Need to do routine backup of 2003 server. What software to use, Ghost or BackupExec?

[shurato]

We have a 2003 Server that runs Microsoft Retail Management Headquarters. No other files except the master database file for that program seems to change daily.(I could be wrong). I need a good backup system for this server as it is vital to the daily operations for our retail stores. I am thinking of getting an external usb hard drive.

Would Norton Ghost work fine for what I need to do? I'd like to be able to backup the server hard drive image regularly. Possibly every day and keep an image for a week. Automated if possible? The master database file I think I can use the programs backup utility to copy to an external usb thumbdrive daily.
I am only famiiliar with older versions of Ghost such as 2001 and have no experience with BackupExec.


Any tips or help would be appreciated. Thank you.


p.s. if you think i can go about backing up the server in a different manner, i.e. tape backups, etc... I'm all ears.

 

[LiLithTecH]

If you are just backing up DATABASE files there is no need to backup to an image.

Cheapest route is to install another HD and use Windows Backup.

Does the database get accessed fulltime?
Some database engines require you to shut the service down before backing up (ie. Advantage, Borland, etc.)

 

[nsafreak]

I would STRONGLY recommend going with a tape backup over an external hard drive or thumb drive. With an external hard drive it would be all too easy for your backup element to fail, not a good idea at all. With a thumb drive while it is solid state I would imagine that the database might outgrow the space available to it and it would be too easy to steal something as small as a thumb drive. What I would recommend doing is to get a tape drive with a built in changing mechanism. Basically with these drives you can have 7 tapes in sequence and have it automatically change tapes. Yes it will be more expensive but it will be less susceptible to failure which is what you're trying to accomplish with a backup in the first place.

 

[SagaLore]

You should just be able to image the drive once, and just backup the database. That way if you have to rebuild it, just put the image back on and replace the database.

I would get a tape backup and use veritas or arcserve, but if you don't have a big enough budget for that, then perhaps getting a few extra drives would work, and use the windows backup utility. Rotates the backups between the multiple drives. Schedule 3 different backups - during the week once a night, then once every sunday to a separate file, then once per month to another separate file.

 

[shurato]

Originally posted by: LiLithTecH
If you are just backing up DATABASE files there is no need to backup to an image.

Cheapest route is to install another HD and use Windows Backup.

Does the database get accessed fulltime?
Some database engines require you to shut the service down before backing up (ie. Advantage, Borland, etc.)

Thanks for your tips, I think I'll just get an external hard drive unit and just image the drive every 2 weeks or something like that since nothing changes on the server besides the database file every day and perhaps the occasional windows updates here and there. I wanted an automated process that was the most simplest because I may be leaving my job soon and it is a really small company so I do all the IT myself on the side. My main position is in the front office management side. I was hoping I could teach the owner of the company who is computer illiterate some simple things before I left.