Best practices for XP network ?

I'm trying to get a handle on this, maybe some gurus here can help.

I have 2 new computers, XP pro on both. Running just file and device sharing.

The "server" has 160 GB Raid drives ( "0" I think ). I'm expecting to run "9.0 home" on both computers. I,ve been planning on storing "full and diff." backups on "opposing" computers.

The data is very critical ( by the day, not "the minute" ). I'm looking for some best practices, as to "secure backup". The opposing images would seem to serve the system fairly well as far as system, or software corruption, and even drive failures if carried out properly, but this doesn't cover "fire" etc., so I need offsite backup as well. A few questions:

> Can offsite backup be handled with DVD full backups, plus rotating DVD Diff. backups ? Is this safe ( workable ) ?

> how about external hard drive(s) ? again, safe ( workable) I've read a great deal on "fozzy's" USB external drive dillema.

> what is the meaningfulness of the raid drives, If I backup to "opposing" networked computers, and also keep offsite backups on DVD, or external drives ?

Thanks for any insights you can offer, > Barry

ooPS: I'm quite the reader, any links to this kind of discussion ?

 

I suggest forgetting DVD media as your primary backup media ... unless you have plenty of hair and don't mind pulling some out.

Definitely go with an external usb drive.

Here's another solution since you are interested in "offsite" storage: Put the drive you want to take offsite in a removeable storage tray. In fact if downtime is critical, put both the boot drive AND the backup drive in removeable trays. And, I would not normally recommend this, but in your case see if you can get the Clone feature to work with your hardware setup. If it does, you can clone to the backup drive then pull it out for offsite storage. But the beauty of it is if the booting drive dies you can be up and running in the time it takes to pull it out and push in the backup.

 

The DVD is not "primary", it is offsite ( for after the building burns down ). A weeks data loss, is no big deal when the building burns down, however, the certainty that the Image "restores", is of paramount importance.

Please give me some hint about the DVD media "danger", or difficulty.

And has Fozzy's problem been resolved ?

We haven't addressed the Raid drives yet, this is a little bit "foundational".

Thanks, > Barry

 

By primary I meant trying to backup directly to DVD. It is more problematic that trying to backup to an external usb drive. You will find more topics here with problems writing directly to dvd that to a usb drive.

Then add to that the fact you will probably end up with multiple dvd discs to hold the backup and you're added another hurdle for TI.

What is called the 2-step method for backup to dvd media is preferred. In other words first burn an Image to a hard drive in dvd sized chunks then burn those pieces to dvd with your favorite burning software.

 

I started out wanting to use two External hard drives, for "rotating offsite storage", however, my local computer supplier, who built the computers, is balking at this concept, and is being cagy about the reason.

The first backup would be full, and would require two disks. I would expect to execute the restore function, to prove viability, and make two more copies, one to keep locally, and one for a third location. Subsequent differential backups would require only 1GB at most, and could then hold four "versions". With three "rolling differential disks", I could run for three months, before deleting "earliest diff. backups". Are we still having a problem ?

This sounds fine by me, but with this method, is Acronis still managing the restore, of a "full image" ?

Thanks, > Barry

 

RE Rotating external drives for off-site storage -

I have been using this method with a small business network for several years - there is an external USB/Firewire drive for each weekday. Every night, the data drive (not the OS) is imaged to the external drive, and that drive taken off site the following day.

On a weekly basis, a test restore is done.

FYI - we have been using Maxtor 250 and 300 gig externals. We have had only one of these externals fail, and that was after two years of use. In all that time, I have run into only two or three images that were "corrupted" in the weekly test restore. An Adaptec Firewire card is used for the Firewire connection. Native USB works as well.

Makes me wonder why your computer vendor is hedging on this method - I would ask for an explanation.

 

Thanks for your response, do you use RAID on the server ?

> Barry