Backup strategy

[bruinator]

Hi Guys, Need your help again. I need a backup strategy for a 10-workstation network including a file server, domain controller, web server and a database server. What would be the best way to going about doing this. I appreciate any and all help.

tia

[bruinator]

Can I get some help with this please. I would realy appreciate it.

[BipolarBill]

It's the labor day weekend, bruinator. How important could this be?

Anyway, you need more information than can fit on these humble pages. There are just too many options!

I would suggest calling in a consultant or asking a couple of backup vendors (sales) for ideas. The latter is generally free.

[bruinator]

What info is needed and I will try and provide it. I'd even take the option the most people would use. I would really appreciate it.

tia

[BipolarBill]

I would install a second hard drive in each workstation and run Norton Ghost weekly on each. I recommend this to keep network congestion down.

I would purchase and install a RAID 5 NAS 1-2TB storage solution:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822329012

You would store the workstation profiles and documents to the NAS device full-time.

You would image the 3 servers weekly with Ghost to the NAS. You would store all databases on the NAS device permanently as well. You wouldn't need a file server at all, so that's money saved.

This particular NAS device has USB ports and can back up data directly to a USB 2.0 device. You should do that daily after hours. It's a simple button press. You would use at least two USB devices or tapes and would take the one you remove each night home with you in case the place burns down.

[slam]

Do you have link for the usb backup devices you are recommending?

[BipolarBill]

There are many. You can use hard drives or tape devices.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Order=PRICED&Page=1&N=2000150414+50001305&Submit=ENE&Nty=1&Subcategory=414

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/09/01/iomega_rev_loader_280/

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16840108118

The advantage of the last two is that you don't have to haul the whole drive home - only the cartridges/tapes. Frankly. tape is dying as a backup medium. The REV system is sweet, but the disks only hold 35GB each. Still, you're only backing up the user profiles and business databases to it, so you would normally need about 4 disks per backup. That's manageable.

[bruinator]

Bill, Don't you think it would be a better idea to backup nightly and use tape? If so, how would you set that up. That seems like the way i have to go. Your help and time is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

[Sterling_Aug]

Tape is expensive from tha mterial and the labor point of view.

Hard drives are schedule it and forget it.

[BipolarBill]

Managing backups of each workstation and the servers is a nightmare. You can put all important data on the file server and then backup from there, but unless you use RAID 1 or 5 on the file server, your data is vulnerable on a minute-to-minute basis. You're better off with the RAID 5 NAS device than any file server.

If you insist on using a standard file server, I really recommend a redundant RAID array (1, 0+1 or 5). If you do that, you can skip the NAS device.

[Sterling_Aug]

Sounds to me like your company needs to hire a consultant or a full time experienced network admin so the system is run properly.

The most valuable part of any business is the data. You lose data and you lose your jobs!

[bruinator]

Managing backups of each workstation and the servers is a nightmare. You can put all important data on the file server and then backup from there, but unless you use RAID 1 or 5 on the file server, your data is vulnerable on a minute-to-minute basis. You're better off with the RAID 5 NAS device than any file server.

If you insist on using a standard file server, I really recommend a redundant RAID array (1, 0+1 or 5). If you do that, you can skip the NAS device.

So should I go this way or with the way you responded earlier in this thread? The only thing I have to say is it has to be done on a nightly basis and shouldn't there be something that can be sent off site for storage. In either way you suggest, please consider these requirements. Again, I appreciate your help and time.

tia

[BipolarBill]

Please follow the links. Use the REV device for offsite *or* use online backup to something like FileBanc.

You have to think for yourself here. All I can do is give you options. I can't decide for you. I can tell you that your file server should have at least 1TB of space - preferrably 2TB. You can use a file server or the NAS device. When you add it all up, the cost is less for the NAS because it has the drives already and doesn't need Windows Server or client licences. You still need to copy use data and customer databases offsite daily. Use the REV for that.

If you aleady have the file server, get 3x500GB (or 750GB) SATA Seagates and a RAID 5 controller card for it. Your eyes are going to pop when you see the price for that, but consider this: your boss is going to fire your bootie if you get a hard drive failure at 10AM on the file server and you can't get it up and running in 30 minutes. With RAID 1, 0+1 or 5 you can let the server limp along until the end of the day and rebuild the array after work with no data loss.

[fizur2002]

Depending on your budget, you could opt to get a SAN and do a remote backup with a backup program such as Handy Backup to do incrimental and snapshot backups to a remote server and as well with using a raid 5 array or raid 10 on your server.