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Data backup in simple language

Recently, a friend of mine asked me to explain to her how to back up data. She is a humanist, so she needed options in which nothing needs to be set up. Since she is not a stupid person who likes to understand the problem and make a decision, I decided to collect the basic principles for her and describe the pros and cons of various options (as I see them). Post here, I decided in the event that some of you come in handy - to help a friend or relative. I would be very happy to comment on how you could make the text easier and more understandable.



Basic principles



1. Frequency and frequency


Backup data should be as regular as taking pills. It is for this discipline that one can thank oneself if some kind of collapse happened. Sometimes even losing just a few working days due to the fact that the backup is not done - can be very painful. Answer the question - how often to backup it is possible, having understood the data for what period of time you would be the least painful to lose. One of the best options is to back up data once a week on weekends.



Distinction


It is desirable that the data is stored on a separate external hard drive (or other medium), stored in a separate place from the main data. The principle is quite obvious - if a problem occurs, it will be localized in one place. For example, if the hard drive on the computer broke, the backup disk will function perfectly. However, there is a balance between ease of access and security. The hard drive, standing next to the computer, significantly increases the motivation to use it for its intended purpose. And at the same time, it is not the safest option for very important data that cannot be lost in any case. That is why they distinguish between backup and archiving data.



Recheck


As soon as the first backup copy of the data is made, you should immediately check that this data can be restored from it! This means not only that the files become visible. You need to open a few files to choose from and check that they are not corrupted. It is advisable to repeat this test once in a certain period (say, once a year).

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Distinction


Best practice is to distinguish data by category. The category may be their importance to you, the frequency of updates, or just the subject.



Often, backup programs make so-called “images” (image). They look like one single file. So in each such image it is better to save different data.



What is it for. Data of different importance require different treatment of themselves, this is obvious. You probably want to keep your important documents more carefully than, say, a collection of films. By dividing the data by the refresh rate, you can, for example, save time taken up by backups. Subject - what data is desirable to restore together in one step? A vivid example of two types of backup, which should be done separately:



Data backup


These are Word documents, photos, movies, etc. This also applies to, but is often forgotten - bookmarks in the browser, letters in the mailbox, address book, calendar with meetings, configuration file of the banking application, etc.



System backup


We are talking about the operating system with all its settings. Such a backup eliminates the need to reinstall the operating system, make all the settings, install programs. However, this is not the most necessary type of backup.



Where to backup



1. External hard drive. Often you can buy right in the box. There are notebooks - such disks are small in size, but more expensive. Regular hard drives can be purchased relatively cheaply with a volume of 2 TB - then you won't have to worry about disk space for a long time.



+ Reliable enough (if you do not drop or shake excessively)

+ Relatively inexpensive



-It is necessary not to forget to connect the backup disk

-It is not very convenient to carry (not applicable to notebook drives)



2. USB-stick - suitable as an additional tool when I would like to transfer data from one computer to another and / or have it at hand. Also, if the data itself does not want to be stored on the computer.

There is one big but - a flash drive has a limited number of entries, so if you store application data on it that will write intensively, then a USB flash drive (usb stick) will rather quickly order a long life. In addition, in my personal impression, they often break. My friend, buying the most expensive flash drives, which were positioned as "not killed", received a broken flash drive in a month or two. In fairness, I must say that I still haven't got a flash drive, some have been working for 5 years. However, I would not save data only on usb-stick alone.



+ Mobile storage

+ Takes up little space

+ Very cheap



- Unpredictable reliability



3. Storing data on a remote server (or in the cloud).



There are pros and cons:



+ Data will be available not only at home, but also at work, while traveling.

+ Locality separation of main data and backups (for example, if it happens, God forbid, fire data survive)

+ There is no need to connect a hard drive for backup, as a rule, everything is done completely automatically.



- It is advisable to encrypt the data, since it is not known who can access it.

- A large amount of traffic is spent (if it is limited, then problems arise)

- Often, you can only store data up to 2 GB for free. So, such a backup is an additional expense item.



A list with a good description of services can be found here.



What to do backup





I will give a list of applications that are worth paying attention to (in my opinion) when backing up to a hard disk.



From paid are good



1. Acronis True Image Home

2. Norton Ghost

3. Paragon Backup & Recovery



Of the free are popular



1. Genie Backup Manager is a very convenient program, but it slows down a bit when working.

2. Handy Backup - simple interface, works fast.



Additionally



Often in the program settings for backup there is an option - to make an incremental or differential backup. The practical difference is quite simple. With differential backup, you can save on the place it occupies. But there are only two possibilities for recovery: the data is in the state when a full backup + data was made at the time when the differential was made.



Incremental backup also allows you to roll back to any of the moments in the past when the backup was done. However, especially if changes in data occur frequently, the place will be eaten quickly.

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/136785/



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