[Discuss] How do Linux guys back up Windows?

[Jack Coats]

>From my experience there are really different backup needs.

1) awe-shucks - restore files quickly.  Crashplan and TSM as well as many
others are good at this.  It is NOT an image backup typically (though TSM
with some addins can do just about 'anything', IMHO).  This is what most of
the world needs.  I use it to back up what is 'important' to me and my
family.  Doc's, pix, but not normally the software and not the OS.

2) image restores - yep, put a while system back as it was at a point in
time.  Typically block or larger level of storage backups.  Sometimes it
can be useful for doing the file level 'awe shucks' restore,  but depending
on implementation it is a pain.

3) my data center burned down restores - this is often a duplicate of both
the previous  backups, and stored at 'grandma's house', in a safe deposit
box, or 'Iron Mountain' or a friends house across town or another state.
 You do effectively image backups, and keep a copy and send a copy
'offsite', and the same with file level incremental s   IBMs TSM with DRM
(Disaster Recovery Manager) or whatever they are calling it as IBM
marketing changes the name every few years, effectively does this.  --
 This is the level of restores I have used for disaster recovery testing
that larger or audited companies tend to do every 3 to 6 months.
 Expensive, time consuming, a real pain, and it is the 'only' way to ensure
things work and keep working, IMHO. -- yes I have failed, but also made it
work when others say it 'can't', but so life goes.

4) database - whether SQL language data bases or a hierarchical database,
or even specialty backups like M$ Exchange, basically takes quiesing the
database, and back up the quiescenced files.  Several SQL implementations
have been SQL DBA's do a  back up to flat files under their control (so
they are responsible for getting SQL going again if I put the flat files
back) or using snapshots and backing up the snapshot made while the
database is quiescenced.   There are ways to backup
non-quiescenced databases, but it is normally more of a pain, but often
takes less 'scratch' space.

Backups are a non-glory job.  They are more like selling insurance, no one
wants to pay for it until after it is needed.

Enough pontificating.  Where is that pumpkin pie?