Server Backup Solution

[Tricky_Dicky]

Hi all,

 

I'm just having a new server installed and was told when purchasing it that it wouldn't be a problem to move the SCSI tape drive from the old server to the new one. However at 2.30 yesterday I received a call saying it wouldn't fit and I would need to sort some other backup solution (cue sales pitch for new NAS drive).

 

I was planning on using the old server with some large HDD's and just using that as a NAS box. It has a licence for windows server 2003, but would you recommend using that or would Linux be better?

 

Depending on the answer to the above, what software would you use to actually do the backup?

 

Cheers

Rich

[Tricky_Dicky]

Would an offsite backup still be required if the backup box was in another part of the building?

[Hightower]

Until recently (just bought an autoloader) we had two workstations, each with 1TB HDD in them. They had FreeNAS installed on them (linux). The main one was located in the server room and backed up the servers each night, and then through the day this backup was exactly mirrored to its sister device in another building using RSync.

 

Because the other box was in another building we classed this as our offsite backup.

[Hightower]

P.S. The thing to think about here is that HDD's are not reliable, and will fail. If possible you need a backup of your backup sort of speak - that way you can be sure to get things up and running if the **** does hit the fan (and it WILL hit the fan someday, guaranteed!).

[Tricky_Dicky]

I was planning on putting 2 Drives in the old server mirrored so if one fails it shouldn't be a problem.

FreeNAS looks great, but what software would you put on the new (Windows 2003) server to backup to it?

 

Rich

[Hightower]

Well, you get NTBackup included with 2003, so that could possibly do the job. Other than that you will start paying for backup software (which can get pricey).

 

The chances of both drives failing at the same time as your server is highly unlikely, and so long as it's stored in a different location you should be ok. It's not ideal, but we all no how hard cash is to come by in schools and it sounds to me like you're making the best of a bad situation.