Backup softeware?

Status
Not open for further replies.

GeekGirlHere

Solid State Member
Messages
19
We are running a 2003 Exchange Server. What backup software do you recommend we use? I would like to backup everything from personal emails to shared out drives all without people have to be out of everything. I have heard that Symantec Backup Exec is good, does anyone have any experience with Synctec's backup exec?

Also, what are the benefits to using tapes instead of an external HD's? What are the best brands of tapes and decks?

Thanks!
 
Tapes are an older technology, generally a decently reliable technology. The biggest limitation of tapes is the amount of data that can be stored on them, as it does not compare to Harddrives, price the same. Hard drives, especially portable ones can be a viable alternative, where size will be an issue. I mean physical size, not logical size. You probably need to look at how much data you will need to back up. It may be that burning a CD or DVD will be enough. If you require more than a DVD's worth, I would definatly suggest a backup program that you can schedule. Your idea on symantec should be fine, but look at the features it offers. Unfortunatly I don't have any experience with symantec. My backup programs I wrote myself. :S

On backup plans - this should be part of your disaster recovery scheme, and the most accepted method is to have a child-parent-grandparent backup. To illustrate, the child backup might be a daily back up kept in the same room as the server that it backs up. The parent backup may be a weekly backup, taken home with you over the weekend, and the grandparent backup would be something done every two weeks or even monthly, and it would need to be in a safe deposit box in a bank. The idea being that the possibility of three catastrophies happening in three different places like that are small to none. Off site back up at least. Always Always Always have off site back up. Even if you put it on a tape and drive it to the bank every friday @ noon.

That's kinda my take on it.
 
We use a program called Evault along with a tape backup. Evault is a disk to disk backup to a server and ultimately to an off-site server at our corp. HQ. The tape backup is, as was mentioned, older technology but reliable. It is also slow. And the tape drives are expensive too, costing in the thousands of dollars for one that has a capacity of about 100 GB. Tapes are in the $50-$150 range depending on capacity as well.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom