Acronis True Image / Imaging Software Configuration

[Vicenarian]

Just curious, what configuration do you guys use for imaging backup solutions?

In Acronis TI for example, do you set backups to be one image and then all incremental after that, or one image and all differentials after that, or images + incremental/differential, and then a new image every # of backups, or just images every night?

I need to be able to restore an image quickly if the computer's hard drive fails.

 

[Paul Rodgers]

Just curious, what configuration do you guys use for imaging backup solutions?

In Acronis TI for example, do you set backups to be one image and then all incremental after that, or one image and all differentials after that, or images + incremental/differential, and then a new image every # of backups, or just images every night?

I need to be able to restore an image quickly if the computer's hard drive fails.

I'm looking towards Servosity to do image based backups.

 

[4ycr]

I usually do incremental

 

[Larry Sabo]

I try to avoid having more than three incrementals, after encountering one that was corrupted and frustrated the restore. This was at a customer site and he had nothing but multiple incrementals going back months. The only way to recover was to restore selected files from the images. ATI is glacial at restores and having multiple incrementals seems to make it worse, IIRC.

 

[4ycr]

sorry I should expand, I do a full backup at the weekend and then incremental during the week.

Only reason I still do it if for exchange 2003, not sure if the newer versions still need it but I use it anyway.

 

[Vicenarian]

Ok, so I'm thinking 1 full image a week + differentials every day would be a good choice?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Unless the backup software is a higher end package that can track incrementals and tie it all together for any snapshot...I do full images each night.

One of the purposes of image backups is fast restoration. Why go back to old tape backup methods like incrementals?

If the capacity of the backup system is outgrown and you are crippled by having to save space and avoid full backups each night...drop down to differentials. But incrementals...throw that whole thought away.

 

[Vicenarian]

Unless the backup software is a higher end package that can track incrementals and tie it all together for any snapshot...I do full images each night.

One of the purposes of image backups is fast restoration. Why go back to old tape backup methods like incrementals?

If the capacity of the backup system is outgrown and you are crippled by having to save space and avoid full backups each night...drop down to differentials. But incrementals...throw that whole thought away.

Thanks for your input YeOldeStonecat

Full backups it shall be. I guess I could always set the backup program to delete images past a certain date anyway, if I was running out of space.

 

[NYJimbo]

Dont forget to have some retention. Dont make a weekly full and then overwrite that back up the next week. If anything is wrong with the full you have nothing to fall back on. Many hosting servers overwrite the only backups they have and if that backup is dead you are dead.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I guess I could always set the backup program to delete images past a certain date anyway,

Yeah..you want to try to keep as much "old backups" as you can....but agreed at some point you've got to start over-writing backups past a certain age. Nice to keep at least 2 weeks worth of backups...minimum. Depending on client and their needs and type of data on there....beyond that..1 month, 6 months...a full year back...plus archived "Year End" each year.

And Jimbo brings up a good point...yet another reason I'm not overly fond of incremental backups...is, if the original full backup is tanked...even if succeeding days are OK..they're not of much use without their mother (the full backup).