Regular Backups

Regularly backing up your files is perhaps the most important strategy. A well-designed media rotation scheme (as explained in the Supplement to the Backup Exec User Guide KMAN094) plays a key role in quickly restoring your file server.

This involves a DIFFERENT named tape for each day of the week: use Tape A on Monday, Tape B on Tuesday, Tape C on Wednesday, Tape D on Thursday. Tape F could be used for Saturday if you run Saturday surgeries. Tapes E, G and H are used on successive Fridays to provide weekly backups. Finally, Tapes I, J and K are monthly tapes, used on the last Friday of the month.

Keeping a log book is a practical way of recording which tape was used.

Most backups now occur overnight. REMEMBER TO CHANGE THE TAPE EACH MORNING TO THE NEXT TAPE REQUIRED FOR THE NEXT NIGHT. The tape just backed up can then be moved off site.