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8.6.1 System Backups

Learn about backups and how and when to perform them.

A backup is an archived copy of data you can use to restore corrupt or lost data in the event of a hardware or system failure. Plan for disasters and take the necessary actions to protect systems before there is a problem.

Backup Data Types

  • system state data (OS boot files)
  • user data (all files stored and used by the user)
  • app data (all files installed and used by software applications)
  • image data (everything on the hard drive)

Backup Methods

There are four main types of backups: full, differential, incremental, and synthetic.

Method Description
Full Backs up all files - even those that haven't changed.
Longer than an incremental backup.
Faster to restore than incremental.
Usually ran weekly.
Incremental Backs up every file that's changed since the last full or incremental backup.
Completes faster than a full backup.
Can be completed daily.
Longer to restore a full backup since you're restoring every non-full backup as well as the last full backup.
Differential Back's up every file that's changed since the last full backup.
Longer to complete than incremental.
Faster to recover than an incremental.
Requires more space and bandwidth than incremental.
Synthetic Somehow both full and incremental.
Compares the data found in the last full backup and the current content and uploads just the changes.
Takes less time and fewer resources than a full backup, but should NOT be used as a replacement for a full backup.

Backup Styles

  • Grandfather-Father-Son
  • 321-Backup-Rule
  • First-in First-Out

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