disk array
of HDD units to handle file recoveries as needed. But, in the event of a
disaster that causes the loss of all the on-site disk-to-disk HDD units, the
LTO3 Tape Cartridges that are stored off site can be used for the Supreme
File Restoration.
Of course, a weekly or monthly test of LTO3 recovery to a Test HDD ought to
be performed to ensure a needed recovery will actually work <g>, otherwise
the whole plan would (as expected) go to hell in a hand basket. But, that
ought to be done with their current disk-to-disk solution anyway. The cool
thing is it is far less expensive to add sets of LTO3 media for a deeper
level of archiving, as opposed to adding additional sets of USB HDD units.
And transporting the LTO3 media is far easier than transporting the entire
set of USB HDD units.
The LTO3 Tape Drive is an HP external model 920 unit. The Server that will
host the LTO3 Tape Drive has a PCI-Express slot (64 bit), which will end up
with an Adaptec 320 SCSI card in it to connect to the LTO3 Tape Drive for
maximum throughput speed. Initially there will be enough LTO3 media to
allow for 4 weeks or archiving, with the oldest set of Tape Cartridges
rotated on premise for the upcoming week's Disk-To-Tape backup process.
Total investment into the additional LTO3 hybrid solution is about $2,800,
plus the labor time to manage the schedule to swap tapes in and out of the
LTO3 Tape Drive, and rotate the Tape Cartridges off site <g>:
$1,800 HP External 920 LTO3 Tape Drive with one cartridge and included
basic Tape Backup software (nothing fancy needed as the Source Files are
coming from a static Secondary Backup set of HDD units),
400 SCSI Card, 320,
450 additional 11 LTO3 cartridges (3 needed per week),
140 4 each Turtle brand LTO3 Tape carrying cases, holds
5 cartridges each
If they decide to use more than one off site location to rotate the LTO3
media to, then we would have a "Belt, Suspenders, Nail Gun and Super Glue"
solution.
Anyway, it looks so slick that I thought I would share it in case anyone
else is interested in a similar approach.
Ciao!
Gil
Gilbert M. Hale
New Freedom Data Resources
Pittsford, NY
585-359-8085 - Office (Rolls To Cellular)
585-202-4341 - Cellular/VoiceMail
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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