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What is a partition copy?
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Partitions divide computer hard drives into independent sections. For example, you could literally have entirely different operating systems on separate partitions on the same computer because the partitions are independent of each other.
Certain computer manufacturers sell their computers with recovery partitions already created. Look under My Computer/Hard Disk Drives on your computer and you might find separate listings for Local Disk (C:) and RECOVERY (D:) – those would be separate partitions.
Copying a partition means that you have completely copied the entire contents of one of those independent sections to another hard drive. That means you’ve not only copied the files, but the partition tables and file system settings. Yes, even if you have more than one partition on your hard drive, you can copy just one of them if you want.
Partition copying is often used when you are upgrading to a new hard drive or when your old hard drive is about to crash. Indeed, if you had created a partition copy and that hard drive did crash unexpectedly, you’d be able to take the copy, install it in your computer, and be up and running in practically no time. |
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What is a full backup?
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A full backup does not necessarily mean an entire backup of every file on your hard drive. Instead it just means that for every file backed up, you are backing up all of the data of the files. For example, you might have an incremental backup that only backs up the changes and hence doesn't have all of the content of the original full backup.
Generally, you would perform a full backup once and then perform only incremental or differential backups on those things that have changed. After all, if you’ve backed up your 2000-2005 tax returns once, why would you want to keep backing them up if you haven’t made any changes to them?
A full backup obviously takes the most time, since you’re copying everything. But it’s the place to start it you want to make sure you’ve got everything backed up.
Since incremental backups only make backups of changes, and differential backups make backups of all changes since the last full backup, an occasional full backup might be worthwhile if only to make it easier to restore your system should a crash occur, say, a year after you did the last full backup. |
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What is an incremental backup?
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Incremental backups are backups of only the files that have changed since the last full or incremental backup was run. As a result, they’re obviously much smaller and faster.
The downside of incremental backups is that it can be a pain in the neck to restore your system because you not only have to restore back to the last full backup, but then have to find and restore all the incremental changes made since then because incremental backups only back up those changes made since the very last backup. |
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What is a differential backup?
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Differential backups are the happy medium between full and incremental backups.
Differential backups backup everything since the last full backup. Yes, this means that you will be duplicating backups of things you’ve already backed up. But restoring your system is much easier because you’ll only have to restore the last full backup plus the most recent good differential backup.
Differential backups are made even better if you run an occasional full backup to reduce the size of what needs to be backed up regularly. Otherwise the amount of data might be too large to allow this method to be effective. |
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What is selective backup?
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The term "selective backup" is self explanatory as it is the process of selecting specific files to be backed up. Selective backups are mostly used by home computer users who simply want to make sure certain things are backed up…My Documents, My Favorites, photos of the grandkids, old tax returns etc...
The selection process usually takes more time to setup but in the end will take up far less space than other types of backups and can be done on a CD, DVD or, if you still have them, even a floppy.
Indeed, selective backups are often used by home computer users to simply move data – My Favorites, as an example - from one computer to another. Yes, that could be considered simply moving a file, but if you toss the floppy into a box once you’re done, you’ve literally created a selective backup! |
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What is a replication backup?
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A replication backup is similar to mirroring except that you create policies as to what should or shouldn’t be copied at a specific time as opposed to mirroring which copies everything in real time.
The main benefit of replication is that it allows you to set backup policies according to company’s security and archival regulations which results in reduced storage costs. |
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What is data mirroring?
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Data mirroring is the process of copying data in real time
to another server/location for failover purposes. As a result, the data stored
on the mirrored machine is exactly the same as the data on the original system.
Data mirroring is used as a failover for a system that holds critical data that
needs to be accessed immediately in case of disaster.
While data mirroring can be done both locally and offsite, it makes far more
sense to use offsite data mirroring for the simple fact that it protects you
against a disaster that would effect your host location.
Indeed, with data mirroring, should the system crash, the backup system could
come online either automatically or with a few quick steps, protecting your
business from interruptions.
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What is data mirroring with reverse incrementals?
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Data mirroring with reverse incrementals is used to optimize the backup and restore process for larger backups.
Unlike typical incremental backups, which requires the user to store an older full backup and then multiple single incremental backups after that, this system works in reverse. After creating a full backup, every subsequent incremental backup is appended to that full backup and saved as a seperate restoreable backup. Therefore, at restore time, all you have to do is go backwards, restoring one backup at a time, until you get your data back to a specific point in time.
Unfortunately, backups to CDs and other removable media won’t work for this type of backup as each incremental backup has to add to the previous backup. |
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What is a disk-to-disk backup?
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In backup terms, 'disk' represents a physical hard drive. Disk to disk backups refer to the process of copying files from one hard drive to another for storage/backup purposes.
Compared to other types of backups, disk-to-disk backups are often the fastest and most cost efficient way to backup, store and restore sensitive data.
Disk-to-disk backup is most effective when backing up to a disk on another computer such as a mapped drive or a UNC path on your LAN.
For example, to backup to a computer named server1 in the c:\ of server1, you could simply instruct your backup application to backup to: \\server1\c$\myBackup
The above path is a UNC path and it represents the folder myBackup in the c: drive on the computer with the name server1.
Server1 may be located on your LAN or perhaps via a VPN.
c$ is known as an administrative share. Administrative shares exist on all computers by default (With the exception of Windows XP/Vista Home).
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What is a snapshot?
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Snapshots are utilized to back up large files, usually
databases that are being updated on a continuous basis. Due to the size
of larger databases, backup times can become quite lengthy.
Database
backups can jeopardize the database's relational integrity if not done through
the database API or with a backup software that properly caches the entire
folder during backup time. Loosing relational integrity means that you lose the
relationship between the actual database files and its log files, which would
result in an out of synch or corrupt database.
Snapshot backups close the entire database folder before the actual backup so
that a "snapshot" can be taken of the entire folder at a point in
time. The backup software would then backup the snapshot instead of the
live file, keeping the relational integrity of the database in tact.
Snapshots are also known as "split mirror backups" because, while
they don't backup the actual live file, they do mirror the folder while it's
running without any noticeable downtime.
While snapshots used to require a SAN (Storage Area Network) configuration, a
newer type of snapshot, called copy-on-write, is now available for businesses
without a SAN. Basically the copy-on-right he snapshot is created. Once the snapshosoftware chooses a moment in time to
freeze the existing files, and moves the new writes to the files elsewhere
while tt has been created, the
new data is automatically merged into the database so no new data is lost.
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What does System Restore do?
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Windows' System Restore is a utility built into Windows XP and above that allows a user to restore their system from a previous point in time without having the risk of loosing any data that they've created since then.
The
System Restore utility only tracks and reverses actual changes to the
system's registry, which could include a new driver or software being
installed. Again, rest assured that the System Restore utility won't
delete any new data that you created such as a new word document or
excel file.
Windows' System Restore utility does not automatically create a system restore point any time there is a change to the registry. Creating one for any change, is however very important as it allows Windows' users to restore their system back to a point in time when it was working correctly. For example, should your computer start acting up after you've installed a new game from the Internet, if the application created a system restore point, you can simply use the System Restore utility to go back to the point in time where the game was not installed, giving you back your system's stability.
In practice, several users report limited success in actually restoring a system restore point.
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If I use System Restore, do I have to do another system backup?
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In a word – yes.
If your system crashes, then System Restore won’t do you a bit of good because you won’t have access to it.
The purpose of System Restore is to give you the opportunity to restore from a specific point in time that your system was healthy, and not to create a backup file that protects you in case of data loss or hardware failure.
System restore will not restore your data either. It is only for system settings and the registry.
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What type(s) of backups are best for a home computer?
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The goal for home backup is to protect your data with the least amount of work possible. Backing up your home computer on a regular basis, is a very important task, especially if you're running a home business.
Computer hardware has greatly come down in price these days, so replacing
a fried hard drive doesn't require a second mortgage anymore, but
losing important data could. CDs, DVDs, and external hard drives – and, possibly, remote online backups – are the backup methods of choice for most home users as they are the simplest to acquire and use.
The truly hardest part of backing up is actually remembering to do so. This is why automated, scheduled remote online backup services have gotten a lot more popular these days. After software set up, backups run automatically. All you need to make sure of, is that your computer is turned on with a live Internet connection.
Still a bit weary of online backups? Not a problem, there are many excellent programs out there that will perform backups for you automatically with little human intervention, meaning making sure there’s a CD/DVD in the slot or that the external hard drive and computer itself is turned on at backup time.
Backup up over the LAN by mapping a drive from one computer to another is always a good option, but does not protect you against things like fire and theft.
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