Cloud backup - LGfL - Gridstore/Redstor - what to backup?

[Koldov]

I have begun to look into the bundled offer from LGfL for their cloud backup solution 'Gridstore' (which is basically 'Redstor')... to replace our Windows Server Backup/USB drive solution (seriously...don't laugh).

 

As we are only a small Junior School we only get 50GB included and obviously this limits what can be backed up quite a bit!

 

I have tried various scenarios with the scan function and as it is I will have to ignore most of the teachers work drives, admin drives or pretty much anything other than the very basics.

 

In an ideal world I would like to do a full system backup (as it's a PDC - well what used to be PDC), but it is also a SIMS/FMS/Discover server and with the mess that is the SIMS folders I am already going to be over the limit.

 

I fear I am going to have to go through the whole lot and start picking out 'essential' folders... but my question is - what is essential?

 

If the server blew up and I had to start from scratch, what would my 50GB backup contain to make it the least painful experience possible?

[Edu-IT]

Surely backing up the user data is quite important. You can reinstall Windows etc, you can't reinstall their years of work.

[Koldov]

OK, 1 for user data.... I will be keeping the archaic USB swapping set-up though.

 

I do totally get that, but there is well over 200 GB of it and most of it is little Johnny in the Xmas play from 2001 etc... I'm really not sure I could face going through it all and try to work out what is relevant/essential. I could ask them to clean up their user areas (again), or try to talk to the SLT...

 

If for arguments sake, I choose that over the server OS and included roles (and SIMS data), although I can reinstall 'Windows' how easy is it to replicate the 'PDC' and everything that relies on that from a cloud backup anyway (this is a physical server not virtual)?

 

In that case it would be better to have the OS on the physical media and the user data in the cloud...?