3.8. Backing Up Your Machines
The oft-neglected process of backing up your machines and the critical data they contain is perhaps the most effective insurance policy you can take out for your business. It's like exercise: although nearly everyone knows that it's an excellent idea and vital to health, not everyone does it. Fortunately, Windows Server 2003 includes a backup utility in the box which performs this function at a basic level. This section will discuss how to use the GUI front end, and how to access the same features from the command line using the core NTBACKUP program for enhanced automation possibilities.
NTBACKUP
can perform several different types of backups:
Copy Copies all selected files but does not mark each file with a cleared archive attribute. Copy backups can be performed completely independently of other backup procedures without affecting their sets.
Daily A daily backup backs up all files modified since the last day. With a daily backup, the archive attribute is not cleared.
Differential A differential backup copies new files and other files modified since the last normal or incremental backup. It does not mark files as having been backed up. To restore a complete backup, you'll need the last normal backup (covered later) in addition to the last incremental backup.
Incremental An incremental backup backs up files created or modified since the last normal or the last incremental backup. It does mark files as having been backed up. To restore a complete backup, you'll need the last normal backup (covered next) in addition to the last incremental backup.
Normal A normal backup (sometimes called a full backup) copies all selected files and marks each file as backed up. You create these to start a backup scheme, and they're used in conjunction with differential and/or incremental backups, depending on what you choose. Normal backups can be used independently; they don't require another accompanying set.
 | The files that NTBACKUP creates are very large, even when compared with an eye for price to commercial products such as Veritas BackupExec. Keep that in mind when justifying the cost of sticking with the built-in product versus investing the money in a third-party backup product. |
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3.8.1. Using Backup from the GUI
To back up the contents of your server to a file or to another removable media device using the GUI, follow these steps:
Navigate to the Backup tab, and then select New from the Job menu. Click the box to the left of a file or folder to select the files and folders you want to back up. In Backup Destination, choose File (the default selection) if you want to back up to a file on disk. Choose another device if you want to back up to a tape or something similar. In Backup Media or File Name, choose a location for the backup (.bkf) file if you are backing up to a file. Otherwise, choose the tape you want to use. Make sure you've configured this backup operation the way you want by selecting Options from the Tools menu and verifying the choices there. Click the Start Backup button, and then make any changes to the Backup Job Information dialog box. Click Advanced to configure options such as compression and verification. Then click OK.
| You should note the following considerations if you use either Removable Storage or Remote Storage. You should make a note to back up the contents of:
%systemroot%\System32\Ntmsdata
and:
%systemroot%\System32\Remotestorage
on a regular basis. If you don't, it's possible (although somewhat unlikely) that Removable/Remote Storage data could be lost and unrestorable.
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