CHAPTER 17

Backing Up

IN THIS CHAPTER

Choosing    a   Backup  Strategy

Choosing    Backup  Hardware    and Media

Using   Backup  Software

Copying Files

Version Control for Configuration   Files

System  Rescue

References

This chapter examines the practice of safeguarding data by creating backup

copies, restoring that same data if necessary, and recovering data in case of a
catastrophic hardware or software failure. The chapter gives you a full
understanding of the reasons for sound backup practices. You can use the
information here to make intelligent choices about which strategies are best
for you. The chapter also shows you how to perform some types of data
recovery and system restoration on your own and provides advice about when
to seek professional assistance.

Choosing a Backup Strategy

Backups are always trade-offs. Any backup consumes time, money, and effort
on an ongoing basis; backups must be monitored, validated, indexed, and
stored, and you must continuously purchase new media. Sound expensive?
The cost of not having backups is the loss of your critical data. Re-creating
data from scratch costs time and money, and if the cost of doing it all again is
greater than the cost associated with backing up, you should be performing
backups. At their most basic, backups are insurance against financial loss for