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  • #2282940

    disk to disk backup

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    by epait ·

    Hi,

    I run a Win 2K network with about 50 users for a CPA office in two locations conneced via a T1. I have to backup in my location…a PDC, Exchange and terminal server and from the other location a BDC (across a T1 (about 10MB throughput). I just switched to an AIT drive 100Gb/300GB but still have a backup window of 6 hours. Being a CPA office and being tax time I have users wanting access after 11pm when the backup starts. In AD I have everyone locked out between 11pm and 5:30 am M-F. I backup about 86GB all togther. MY superior suggested a make shift disk to disk…Install a 100GB drive in my term server and use XCOPY to copy all data to it from other servers and drives…then backup to the tape anytime during the day. Can this work? They don’t want to pay for the disk to disk equipment….

    Thanks,
    Rob

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    • #2698254

      What type of backup?

      by pgm554 ·

      In reply to disk to disk backup

      Sounds like you are backing up everything.

      Have you tried differential or incremental backups?

      Your backup strategy seems a bit suspect.

      86 gigs every night sounds like way too much.

      • #2698253

        Plus+

        by pgm554 ·

        In reply to What type of backup?

        You can’t copy files that are locked open.If they are using a database for taxes(QuickBooks,Peachtree,etc) ,and if a db file is open ,it can’t be copied.

        If they want to use the system while you back up ,get an open file manager for the backup software.

        • #2670454

          An OFM would solve everything.

          by lincdk ·

          In reply to Plus+

          Good point about the Open File Manager. What backup application are you running? Windows Backups or something more advanced like Veritas Backup Exec etc?

          My backup windows are about 4 hours although I’m using a dual drive 20slot beast backing up 150gb of data ( incremental ) a day. We simply couldn’t survive without the Open File Option. A godsend. Check out St Bernards OFM as a cheap(ish) option or research the OFM options for your backup proggy.

          Good luck

    • #2698232

      Reply To: disk to disk backup

      by mrafrohead ·

      In reply to disk to disk backup

      You could use Ranish Partition Manager to copy from disk to disk, but the destination disk has to be at least the same size of the source, otherwise it won’t work right.

      Ranish is Freeware. That kind of sounds like what you were talking about.

      Mrafrohead

    • #2698208

      It could work

      by hereinoz ·

      In reply to disk to disk backup

      So rather than go direct from disk to tape, you put the backup on a 2nd disk, then transfer that to tape during the day? That will work.

      I do find myself asking why you are backing up 86Gb per day – sounds like a lot. Have you considered incremental backups as previously mentioned?

      Is the tape backup through the day going to be across the T1.1, and if so, will this adversly affect network performance? Just a thought.

      We use disk to disk backup, where we back up one machine to another and then copy that backup to a third on a nightly basis and it works fine. We have a situation, therefore, where we would need a concurrent failure or theft of three computers in three locations to lose data, and we then take a weekly backup to removable media, just to be sure.

      We have needed to restore from backup on one occasion, and I must say that is was very quick restoring from HDD.

      Cheers

      Alan.

    • #2670395

      XCOPY, Yes if you use the right software switches

      by wharb ·

      In reply to disk to disk backup

      Yes, XCOPY will do the job and you can use your task scheduler to creat a task job to run at any time that you want.

      If you’re just backing up your data and not the User/Administrator profiles and boot/startup image area of the drive then XCOPY will be the simplist and best utility to use. You just need to build a batch macro (command prompt BAT command file usting the appropiate syntax and software “switches”).

      At a command prompt (console box) type XCOPY with the “/?” switch to get the help screen for the XCOPY utility. This will list all of the switches and all of their definitions/usage syntax.

      If you use the “/D” (without the appending date spec.) switch in the command line string this will give you the best performance after the first go-around because this will only backup the necessary files changed/updated from the previous backup-copy. That means, from that point, that the backup-copy will be very brief and complete. This is considered the best and most efficient method of a complete backup of data(application user generated data).

      The “PC” SOFTWARE DOCTOR

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