Tarek
hello
i have a server with AD , visual dolphin ( SQL ) and file server on it .. i am upgrading but also i want a redundancy plan .
i cannot do virtual machines and i cannot have more than few hours downtime ..
anyone ?!
d3ad
You can get an extra HDD and make a Mirror image of your Boot Drive.
Tarek
no no ..money is not an issue .. i want something professional..i was thinking about getting two exact same servers...and use symantec besr to create an image everyday on a NAS
AvoK95
That could work too, but I don't think it's necessary to get two more servers. You can add the exact same storage on one server and have them make a mirror copy everyday, and have a second server as a backup which also has the mirror copy of the first server.
Tarek
i have over 500 GB crucial data per day , the server cannot go down .
yasamoka
If you are dealing with SATA Hard Drives, do know that they are hot-swappable. You can simply plug in a SATA HDD and scan for new hardware, and the HDD will be detected then will become accessible. Similarly, you can use tools such as Hotswap!.exe to unmount and turn off a SATA HDD so that it can be removed safely. Else, if there are any writes being done, the system would hang.
I would guess that even as a long-term plan, taking into considering hot-swapping HDDs may be a very effective way of keeping backups / expanding storage without any downtime. That is, except if you mess up with another cable or remove an HDD without unmounting first and have to reboot, but that's a few minutes downtime only.
Tarek
i was thinking about 2 high capacity NAS , each in a different location ( Congo is a high risk environment ) with daily backup ( files and also entire system image )
the backup will be made twice daily ( during idle or low CPU and HDD usage ) on the server and to the 2 offsite NAS .
in case of a hardware failure with the server , an exact same server will be waiting to be replaced with the latest system image .
this way i can recover single files i want ( in case of user deletion ) or recover the entire system .
what do you think ?!
d3ad
Tarek wrotei was thinking about 2 high capacity NAS , each in a different location ( Congo is a high risk environment ) with daily backup ( files and also entire system image )
the backup will be made twice daily ( during idle or low CPU and HDD usage ) on the server and to the 2 offsite NAS .
in case of a hardware failure with the server , an exact same server will be waiting to be replaced with the latest system image .
this way i can recover single files i want ( in case of user deletion ) or recover the entire system .
what do you think ?!
How are you planning to transfer 500Gb/day to your offsite?
Tarek
intranet of 3 Mbps speed with a lag of 1 to 10 ms , or i could do it manually with an external hard disk , the offsite is like 15 minutes away from the office .
PS : i can add the speed to 5 Mbps
ed-4009
If you need data integrity (your data is updated frequently) you need a cluster software that can replicate to cold standby server.
If data integrity is not an issue then figure out a backup solution on NAS or drives that you can hot-swap to standby server.
You need to ask yourself a few questions before coming up with a business continuity plan.
1) what's the financial impact on the business in case the server goes down.
2) Mean time to repair ( I think you said a few hours)
3) Do you need to plan for real business continuity? what if the active-server building gets on fire and you don't have access to your the NAS or storage devices that you are backing up on?
4) data integrity (interval of data replication or backup to be restored)
If your applications are installed correctly you don't need to have a full OS and data backup. You just need to keep both active and standby servers OS images updated/in-sync with patches etc, and backup/sync restore application related data when triggering business continuity plan.
I am far from being a Windows expert (I specialize in Unix infrastructure), but the concept is the same.
Message me if you need more help.
Tarek
1-financial impact is enormous
2-less than few hours
3-i said i will have 2 storage areas in 2 different locations 15 min apart
Tarek
Backup Plan for Socimex :
• 2 exact same servers ( one will act as a backup in case of hardware failure in the first )
• 2 external storage unit ( one in HQ and one in Sappa –hidden in the safe - connected by secure intranet – the speed will be increased to 5 Mbps )
• One portable external hard disk to remain with Mr. Ibrahim, Mr. Malek, Mr. Joseph or someone you choose.
• Our backup software will generate two types of backup :
1. Image backup: this will back up the entire system (OS, software, configuration, Visual dolphin, database, shared files,etc) and will be only used in case of extreme hardware failure as it takes time to recover.
2. Files and folder backup :this type will only back up the necessary files ( database and shared files ) this will only be used in case of user error (file deletion , error data entry , corrupted files , etc ) as this is more customizable and fast .
The backup will be taking daily:
• The image file will be taken at the end of the working day automatically and then checked and verified by the IT department.
• The file and folder backup will be taken daily : during the lunch break ( between 1-1:30 pm ) and at the end of the day – this kind of backup doesn’t require too much time .
• A fresh copy will be daily stored on the external portable hard disk .
• The image file and the second file and folder backup will be transferred after working hours to Sappa’s storage unit .
• No more than 3 month of backups will be kept stored , but the last backup of each month will be stored on a hard disk and archived .
• Data physical theft will be deterred by data encryption ( even if the storage unit or portable hard disk is stolen , data cannot be read ) , security cameras and physical locks.
A temperature sensor will be installed in the server room and a backup air cooling unit will be installed to prevent overheating .
dominic
Hi All,
I'm new here, but I hope my insight can help;
This is the best software I've used yet
http://www.visionsolutions.com/Products/DT-Avail.aspx
And most importantly, since the backup isn't locale, you can set it for Differential backup to save on time and resources.
Cheers,
