Sector by Sector Backup for System Drive?

Discussion in 'Acronis True Image Product Line' started by DavidPJ, Mar 21, 2008.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. DavidPJ

    DavidPJ Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2005
    Posts:
    25
    Do you use sector by sector image backup of your system drive? I'm trying to understand if this is the best method of system drive backup. What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing a sector by sector backup? Thanks.
     
  2. como

    como Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2004
    Posts:
    498
    It is usually not required that you do a sector by sector backup, I understand if you do the whole disk will be included in the .tib file, whereas normally only the in use portion of the disk will be included giving a quicker backup and a smaller .tib file.

    From page 28 of the user manual
     
  3. TheWeaz

    TheWeaz Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2005
    Posts:
    1,562
    A sector by sector backup will take longer to create and the resulting file will be larger. This is because it will backup every sector whether or not it contains good data.
    TI will do a SbS if it cannot determine the file system, so it can’t tell what’s good data and what’s not. A SbS can also be done manually in cases as describe in the previous post.
    A SbS backup is usually the exception, not the rule.
     
  4. Thamuz

    Thamuz Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2007
    Posts:
    78
    ...And then there is the restore to consider, because isn't that why a backup is done in the first place?

    If you are doing a Bare Metal Restore then a SbS backup is definitely the way to go.

    Compared with most backup and restore software out there the time to restore a bare metal machine to a running state is considerably faster than that of a flat file restore.

    With a flat file BMR restore you must first install the OS and all SP's and Hot fixes, and then install the backup software in order to complete a flat file restore.

    With ATI you only need to boot from the rescue media and restore one file and the machine is up and running.

    So if your goal is ultimately to be able to restore fast then is it really a concern how fast the backup process is?

    With normal compression on a GB network the bench mark for backup rate is a GB per minute.
     
  5. TheWeaz

    TheWeaz Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2005
    Posts:
    1,562
    “If you are doing a Bare Metal Restore then a SbS backup is definitely the way to go.”
    “With ATI you only need to boot from the rescue media and restore one file and the machine is up and running.”

    I’m a bit confused. What difference does it make if your restore file is a SbS file or a regular image file? Why is a SbS “the way to go”? With a SbS, all you’re doing is restoring empty unused sectors along with the good data.
    Remember, a regular image backup is not file based.
     
  6. Thamuz

    Thamuz Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2007
    Posts:
    78
    ATI does a Sector Based Smart backup meaning the snapshot captures only the used sectors.

    A true SbS backup is called a "raw" backup which backs up the entire contents of the disk including the white space. This can also be done using ATI in the command line mode.

    The difference between doing a restore using the "raw" backup file and the native ATI backup file is the native backup file will restore quicker.

    In a BMR regardless of what type of full backup took place using ATI there is still only one file that needs to be restored.
     
  7. TheWeaz

    TheWeaz Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2005
    Posts:
    1,562
    Correct, but why then is a sector by sector backup "definitely the way to go"?
     
  8. Thamuz

    Thamuz Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2007
    Posts:
    78
    The advantage is that it captures every sector even the unsused space this helpfull for forensics, lost files, and lost partitions.

    The disadvantages are the images are bigger and the backup and restore time is longer.

    This type of backup is only necessary if you really want the unused space for the reasons above.

    In my opinion if you are not worried about the backup or restore time and you want to include the unused space then the raw imaged based backup is the way to go.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.