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Apple
Tested
Apple Certified
Apple
Certified Technical Coordinator
for Mac OS X v 10.3, 10.2, and
10.1
Apple Certified Help Desk Specialist
for
Mac OS X v 10.3
Ten Steps to Effective Backups
by Fred Balin
Created: September 25, 2001
Latest Modification: June 6, 2004
In an earlier Special Report, we focused on the unfortunate yet very common ways in which you may lose your valuable computer data.
Here we focus on backups, a form of insurance we all need. Your files are just too valuable to take chances. Company databases, financial records, correspondence, email, and projects are probably worth many times the value of your computer systems. And the time it takes to restore and reconstruct (if possible) the key elements could set you back much further.
Chances are you are or will become a practitioner of regular, automated, full backups to reliable media on a quality drive. We recommend you achieve this level of security before you suffer a major loss of data.
Below are some key steps to successful backups.
1. BACKUP ALL IMPORTANT FILES
But which files are important? More often than we care to remember, the file we quickly deem expendable is needed after we exclude it from our backup set. It's not easy to determine today what will be important tomorrow.
And where are those files we judge vital? They may be in any of a number of folders. Or misfiled somewhere on your hard drive. Or possibly hiding in an email database, attachment folder, or Palm data file; or camouflaged as a fax file, address book, bookmark set, or who knows what.
And what about your system and application files? Of course you have the original CDs readily available (don't you?), not to mention all the updates you've applied. But do you really want to spend the time reinstalling and reconfiguring after a catastrophic hard drive failure? It would be a whole lot easier to replace the faulty drive and then restore everything from the most recent backup.
Except for cache files, mp3 (compressed) music files, and anything you absolutely know for sure you don't need, I recommend backing up all your files.
2. USE RETROSPECT BACKUP SOFTWARE
It's really the only serious game in town for Macintosh backups. Retrospect Express Backup is for a single user. Retrospect Desktop or Workgroup Backup is for multiple users and backups to tape. Unfortunately the programs are not brain-dead simple as we have come to enjoy and expect in most Mac applications. But with a little support and practice, you'll soon master the key aspects.
Retrospect enables full back-ups followed by incrementals. First you back up all selected files, and then only modified files from within that group are (incrementally) backed up. No files are ever overwritten, and each back-up generation of a file is retained.
3. USE A BACKUP DRIVE WITH SUITABLE CAPACITY
For successful, consistent backups, you want to avoid unnecessary media swaps. Therefore use a drive that supports media with a capacity that is substantially larger than the total amount of data you plan to backup.
Floppy (1.4 MB), Zip (100 and 250 MB), CD-R (650 MB), Magneto-Optical (up to 1.3 GB), Jaz (1 and 2 GB), Orb (2.2 GB), DVD-RAM (up to 9.4 GB), DVD-R (4.7 GB) and hard drives (up to 75 GB) are all possibilities.
However in most circumstances, I recommend tape drives. The media is portable and the cost per megabyte is relatively low. There are many tape and corresponding drive formats to choose from. I have been implementing the Ecrix VXA-1, a high-speed, hi-capacity drive, with many of my clients and with excellent results.
Whatever drive you use, check the Dantz compatibility list to make sure your back-up device has been certified by for use with the Retrospect family of products.
4. USE DAILY AUTOMATED BACKUPS
Files should be backed up each day. If the prospect of up to a day's work lost is not acceptable, you can schedule more frequent backups. A supplemental approach is to install a second drive (particularly on a server) and set it up to mirror the first. The same data is written to both drives simultaneously. If the first drive goes down, the second drive will kick in right away with no loss of data.
Mac users are well meaning, but we just don't remember to do all the things we've planned. Schedule your backup software to automatically do the daily backup. Schedule evening backups to avoid interference with your work and to utilize networks when they are faster. Systems can be configured to shut down when the evening backup is completed.
5. USE COMPRESSION AND VERFIFICATION
Compression saves space on the back-up media and shortens the time needed for back-up. Use hardware compression if your backup device supports it, otherwise enable software compression within Retrospect.
Verification confirms that the data has been written properly onto the media. It increases the backup time, but resist temptation to turn it off.
To speed backups over a network, upgrade hubs, switches and Ethernet cards to support fast (100 megabit per second) Ethernet speeds, to increase throughput, and to reduce the time needed for backups.
6. MAKE MULTIPLE BACK-UP COPIES
The more copies the better. As a bare minimum have two, which you rotate each week. Keep at least one copy off-site.
7. INTRODUCE NEW MEDIA REGULARLY
Back-up media can degrade and fail or become damaged. Floppies and Zip drive heads actually touch the media; so the effects of friction eventually wear out the disks. Jaz is more similar to hard disks, but problems have been reported recently. High-quality CDs from a reputable manufacturer are more permanent, but scratch-able. Magneto optical (MO) disks and DVD-RAM are very stable and are housed in protective cases.
Tapes, however, can hold much more. They're not perfect; they can stretch and break, and in contrast to other rewriteable media, have a limited number of recycles. Do not overuse them; be sure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
8. DON'T FORGET LAPTOPS
Configure Retrospect to backup mobile laptops as well as stationary desktop Macs. With Retrospect you can configure the backup to automatically access the laptop when it comes back onto the network in your office.
When travelling, bring a portable back-up mechanism or consider an Internet back-up service for small amounts of crucial data.
9. PERIODICALLY TEST YOUR BACKUPS
To make sure media remains sound, regularly test backups by restoring some files and checking that they work properly.
10. DO NOT RELY ON THE CORPORATE BACKUP
If you're part of a Mac island in a larger organization, you need your own back-up system. You don't want to depend on the Windows-centric IT folk to be responsible for maintaining and promptly restoring your lost Mac data. Take control and set up your own individual or departmental system.
QUESTIONS?
Contact me, Fred Balin (fbalin@macresolutions.com, 650-565-8120), if you are a MacResolutions client or part of our creative-professional target market.
Contact Phil Geller (PhilGeller@aol.com, 650-493-8689) if you are a home user.
MORE INFORMATION
Refer to the article by Adam Engst in the September, 2001 issue of MacWorld.
3790 El Camino Real, #2005
Palo Alto, CA 94306
650-565-8120
info@macresolutions.com
©2004,
Fred Balin, MacResolutions
All rights reserved.
Apple, Mac, and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.