Server Backup Options - Help!!

[pjpnz]

I work in a school. We are replacing our server, and I am considering backup options. Tape is too slow (and unreliable) for the amount of data we need to backup.

What are our options?

Many thanks for your assistance.

[Rob99]

How much data?

DVD or network should work

[Murray P]

Ghost to another device (HDD) on the network or to a portable hard drive.

As per Rob, how much data?

[CYaBro]

Get new server with more than one HDD and have it setup in RAID 1 (Mirroring).
How much data are you backing up?
Our server here at work is backing up almost 40GB onto tape every night and takes just under 3 hours to do it and verify it as well.

[Graham L]

Tape is reliable. If you spend the money for reliable tape equipment.

DVD might appear reliable. How long does it last? I don't know. People are finding that CDs won't last for 100 years.

[gibler]

Well it depends on:

a) If you want to backup to an off-site location (in case of fire, theft)

b) How long you want to keep complete backups (i.e. archives)? 3 months max?

c) As others have said, how much data is involved.

Tapes are not unreliable. DAT for instance is perfectly fine, just not very cheap.
You are also supposed to get your tape equipment cleaned and serviced regularly. So this is why (unless you truely need to archive data for long periods) many people have a look at using external hard drives .. but pro shops whould still use tapes with automated loaders etc.

I'd Ghost the server setup (to avoid having to reconfigure everything if you have to start from scratch). Make sure the hard drives are RAIDed (though this is NOT a backup). Then backup to a couple of external hard drives if you aren't going down the tape route...take a hard drive off-site.