SOP Friday: backups Part 1 - Defining your client backups -
Customers rarely understand the importance of backups. If they did, the number of new customers with working backups would be much higher. Until a customer has suffered loss of really catostrophic data, they do not focus on Safeguards. And of course, backups are completely useless without a good restoration from backup
As with most modern technology, backups have what I call the simplicity paradox: It is quite easy as anyone can create a bad backup system that seems to be pretty good. When a customer (or an incompetent technician) creates a "good enough" half-baked system, it will be a slow network which has more equipment failures that of a professional network. Maybe good enough.
But a backup "good enough" is not good enough. If you can not recover the data, or can not recover any data, the client is likely to go out of business! If you need stats scary about it, read the excellent HP and SCORE report entitled "Impact on US Small Business of natural and manmade disasters." This is a major report to be distributed to customers as it does not grow solutions but raises only awareness of the potential consequences of data loss.
We have always makes backups extremely important part of the service we offer. in previous discussions of priorities within the service, you saw that the backups failed task are the guarantee to raise the priority assigned to a service request. and test backups are part of each monthly maintenance for each customer.
given the importance of backups, we will make a small 4-part series on backups This is the first article - Defining your client backup other items will be..
- back Part 2 - Philosophies backup and customer communication
- back Part 3 - backup Monitoring Test and management
- back Part 4 - Changing Technologies
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defining your client backup
(. Note the earlier SOP Document backups)
There was a time when a backup is very simple to define: save everything every day. It could have been a challenge when using 8 GB tapes and wondering if you were going to have to go to a higher capacity tape drive.
Now we have gargantuan databases and monster hard drives that just seem to show. It is not uncommon that customers have several players Terrabyte. And we all know that data expands to fill the available space. Whether the log files, streaming media files, on-the-fly backups, holiday pictures, or serious business data. It is becoming more and more diverse year.
Inventory data
As you can see, you must define the data your customer. In a perfect world, nothing important is stored on the desktop. But you should know for sure. After that you can turn to the server (s) and catalog all resources must be safeguarded. databases, directories, system status, etc. List everything on the server and is in the format (SQL, EDB, flat file, etc.).
consolidate data
I know this is easier said than done. Basically, you need to recover data from desktops, USB drives stray, etc., and on the server where you can back up everything in the backup job.
Set the backup job (s)
Set a backup means exactly that: What do you backup? When will you save it? On what media you back it up? For example, consider three fictitious customers
1.
Customer :. Able Baker Charlie
Backup: full server backup "Obiwan"
When: Every working day (MF) 23:00
Medium: DAT 160 tape using Symantec Backup Exec Software
2.
customer: cousin
One backup Larry: "public" data on the SBS2008 server
When: Mon-Wed-Fri 23:00
medium: Disc-to-Disc to SAN - then SAN Cloud
backup Two: system and user data on the SBS2008 server
When: Tue-Thu 23:00
medium: Disc-to-Disc to SAN - SAN and cloud
3.
customer: KPEnterprises
A backup: full backup of "Tommy" server
When: Every working day (MF) 21:00
medium: Disc- to-Disc Elvis
Two backup: full image backup server "Tommy"
When: Every working day (MF) 22:00
medium: Acronis
three backup: full backup of "Elvis"
server When: Every working day (MF) 22:00
medium: DAT 160 tape using Symantec backup Exec Software
backup four: the complete image backup of the server "Elvis"
When: every working day (MF) 23:30
medium: Acronis
Why not just backup every night for each client? Well, some customers do not need. But more likely than that, you can work with both limited resources: time and capacity. Depending on the hardware and the network concerned, you may not be able to move all the data on the backup device in a reasonable amount of time. Or the means (either disk or tape) may not be large enough to hold all the data.
In both cases, you must decide what to backup and when. The state of the system probably does not change much. Corporate databases online, exchange, and database files change daily. You calculate what goes where, how long each task will take, and how to stand on a given medium.
Why the document This Way?
There are many reasons to document what you do. They apply to just about everything here. You must be able to assure the customer that everything is backed up, and he's on a timetable consistent with their catering requirements disaster. You must be able to send various technicians of the site and know they will be able to understand when they need to restore a file. And if you get hit by a bus, this stuff must be written so that it can be done while you recover the
hospitalOne of my rules of life. Slow Down is, do more. Restoring a server from the backup is a perfect example of this. Think about how you will restore a server. The first means that you will need is the O.S. and system status. Ideally, it will have everything you need to get started on this server and complete the restoration. So what is this means you need? And next? If you have separate media for system status and data, which is the newest of each?
Think slowly. If you get it wrong, you double time for your food, or worse.
How are you exactly restore this server?
Once you can define precisely the restoration process, so you'll be able to verify that you have a good backup process, and it is well documented. Now take yourself out of the picture. a technician look at your processes and trained properly can restore that server? If the answer is "no" or "do not know" then you need to keep working on it.
Implementation Notes
As I I mentioned in the previous SOP on Document backups, backup documentation is primarily a story. It's easy, but technically accurate. If you mess up, you will eventually overwrite a backup you need. If this happens the restoration will be embarrassing
account accuracy - Many ..
the main thing you need to do is to educate your team on the approach to your business for backups (and restores ), then make sure that everyone who might be involved in a restoration has a chance to get their hands on a backup. they need to be comfortable with it so they can succeed after a catastrophe.
You can have only one or two people on your team who would never be involved in a restoration of emergency. But every technician should be involved with monthly tests and setting up backup jobs. This ensures a high level of knowledge within your team. This is literally insurance for you. If one of your technicians never need to make a decision on a medium to use, you want to do everything you can to make sure they make good decisions.
This kind of policy requires everyone in the team
1) Be aware of the process
2) the practice of the process
3) Correct each other mistakes
4) Support each other with reminders
feedback Welcome
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About this series
SOP Friday - Friday or standard operating system - is a series dedicated to helping small computer consulting companies develop the right processes and procedures to create a business successful and profitable consultation
to learn more about the series, and the view. the "table of contents" to complete SOP Friday http://www.smallbizthoughts.com/events/SOPFriday.html.
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topic next week : backups 2: backup philosophies and customer communication
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