Incremental Backup
An incremental backup is a backup of every file on a file system which has changed since the last backup. The alternatives to an incremental backup are differential backup and full backup.
An incremental backup is the fastest backup and requires the least storage space on the backup media. However, incremental backups also require the longest time and many tapes to restore.
Incremental backups should be used only in environments where backup time or backup storage media are extremely constrained. For most environments, a weekly full backup and a daily differential backup represent a better plan.
If you perform a full backup on Sunday along with incremental backups every night and the system crashes on Thursday, you will need to restore the full backup from Sunday along with the incremental backups from Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
In contrast, if you perform a full backup on Sunday and a differential every night, when the system crashes on Thursday you will only need to restore the full backup from Sunday and the differential backup from Wednesday.
An example of a classic incremental backup command in MS-DOS would be:
xcopy c:source*.* d:destination*.* /s /m
|
|
- Differential Backup
A differential backup is a backup of every file on a file system which has changed since the last full backup. The alternatives to a differential backup are incremental backup and full backup. A differential backup can be an optimal middle-ground between a full backup and an incremental backup. A differential backup is not as [...]...
- Full Backup
A full backup is a backup of every file on a file system, whether that file has changed or not. The alternatives to a full backup are incremental backup and differential backup. A full backup takes longer to accomplish and requires the most storage space on the backup media, but it also provides the quickest [...]...
- How to Backup and Restore a WINS Database
If you are unable to repair a corrupt database that has been caused by a system failure, a virus attach, a power failure, or a similar disaster, you can first delete the WINS database and then entirely restore it from a backup. The WINS management console is a comprehensive tool which can be used to [...]...
- How to Backup Active Directory
Backing up Active Directory is essential to maintaining an Active Directory database. Users can back up Active Directory with the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and command-line tools that the Windows Server 2003 family provides. Users should frequently backup the system state data on domain controllers so that they can restore the most current data. By [...]...
- Common Computer Backup Methods
It is a well-known fact that most computers are susceptible to hard drive crashes or virus attacks. Backing up information is a practical and necessary precaution to protect one's data from being lost forever. There are several realistic methods for backing up data. The best backup method for your data depends opon many factors, including: [...]...