Best way to transfer backups offsite...

[rcarr2000]

I have TI Server for Windows 9.1 installed on one of our offsite dedicated servers. The backup works fine but I have a few issues and questions. Hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

First some background...

I run daily backups (differential) of my C drive and store them to my backup (D) drive on the same box. This is good in the event that my C drive fails.

I also copy the backup files Acronis creates to a remote server (in same building as our dedicated server) occasionally. This is totally manual, and the only way to access the server is via FTP. I cannot map the drive.

I would like to be able to automate the process of copying the backup files from my D drive to the remote server via FTP. Can anyone recommend a solution for this? I saw that the Workstation version of TI has this capability but since I already have the server version I am not sure if I need it.

If I can get this going, that would leave me with a fully automated backup of my C drive on my D drive and on a remote drive.

Here are some concerns:

1. If the building burns down at the host I am screwed. So I need an automated way to copy the daily backups to a remote server in a different building. Preferrably in a different geographical location completely. I know I am not the first to have this problem, so what is the best solution for this? The machine doesn't have a DVD writer so the backup needs to be done FTP.

2. The daily backups are pretty big, so I cannot store more than 7-8 backups at once on my D drive. I don't see a way to have Acronis automatically remove the earliest backup so I can get a rolling 7 day set. Now I have to manually delete the backups every few days, which really sucks. Am I missing something here? How do I tell TI to delete files when the drive is full so I don't get left without a backup so often? For instance, if I am doing a full backup, can TI be configured to estimate the backup size, look at the free space on the drive, and then remove the oldest full backup if space is needed. This is exactly how my current backup works and it is maintenance free.

3. When I tried doing a full backup (scheduled) I saw a comment stipulating that a full backup automatically overwrites the prior file. I want to make sure I have this correct. Does TI not create additional full backups adding a (1), (2) etc. to the end? I don't just want one backup. I guess I could create separate scheduled backups for each day, but this seems strange.

Sorry for throwing out a lot of issues here, but just trying to figure out how best to utilize TI with my specific circumstances.

Thanks for the help!

[nanders]

Hello!
I'm almost working on the same solution as you. I can tell you what I found out so long.

In Acronis True Image Server 9.1 you can choose to backup directly to your FTP. The solution you looking for (remove oldest version, only store X backups etc.) is possible if the FTP server has the "Acronis Backup Server" and "Acronis Management Console" installed (Only available in Enterprise). Then you can specify all this kind of things. This is working great if you use the option "Backup Server" when you make your backup. But I havn't sorted out how you specify the FTP-backup option to put the file in the "Backup Server" yet. I have posted a message asking Acronis this. Take a look at this thred:
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=142434

/Anders