Its about time to do a backup..

Started by ItsMyWay, 05-24-2010, 00:49:45

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ItsMyWayTopic starter

How often do you do your back up? I think the perfect time is every 5days. What do you think? Am I wrong?
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Sevam

I do it weekly.
you can add poll to this topic.


ryosuzuki

I backup automatically every 7 days. I used to back up daily but it put too much of a resource drain on my server :(

henriyo

#3

For personal or business data, the frequency of backups would depend on how often the data is updated or changed, and how critical it is to operations. If data is being added or changed frequently and it would be detrimental to lose any of it, daily backups might be more appropriate. In other situations, weekly or even monthly backups could be sufficient. Therefore, a backup every 5 days could be just right for certain types of data, but it would really depend on the circumstances.

Another factor to consider is the type of backup being performed. Incremental or differential backups, which only save changes since the last backup, can often be performed more frequently than full backups due to their smaller size.

Finally, remember that having a backup strategy is only half the battle - it's also crucial to regularly test backups to ensure that data can be successfully restored if need be.

I can provide more information about backup strategies.

3-2-1 rule: This is a rule commonly used for backup strategies. It stands for three copies of your data, on two types of storage, with one of those copies being off-site. This helps cover almost all types of possible data loss.

Versioning: This is the process of keeping multiple past versions of documents. This can be useful in case of a mistake in a file, so you can roll back to a previous version.

Local and cloud backups: Local backups (like an external hard drive or NAS) are great because they generally offer faster backup and restore times compared to cloud solutions. However, they can still be damaged or stolen. This is why it's a good idea to also have a cloud backup.

Encryption: Backups should be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access. This is especially important for cloud backups which could be more vulnerable to breaches.

Automate backups: Backing up can be a task that's easy to forget. By automating this process, you ensure that your data is backed up consistently.

Check your backups: It's critical to periodically check your backups to ensure they are working correctly. There's nothing worse than thinking your data is being backed up, only to discover that the backup process failed when you need to restore.

Software solutions: There are numerous software solutions that can help with backup tasks. They range from free to premium ones, with more features and functionality. Some well-known names in this field are Veeam, Acronis, and Carbonite.

The frequency of backups, as you initially asked, is indeed crucial and is dependent on the value of the data and the frequency of changes. The more frequently data changes and the higher its value, the more frequent backups should be. Every five days could work for some cases, but for very important or rapidly-changing data, more frequent backups might be necessary.

aspects to consider when forming a backup strategy:

1. Impact of Data Loss: You should consider how much it would impact you or your business if specific data pieces were lost. For example, a database that holds crucial customer information would likely need more frequent backups compared to a library of old project files.

2. Backup Types: Different kinds of backups can serve different needs:

Full Backups: They are the most comprehensive but also take the most storage space and time. It involves backing up all the data in your system.

Incremental Backups: They only save the changes made after the most recent backup of any kind. This is quicker and consumes less storage, but restoring from incremental backups can be more complex because you need all the incremental backups plus the full backup to restore the data.

Differential Backups: They only save the changes made after the most recent full backup. These take more space than incremental backups but less than full backups, and restoring them is simpler than restoring from incremental backups because you only need the most recent differential backup and the full backup.

3. Backup Storage: You should consider where to store your backups. Options include external hard drives, Network Attached Storage (NAS), or cloud-based servers. The ideal scenario is to have a mix of on-site and off-site backups to mitigate against the risk of physical damage at any one location.

4. Backup Scheduling: The frequency of backups should be determined by how often your data changes and how critical it is to your operations. Many businesses opt for daily backups, some going as far as backing up multiple times per day. If your data changes less frequently, a weekly or biweekly schedule might work.

5. Recovery Time Objective (RTO): This is the duration of time within which a business process must be restored after a disruption to avoid unacceptable consequences. The lower the RTO, the quicker you need to be able to recover your data.

6. Recovery Point Objective (RPO): This is the maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time. It determines the frequency of backups; for instance, if you set an RPO of four hours, you are saying you can afford to lose the last four hours of data.

7. Regular Backup Testing: It is very important to periodically test the restoration of your backups to identify any potential issues and to ensure that the recovery process works as expected.

damponting44

Time Machine is a backup software application included with the Apple OS X operating system. To use it, you'll need an external storage system, such as an external hard drive. Turn Time Machine on and it automatically makes copies of the files on your computer on a regular basis. If you lose or damage a file, you can use Time Machine to browse through the backups to recover a copy of the file.


dark404

am a bit lazy about this. Sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly or sometimes when I remember.

BR_Y_$

In my case, I make backups once every 3 days, I redo a lot. And so, when there were some minor changes, then +- once a week
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