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By selecting the "Files modified in the last x days" method, you can specify the time interval for saving changes. This method is similar to differential backup, which involves saving files created and changed since the last full backup. The difference is that the list of added files can be limited by specifying a specific time interval. With its help, you can quickly restore a server after a disaster, since only the working set is restored. If necessary, you can later restore the last full backup. However, on Wednesday, differential backup will back up any data that has changed since Monday. The advantage that differential backups have over incremental ones is the reduction in recovery time. Restoring a differential backup does not require more than two sets of tapes. Incremental backups, on the other hand, may require a large number of tape sets. Of course, the trade-off is that over time, a differential backup tape can grow to contain much more data than an incremental backup tape. To effectively restore system functionality after restoring the working set, it is recommended to specify 30 days in the “Files changed in the last x days” field. When using full or working set backups, partial backups will take up more media space than full/differential and full/incremental backups. However, when active data is frequently transferred from one system to another or recovery time is limited, working set backups help offset the cost of additional media by minimizing data recovery time. A synthetic full backup is a variation of an incremental backup. Like any other incremental backup, the actual backup process involves a full backup and then a series of incremental backups. But synthetic backups take it one step further. What makes a synthetic backup different from an incremental backup is that the backup server actually creates full backups. It does this by combining an existing full backup with data from incremental backups. The end result is a full backup that is indistinguishable from a full backup created the traditional way. |
Convince someone now of the need to regularly save important information, probably not necessary. However, we often remember this only when there is some kind of system failure or other force majeure circumstances related to the PC. The main thing here is to make it a rule to periodically (as often as the data is important) create copies of files that are critical for you, settings, and maybe even everything hard drive. And this is not difficult to do these days. For this purpose, both specialized tools and tools integrated into all kinds of software are suitable. In addition, you are offered large quantities Both paid and free programs, so it will not be difficult to choose at your discretion the one that will fully meet your needs.
The difference between incremental copying and differential copying
As you can imagine, the main benefit of synthetic full backups is the significant reduction in recovery time. Restoring a synthetic full backup does not require the backup operator to restore multiple sets of tapes as an incremental backup. Synthetic full backups provide all the benefits of a full backup, but offer the reduction in backup time and reduced bandwidth usage of incremental backups.
If you put it further away, you will take it closer
Backup software can be roughly divided into those positioned for large and small networks (corporate sector), as well as for single systems (usually for home use). The first includes, for example, the following: AMANDA (Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver) - an open source product that has the ability to backup data permanently stored on multiple computers on the network; BackupPC - free software (distributed under the GNU General Public License) for data backup managed via a web interface; DIBS (Distributed Internet Backup System) - a system for backing up data by exchanging it between computers on the Internet, as well as using the principle of peer-to-peer networks; CA ARCserve D2D is a disk backup tool that simplifies the process of recovering data from physical and virtual servers from local disk or cloud storage. TO software for small networks include: Backupninja - file backup program (there is remote control) bases MySQL data, LDAP, etc.; Safekeep is a backup system that has a centralized backup server and supports working with images file systems via LVM; Acronis Backup & Recovery - a line of solutions for backup and disaster recovery of data, including both server solutions and solutions for workstations; Paragon Drive Backup 11 Server is a data protection and migration solution that is positioned for small and medium-sized businesses; Symantec Backup Exec is a line of Symantec products that protect virtual and physical environments and simplify backup and disaster recovery procedures.
Backup to external hard drive
The basic idea is that both incremental backup and incremental-forever backup start with a full backup of the data set. After this, only incremental backups occur. What makes incremental backups different from regular incremental backups is data availability. As you may remember, restoring an incremental backup requires a tape containing the full backup and each subsequent backup up to the backup you want to restore.
A considerable number of backup programs - both free and paid - are presented in the group for single systems. They are most widely used on home PCs. These include: Comodo Backup - free program, which allows you to create backup copies of individual groups of data ( Windows Registry, accounts Email, user settings, etc.), and backups can be saved on local or network drive, FTP server or optical media; Hinx Backup Easy is a simple, free backup solution; Argentum Backup is a shareware utility with templates for backing up the Registry, system settings, interface settings, mail files, and the “My Documents” folder; Iperius Backup Home Premium is a program (priced about 1,500 rubles) that allows you to automatically save backup copies of files, folders and the system on any type of media according to a given schedule; SyncBack - utility (available free version) for fast directory synchronization, permanent automatic update data, as well as selective (by mask) deletion of files; Nero BackItUp is a shareware program designed to backup data, OS, create backups larger than 2 TB, export backup data to the cloud, recover lost data and much more. And this is only a small fraction of all the available features that help you not lose important information.
While this is also true for incremental backups, a backup server typically stores all backups on a large disk array or tape library. It automates the recovery process so you don't have to determine which sets of tapes to recover. Essentially, the process of restoring incremental data becomes completely transparent and mimics the process of restoring a full backup.
Where to store backups?
What type of backup is best for you? As with any backup, it's important to consider what type of backup is best suited to your own organization's needs. Ask yourself the following questions. What does your service level agreement dictate regarding recovery time? If backups are sent off-site, incremental backups are a bad idea because you need to get all the tapes back before you can start restoring.
- What are the rules for storing backup tapes off-site?
- What types of backups does your backup application support?
As you can see, there are plenty of individual backup tools to suit all your needs. But don’t forget about similar capabilities already built into the system. So, in Windows 7, in the “Backup and Restore” panel, you just need to set a schedule, select a location to save backups (on HDD or network hosting) - and you're done. Once you have created a full system backup, you can always restore it. Additionally, Windows 7 has a file history storage utility called " Previous versions" In Windows 8.1, Update and Recovery can still be used to create system-wide backups. The “Previous Versions” function also remains, now called “File History” (not activated by default). However, other possibilities have emerged. For example, when using account Microsoft system synchronizes important custom settings With cloud storage OneDrive, including Desktop settings and Start (Metro) interface settings. It is also proposed to organize storage in the library cloud: “Documents”, “Music”, “Images”, “Video” - or their individual fragments. Of course, if you don’t want to deal with the cloud, then you can, as before, use the Update and Restore tool to create system images. On home screen Enter the word “recovery” and in the list of search results with the “Options” filter, select “Restore your computer without deleting files.”
The ideas are simple in concept, although implementing an efficient and effective set of backup operations can be difficult. What is the difference between data backups and archives? Can cassette tapes be used for archiving? The simplest and most complete type of backup operation is a full backup. The main benefit of performing a full backup during each operation is that a complete copy of all data is available from a single set of media. This results in minimal data recovery time, a metric known as recovery time objective.
If you're using a Mac with OS X 10.5 or later, then for backup copying hard disk, the easiest way is to use the built-in utility Time Machine. She in automatic mode allows you to back up your system and all important files to an external hard drive or to the network. An alternative to backing up using Time Machine is to createusing Disk Utilityvirtual disk image along with all the contents of a Mac running OS X. Moreover, it is permissible to back up to external hard disk that has enough free space. The utility has such interesting features as access rights, the UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) identification standard, and the ACL (Access Control List). From third party programs backup options for Mac OS, it makes sense to pay attention to Instant Backup, GoodSync for Mac, FreeFileSync and AASync.
However, the disadvantages are that a full backup takes longer to complete than other types and requires more storage space. Thus, full backups are typically only run periodically. Data centers that have a small amount of data may use a full backup daily, or even more often in some cases. Typically, backup operations use a full backup in combination with incremental or differential backups.
We have presented several different, both free and commercial, data backup and recovery tools for different systems. Consideration of the increasingly emerging complete cloud solutions requires a separate article, so here we will discuss in more detail the most famous and interesting, in our opinion, commercial products Paragon Hard Disk Manager 14 Professional and Acronis True Image 2014 Premium , intended primarily for small and home offices. By the way, there are also younger versions of these tools, but it is in this edition that you get programs that provide advanced capabilities for data backup and their further processing.
Incremental backup
An incremental backup operation will only copy data that has changed since the last backup operation of any type. The modified timestamp for the files is usually used and compared with the timestamp of the last backup. Backup applications track and record the date and time of backup operations to keep track of files that have changed since those operations.
Image backup
Since an incremental backup will only copy data from the most recent backup of any type, it can be performed as often as possible, keeping only the latest changes. The advantage of incremental backups is that they copy less data than a full backup. Thus, these operations will be completed faster and require less backup storage.
Paragon Hard Disk Manager 14 Professional
At the time of writing this article, only the English version of this program was available, but, as the developers assured, its Russian version with identical functionality should soon appear.
It’s worth noting right away that the backup functions that interest us in Paragon Hard Disk Manager 14 Professional are implemented in two blocks. Therefore, in general, the product is a “software harvester” that helps to carry out a full cycle of hard drive maintenance. The program allows you to manage the boot process, partition the disk, copy and restore information, ensure the security of the system and data, and also erase the disk if there are threats of unauthorized access. Among its main functions, it is worth noting such as segmentation and optimization, migration and virtualization, data erasure, backup and recovery, as well as copying and moving data. Let's look at the last two in more detail.
A differential backup operation is similar to an incremental backup operation when first run in that it copies all the data changed from the previous backup. However, each time it is run subsequently, it will continue to copy all data that has changed since the previous full backup. So it will store more data than an incremental one for subsequent operations, although this is usually much less than a full backup. Moreover, differential backups require more space and time to complete than incremental backups, although less than full backups.
So, when you launch Paragon Hard Disk Manager 14 Professional, a working window opens. It contains a map of the disks available on the PC, a top panel of tabs with possible operations and two sections on the right containing detailed information about the currently allocated disk or partition. You can also perform various operations with it by clicking on it right click mice.
Table 1: Comparison of different backup operations. As shown in "Table 1: Comparison of Different Backup Operations", each type of backup works differently. A full backup must be performed at least once. You can then run either another full, incremental, or differential backup. Performing the first partial backup, either differential or incremental, will maintain the same data. For the third backup operation, the data that is backed up by the increment is limited to what has changed since the last increment.
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| Main window of Paragon Hard Disk Manager 14 Professional |
If you activate a particular tab on the top panel, specific actions (in the form of icon items) with the disk become available. And at the same time a wizard is launched, simplifying the implementation of all the necessary procedures. There is no need to describe in detail all the features of the program; it is enough to note only the main ones. But first it should be noted that creating a backup copy active disk With a volume of 128 GB (SSD) with an occupied area of 66 GB with “Normal compression” it lasted 11 minutes. Moreover archive image turned out to be 40.3 GB.
In comparison, a third backup with a differential backup will back up all changes since the first full backup was a backup. From these three main types of backup types, a data protection approach can be developed. Typically one of the following approaches is used.
Full daily Full weekly Differential daily Full weekly Incremental daily. Many considerations will go into choosing the optimal backup strategy. Typically, each alternative and strategy choice involves trade-offs between efficiency, levels of data protection, overall data volume, and cost. In "Table 2: Impact of Backup Strategy on Space" below, the media capacity requirements and recovery facilities required are shown for three typical backup strategies.
So, the backup and restore functions allow you to implement all existing methods - create sector- and file-level archives with incremental and differential additions. Using the Smart Archiving Wizard, you can process only the necessary data using the most appropriate archiving technology, automatically selected depending on the type of information being protected.
Calculations are based on 22 business days per month and one month retention period for data. Table 2: Impact of backup strategy on space. As shown above, running a full backup on a daily basis requires greatest number space and will also require more time. However, more shared copies of the data are available and fewer files are required to complete the restore operation.
Alternatively, a daily full backup combined with daily daily backups will provide the shortest weekday backup time and use the least amount of storage space. However, there are fewer copies of the data and the recovery time is the longest because it may require using six sets of media to recover the necessary information. If data from Wednesday's data backups is required, a full backup on Sunday is required, as well as incremental media sets from Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Incremental updates to the sector archive help save time and resources for data storage. The organization of a synthetic archive provides the opportunity to change any parameters of the archive (merging a differential archive with a full one, dividing the archive into several parts given size, compression, etc.) without performing physical archiving. You can also set a cyclic archive, thereby organizing automated system data protection. Any media and storage is suitable for storing a backup copy.
This can significantly increase recovery time and requires each set of media to function correctly; A failure in one set of backups can affect the entire restoration. Performing a weekly full backup and daily differential backups provides results between other alternatives. In addition, the recovery time is less than using daily increments and more than a day.
Recovering data from a given day requires no more than two sets of media, reducing the time required for recovery and the potential problems with an unreadable backup set. For organizations with small data sets, daily full backups provide high level protection without the high cost of storage space. Larger organizations or those with more data are finding that performing weekly full backups combined with daily increments or differentials provides a better option.
Using the Recovery Wizard, you can easily extract individual files and folders from an archive without performing a full recovery. Adaptive Recovery helps you run Windows (starting with Windows 2000) on a different hardware platform (P2P), automatically installing everything necessary drivers for correct operation of the system.
By using Microsoft technologies Volume Shadow Copy Service (MS VSS) or Paragon Hot Processing can be archived or moved Windows system without interrupting work.
In addition, asynchronous data transfer can improve the performance of backup operations. And encryption and password protection of archives ensure the security of confidential data and prevent unauthorized access to it.
The functions of copying and moving data make it possible to create an exact copy of a partition on any disk; as well as the existing hard drive on another drive. When copying a partition or an entire hard drive to another partition or drive, you can exclude unnecessary files. Also can be moved files and folders between Windows partitions, Linux or Mac OS X. In addition, it is acceptable to copy any Windows OS, starting with XP, from a regular hard drive to solid state drive(SSD), including smaller ones.
Here are just some of the features of Paragon Hard Disk Manager 14 Professional. As noted above, this product is a “software harvester”. Hence, probably, its price - about 100 US dollars.
Acronis True Image 2014 Premium
WITH Acronis program True Image We've known each other for a long time. Over the years, this package, from version to version, not only helped to back up data, but also provided protection against a wide range of threats, including malware, and also helped to verify tested (often unstable) programs. With it, you can create both full backups of your computer's hard drive and backups of your most important files and data. The main differences between the Premium version and the standard version are its ability to move and restore information ( system partition or disk) to a new PC, as well as create and restore copies of dynamic disks. The program's interface is quite concise and simple, and thanks to the presence of training wizards, even an inexperienced user can quickly master it.
After starting the program, the main window with training wizards appears - the “Getting Started” tab is activated.
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| Acronis True Image Premium start window |
The main “working” tab is “ Backup and recovery”, where the following main functions are available: “Backup disks and partitions”, “Backup files”, “Other backups” - allows you to enable email backup and enable continuous protection, “Create bootable media”, “Add backups” copies" and "Restore". The "Synchronization" tab is used to synchronize data on your PC and in the cloud using your Acronis account. Finally, the “Tools and Utilities” tab opens up a number of additional interesting program options.
Making a backup copy of the system disk (partition) is not difficult. In the “Backup and Restore” tab, click on the “Backup disks and partitions” button, and in the window that appears, select the source and destination. In the “Settings” section we specify the name of the backup copy, in the “Backup Scheme” we set the method (“Full”) and configure other parameters. In the “Planning” line, mark the required period for organizing copies and click the “Archive” button.
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| Configuring Acronis True Image Premium backup options |
Creating a backup copy of the active drive C: with a volume of 128 GB (SSD) with a occupied area of 66 GB and the “Normal” compression level took 12 minutes. The result was an archive image with a capacity of 34.3 GB.
Further, again, we will not describe in detail all the capabilities of the program, but will note only the most significant ones. So, Acronis True Image Premium allows you, after creating the first backup, to perform fast incremental and differential backups, recording only changes relative to the previous version of the copy. Continuous PC backup allows you to record all current changes during operation. It's easy to transfer files, folders or entire systems to any computer.
Thanks to the "Safety Zone", a backup copy of the full disk image can be stored on the computer's system drive and restored even after a system crash. Using Try&Decide technology allows you to check the compatibility and usefulness of any software without harming the system. Separately, it is worth noting the free (for a year) online storage of Acronis Cloud with a capacity of 5 GB (you can increase the volume to 50, 250 and 500 GB for an additional subscription). It allows you to work with disk images on the Internet, create incremental and differential backups in the cloud and quickly restore system disk. In addition, data located in Acronis Cloud can be accessed from any web browser, as well as from devices on iOS-based and Android.
The price of the program is 2700 rubles.
Saved means protected
So which one to choose among the huge variety of products that ensure the safety and security of your data. If you need to save only a small amount of information, then it is enough to use one of the free tools. Moreover, many of them are capable of performing only the actions you require, for example, creating backup copies of only certain information. My advice to you is this: still give preference to full-fledged software that allows you to make copies not only separate files, but also the system (disks, partitions) as a whole. Then, if any troubles arise with your PC, you will always be able to quickly return it to working condition without losing a single important file. And for this it makes sense to use any of the commercial products discussed. For example, Paragon Hard Disk Manager 14 Professional is a tool for all occasions, so to speak. In addition to the backup and data recovery capabilities emphasized in this article, this software probably has all the ways to work with a wide variety of disks. That is why it has an appropriate price, and also, as it seemed to me, a slightly sophisticated (i.e. requiring some time to study) interface. Acronis True Image Premium package has, in my opinion, more simple interface and a number of other interesting options. However, it is inferior in functionality to Paragon Hard Disk Manager 14 Professional. And to fully work with disks, you will need to purchase the product Acronis Disk Director - Home version costs 1,679 rubles, which already significantly increases the price of the solution. In any case, both Paragon Hard Disk Manager 14 Professional and Acronis True Image Premium, in general, have similar (within the scope of the task we are considering) capabilities and perform their tasks perfectly. And it’s up to you to decide which one to choose.