Server Backup Software

When it comes to backing up a server, there are several things to consider, like if it’s a network server (which serves only within the local LAN) or an Internet server, also the operating system that the server runs on and what kind of services it provides, as some services will require special backup methods and regular backup processes will just fail.

Another thing that you have to keep an eye on is the amount of data that should be backed up, separating the system and service files from “user generated” files (files that are created by the services but aren’t part of them, such as databases, email boxes, user uploaded content or log files).

If you are running a Windows server, it’s safe tu assume that most Windows backup software will get the job done, as Windows servers run almost like workstations and if the backup process is executed under the administrator account, there shouldn’t be any issues. The one exception to this rule are servers that server as database servers (i.e. Microsoft’s SQL server, MySQL, PostgreSQL) since databases could become corrupt (not the original database but its backup) if they are copied while the server has a table open or when there’s data being written to them. If you’re running databases then you should have your regular backup software skip the database files and use a specialized database backup tool to back up your databases.

When it comes to Unix like servers (this includes Unix, Linux, BSD and other variants) you can rely on open source tools like rsync to keep your servers backed up, or you can go for a more sophisticated solution, like R1Soft’s CDP (continuous data protection) software, which will keep incremental backups updated constantly. If you’re using any database server in a Unix like server, it’s also safer to create backups from within the database server or using specialized tools.

Servers can handle huge amounts of data, and therefore you should try your backup software on a test environment prior to moving to a production environment, since an offline server can cause serious financial losses, it’s important to know that you can rely 100% on your selected backup method (or methods if more than one is in place), otherwise you’ll have a lot of angry people when things go wrong.