How Many Generations of Backups to Keep?

[TWG1572]

So, in a prior post I got a lot of great feedback on my backup strategy. I'm now using Acronis to make an incremental backup to my external HD (1TB) and NAS (2TB) nightly. Carbonite is also running.

I'm also using SyncToy nightly to sync over all the documents/ photos/ videos/ music from by computer to my NAS. This is primarily to use the internet file access capabilities, but I suppose it counts as a backup too. I'd prefer to just have them on the NAS, but access back to the computer is too slow.

My issue is that I'm beginning to run out of room on my external drive. I'm doing the nightly incremental backup, with a new full copy made weekly. At some point, Acronis will run out of room unless I allow it to clean up the oldest version of the backup.

What is a good retention policy/schedule for backups? While keeping everything forever would be the best plan, what's an acceptable compromise in terms of frequency of backups and how long they are kept?

Thank you!

 

[SLCraig]

If you are backing up every day why not just keep 1 backup?
When the next backup is being run, have it overwrite the previous one.

 

[eljefino]

I'd save "everything" every 1-6 months forever. Then save every week, wiping out every week but the 1st week of the month. Then save every day overwriting everything but sunday.

Videos and music being much bigger in size, and presumable replacement ability, I'd be more casual about having tons of copies every night.

 

[tommygunn]

If you have incremental backups; I'd keep one full backup a month and let it do incremental daily.

If you're a real stickler for safety keep two full backups on tab. BUt anything more then that is overkill.

You're more likely to have a fire destroy your computer /and/ its backup before having thousands of backup copies ever helps you.

 

[TWG1572]

I think one of the reasons I'm thinking keeping backups longer term is the what if factor of deleting something, and not realizing it for weeks/months. This really only applies to my pictures/home videos as the rest isn't that important in the scheme of things.

But in reality, with 1000s of pictures on the computer the odds are low that I'd realize the loss anyway.

 

[tommygunn]

The main thing is you have Carbonite people don't realize they need off site backup until it is too late. My computer guy boss had his laptop and external drive stolen from his house. I have a small external in my desk at work just in case the house burns down.

 

[Donald]

You want to keep things for backup and screw-up reasons. I would backup My Documents more often than I backup image copies of my C: drive.

I backup to RAID-1 and use Norton to backup some stuff to their backup site.

 

[beanoil]

Originally Posted By: tommygunn
If you have incremental backups; I'd keep one full backup a month and let it do incremental daily.

If you're a real stickler for safety keep two full backups on tab. BUt anything more then that is overkill.

You're more likely to have a fire destroy your computer /and/ its backup before having thousands of backup copies ever helps you.

This.

 

[dparm]

Incremental is nice if you make a lot of changes to files daily. Otherwise I say who cares. When I had my Mac, I only used Time Machines to undelete files, never to get old copies back.

You're better off using an off-site backup in case the house gets burnt down or whatever.

Or just burn the most important stuff to a DVD once a month and have a friend hold onto it (or use your safety deposit box).

 

[eljefino]

How's your organization? Maybe make a folder for 2010, 2011, 2012. Then subfolders for months inside there.

Stuff you created in past years is pretty much fixed in stone. So you could burn DVDs or lock the folders against being written. Also it makes it easier to find stuff, a lifesaver when I'm looking for photos of the kids... that are all named DSCN1234.jpg or so it seems.

 

[Volvohead]

3. One is getting overwritten during an active backup. And two more in reserve. And that's just local onsite. Keep another offsite copy in case the barn burns down.

Keep the main data and backup arrays in RAID, and the loss risk is further reduced accordingly.

 

[TWG1572]

Ok...so it sounds like I'm definitly being OCD on hanging on to my backups. I like the concept of overwriting one, with two in reserve so I think I'll set my automated backup like that.
With Carbonite, I should be pretty well set.

Thanks everyone for the input! I'm so used to the corporate setting where there are months to years of daily backups, that I feel naked with just a couple weeks....

 

[rjundi]

I believe Carbonite keeps your backup for 1 month back with overwrites. Good enough for myself.

I use an image every 3 months of the computer in case HD dies and need to get back up. Carbonite will fill in holes. Recently have lost 3 HD's. I am lucky I can bring computer to work when this happens with I believe something over 200Mpbs upload/download speeds.

 

[Virtuoso]

I keep two.
One copy that mirrors the active directories that are backed up and another that copies everything over and deletes nothing..

That way if I find out I needed that file I deleted last week it's still in the 'Archive' but not the 'Active'

This is all backed up to an external USB; a copy of the active folders are made - once a month - to another disc that spends it's life in a safe deposit box now.

Can't get myself to use online backup.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: Virtuoso
Can't get myself to use online backup.


If you keep your online backups in a Truecrypt container you've really got nothing to worry about (presuming security/ privacy is your concern). That kinda negates the convenience, though; and usually necessitates backing up the whole shootin' match each and every time.

 

[calvin1]

If you're ONLY doing it to recover from a sudden hardware failure then 2 is plenty: one to have sitting while the other gets overwritten in making a new one. However, if you're trying to cover for corruption, accidental deletion or a series of bad backups then you'll need many more. How long would it take to notice something is only slightly wrong rather than the everything dead scenario?

Besides, call me a hardware snob but the only real backup medium is tape. I'd even have more faith in backups made to a second internal hard drive than some external appliance. What is the warranty for those things? Even if you got a great one with a five year warranty I still have tapes that are 5 times that old and they're nothing special.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: calvin1
I'd even have more faith in backups made to a second internal hard drive than some external appliance.


I get so apprehensive telling (non-technical) people to ever rely on internal backups; most of the people who've called on me to rescue them from catastrophic data failures have either lost the use of their computer to malicious software or stupid mistakes. In both of those cases it is not rare at all for all of the OS to have become buggered. An intruder that has even user-level permissions can wipe out your (personal) data awfully quickly; so can a malicious batch file being executed by an unknowing user.

 

[rjundi]

I still think Carbonite or other service that is passively running is far better than any external HD. Folks simply would ignore it. My sister in law had all her stuff including an external hard drive stolen along with laptop from home. The police "lost" it apparently after finding it in a parole's car.

All her stuff is safely sitting on Carbonite and she was so relieved to see all her photo's of 4 kids on her iPad using their App. She said her external drive was empty and never ran a backup as she could not figure out software.

 

[Virtuoso]

Probably would be for 90% of users out there now. And the idea is great!

I just prefer to hold my data..or know where it's stored.

I don't want a company that can go belly-up to have my backups..

Never keep all your data in one place.