Backup Rotation Question

[Michael]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsnt.misc (More info?)

I'm rolling out a standard GFS backup rotation: Mon-Thurs
differentials, Friday fulls, and a monthly full on the last business
day of each month. My question is what type of backup should the
monthly be? A regular full that resets the archive bit, or a copy
backup that will not? My inclination is that if the last business day
does not fall on a Friday, then it should be a copy backup. If it does
fall on a friday, do the regular Friday full backup and take the tape
offsite.

TIA,

Mike

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsnt.misc (More info?)

As with your Grandfather the monthly tape takes precedence on the daily
or weekly (Friday) tapes. The Monthly tape takes precedence to the
other tapes. It has to be a full restore tape. Grandfather tapes
restore to the latest point first, Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Monday
then Friday. If you cannot fix things it that order then you restore
Friday 3, Friday 2, Friday 1. Then Month 3, Month 2, Month 1. Then
Year. On month end you usually need two backups, the month tape and the
day tape. Also you need four Friday tapes (not 3). And you need at
least two year tapes, current and previous year. The more you go back
on the archive (3,2,1) the more you will need to rebuild your data.

John

Michael wrote:

> I'm rolling out a standard GFS backup rotation: Mon-Thurs
> differentials, Friday fulls, and a monthly full on the last business
> day of each month. My question is what type of backup should the
> monthly be? A regular full that resets the archive bit, or a copy
> backup that will not? My inclination is that if the last business day
> does not fall on a Friday, then it should be a copy backup. If it does
> fall on a friday, do the regular Friday full backup and take the tape
> offsite.
>
> TIA,
>
> Mike