Best Way to Backup Server w/Removable Media?

IceDigger

IceDigger

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What is the best way to backup a server with removable media cartridges?

RDX, LTO, etc....

What do you use in the business world?
 
Just a clarification:

Do you want to back up a server that has removable media cartridges inserted, or do you want to use removable media cartridges to back up a server? Because your initial question could be ready either way.

My company backs up servers to separate hard disks than the primary server is stored on, and then a secondary copy of that backup data is sent offsite for DR purposes. We primarily use a product called Storagecraft Shadowprotect to do the backups, and we build a small backup server, typically a mid-class desktop with a RAID card and a bunch of disks, to hold the backups on-premise and to manage the offsite transfer process. In our datacenter, we have a server with a ton of storage running some basic FTP server software set up to receive those offsite backups. In the case of very large backups, the initial backup (called a base image) we often put on an external hard drive and Fedex to the datacenter where we host the offsite server and side-load the base image so 500+ GB of data doesn't need to be transmitted across a likely limited internet connection. From that point, daily incremental backups are transmitted to keep the remote base image up to date.
 
Wow. OK, so that's tiny, which gives you options.

It depends on what you want, and what level of recoverability you need.

If all you want is the *files* - the operating system config is unimportant - you may have options to use something like Backblaze to send the files offsite. If the system is truly a Server though - it runs Windows Server or some other OS with Server in the name- a lot of those inexpensive file level offsite backup solutions won't work or have more expensive editions. You could also just plug in USB hard drives and set up a script (we use Syncovery for this) to copy the files from the network shares over to the USB drive. In this type scenario, you'd want to have 2+ drives that you rotate in and out, with one drive going offsite each night.

If you don't have anywhere to send offsite backups, you could plug in an external USB hard drive and use Veeam Endpoint Backup, which is free, to do backups to the USB drive. It can do daily incrementals and such, but the way it keeps an incremental chain is different than Shadowprotect and less suitable for transfer offsite. Multiple drives can still be used in this scenario.

If you want the offsite capability, then something like Shadowprotect might be up your alley, but it is *expensive* to buy a license for- like $900. I don't know where your budget is or what value you place on the data. On the upside, that is a one-time cost, and the product is *excellent*.

We always use the Shadowprotect option, but we're a MSP and we get to rent the license for Shadowprotect rather than having to buy it for the $900 up front. Additionally, when we set up the separate backup workstation (which we call a BDR) we don't put it on the same physical domain as the server and workstations and keep credentials to that system unique and separate. That way, if someone onsite gets a crypto virus or something, it doesn't spread to the BDR and we can still use it to handle restores.
 
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