solutions to backing up a windows box via the network, complete image of it

[THELAIR]

hey guys

got a windows 2000 box running terminal server. Has two disk drives, of 30 gigs each, so 60 gbs of total capacity, of which only 10 gigs is actually being used up right now.

the idea is this. If somthing goes kaput, we dont want to fiddle didle around with tapes, and disks and all that mumbo jumbo, we want to have an identical box beside it, for which every night a complete identical copy of the systems contents, including the OS is backed up to that system. So in the case of an emergency, and the main box dies, all we need to do is just 'plug' in the backup box, and its good to go with absolutly no fuss with last days data.

any suggestions?

im looking for an off the shelf all in one software solution to this. Just connect the two boxes together via network cards and do a full data stream copy over. and then only copy over data that has been changed since last backup

ideas?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Probably not over the network, you'd need software that runs under DOS (with network drivers) to do it.

You could just put another hard drive in a removable holder into the first machine and use a boot disk with Ghost or Drive Image for a compressed image, Partition Magic or -?- for a straight copy. The second machine has an empty holder bay for either its C: (if straight copy) or D: (if compressed image).

Just make sure the second machine has exactly the same motherboard and preferably other hardware.

 

[THELAIR]

that solution wont work

this needs to be totally unattended, automagic type backup


any other ideas?

i had thought about ghost adn backing it up, but you need someone to physically every night do a switcheroo

i need a 'real' off the shelf solution

 

[THELAIR]

any ideas?

 

[zephyrprime]

Sonic backup mypc has scheduling abilities but I don't know if it can back things up in the way you'd want. You can also try Veritas Backup Exec. Perhaps a raid setup would work for you? Lastly, if you can find any programs that can do the copying but not run unattended, you can just use Macro Scheduler to record a macro of yourself manipulating the program and then schedule it to run whenever you want.

 

[everman]

Just a suggestion, I would make that a dual install of the OS so that if the primary one somehow gets screwed, you can easily boot into the alternate OS with the same config and get right back up and running easily. I"d reccomend setting up your disk partitions in an appropriate way for that. I always try to have a backup os whenever possible.

 

[LeeTJ]

just install everything the same on both machines.

use ms backup do other machine and keep doing incremental backups.

then just restore when you have need for 2nd machine.

otherwise if you wanna spend money, St Bernards Open file manager allows you to copy files that are currently open, so you can have continuous backups going to second machine.

 

[BSOD]

I'm not sure if this would work or not, but if you can map the drives over the network, you might be able to use Ghost or some such program on them. Webdrive works well for ftp mapping if that matters...