Backup Assessment

[Former Member]

Good Day,

I would like to ask your recommendation regarding our procedures in backuping in SQL Server.

Currently we have 7 companies (7 SAP database).

Drive C - 67.7 GB Max

Drive D - 68.8 GB Max

Sizes: Backup (not shrink)

0.14 GB - 1

2.12 GB - 2

3.20 GB - 3

1.28 GB - 4

0.64 GB - 5

0.39 GB - 6

0.82 GB - 7

Total - 8.59 GB

The Drive D is our storage of the Backup.

Daily, I am doing backup. But after a week, I am deleting the last week to consume free space.

After end of the month, I save the last date of the backup to the external drive and also burn it in a DVD CD.

Can you give me our recommendation so that I can improve my backup procedure.

Thanks

[markus_doehr2 · Accepted solution]

> I would like to ask your recommendation regarding our procedures in backuping in SQL Server.

>

> Currently we have 7 companies (7 SAP database).

For this environment I highly suggest getting a 3rd party backup tool to automate the procedure. If you're "not there" (for whatever reason) the drives will become full, there will be no other media if you don't backup manually etc.

I would definitely go for a real tape device, don't use (unreliable) USB disks/devices.

Markus

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the Advice

Currently we are using

Philips: Hitachi 160GB Mobile Hard Disk

as External Drive.

Is IBM System X3400 compatible with a Tape Drive?

I am planning to have the backup automated, but I don't know how.

I like it this way, when I insert a Backup Device, the MS SQL will automatically backup the 7 databases to the Backup Device.

Thanks

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi,

IBM X3400 supports tape device, have a look at the below link:

http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/x/hardware/tower/x3400m2/glance.html#tape

In order to automate you can schedule the backup job either in MS SQL management console or from DB13. If you get any third party backup s/w they will give you a lot of additional features like snapshot etc.

Try IBM Tivoli, Symantec Netbackup.

Regards,

SBK

[Former Member]

Have you consider an online backup solution?

Our SQL databases get backed up every hour. The clever thing is that only the block level differences get stored offsite/online. It's very reliable and secure (our data is encrypted before being transmitted offiste).

We use these guys in the UK:

http://www.ondemandrecovery.com/online-cloud-backup/

Hope this helps.

Peter

Edited by: PTaylor on Dec 22, 2010 2:14 PM

[Former Member]

Hi,

You did not specified if you ahve a backup/DR system existing in your setup.

You should go for tape backups, since they are most reliable than your external disk

External HDD : It can be damaged physically and also you are putting your corporate data on a piece of machine which can be moved out unnoticed. Also this was concern in auditing policy, if your system are getting audited by external auditors.

You can build policy based on Prod and non-prod.

Prod:

incremental backup once every 15/30/60 mins.

Full online backup in middle of night everyday

Full offline backup once a week on weekend.

Non-Prod:

Online backup once every 60mins

Full offline backup on weekend.

You had lot of 3rd party tools for this eg: IBM Tivoli backuptool, Lightspeed from quest for mssql db.....

Regards,

Sitarama.

[Former Member]

Hi,

Backup strategy differs from company to company. I would recommend the following for each database

1. Daily online backup (if your database is large you can take a incremental backup) with a retention period of 30 days

2. Based on your transaction log growth perform daily twice or every 4 hours.

3. If you can afford downtime, perform a weekly or monthly offline backup.

4. Take a system state backup every month.

Backup is very critical, ensure that you take all your backup to tape, if its a disk backup and your disk fails then you are in soup.

Regards,

SBK

[Former Member]

Thanks Sir

I will wait for another recommendation

[Former Member]

Hi,

Check out this pdf,

Link: [bsg.pdf|www.backupassist.com/downloads/bsg.pdf]

Hope this doc is also usefull for you:

Link: [doc|www.brightonandhovepct.nhs.uk/...%