Clean up versions: modify initial backup?
I have two Differential weekly backups: one Disk backup and the a File backup. Both initialy backup to an internal harddrive and then once a month, I copy them also to an external harddrive for off-site storage.
Let's say each has the initial full backup then versions 1-15. So one month I'll copy versions 1-4 onto the external drive, the next month I'll add versions 5-8 onto the harddrive, etc.
When the internal harddrive becomes full, I use the Clean Up Versions features to delete versions 2-14. So my internal drive now has version 1 and 15 only. Then the next week, version 16 is added so the internal drive now has 1, 15, and 16. But, with the next month's copy to my external harddrive, it will have versions 1-16.
Will I be able to restore version 13 from the external harddrive, or does ATI continue to retroactively modify the initial version (1) so that the copy on my external harddrive is unaware of versions created after it was created?
Thank you, Steve. So I guess my question then is how can I make my internal drive (with limited capacity) and external drive (with more capacity) facilitate usable offsite backups? I need to know that my external backup is storing usable backups - metadata included.
Eliezer, the key with all backup locations is to always keep all related backups together and never delete any archive files manually.
If you are careful in choosing what you are backing up then both your limited capacity internal drive and your larger external drive should both provide for usable backups, which is an approach that I use for my own backups.
I find that automatic cleanup works well for me when using the option to store no more than a defined number of backups, i.e. as described below:
Automatic cleanup
There can be lots of confusion around the topic of automatic cleanup which can be better understood if some basic concepts are known!
First: automatic cleanup only works on complete(d) versions / version chains. Do not expect individual elements of version chains to be cleaned up, such as incremental or differential files!
Second: automatic cleanup only runs after a new Full backup for the next version / version chain has been created successfully. This means that there must be sufficient free space available on the storage drive / location to hold a new Full backup image file!
Third: counting of days does not start until after a new Full backup file has been created when using the option to ‘Delete versions / version chains older than X days.’ It does not start for the active backup version / version chain before that point!
Fourth: the simplest & easiest automatic cleanup option to use & understand is to ‘Store no more than X recent versions / version chains.’ The criteria here means that if you set X = 2, then when the X+1 (3rd) version / version chain is created successfully with a new Full backup file, then the oldest version / version chain will be deleted by automatic cleanup.
Example:
Incremental backup task, using Full plus 5 Incremental backups before next new Full backup.
Task scheduled to run daily with automatic cleanup set to ‘Store no more than 2 version chains.’
Day 1 – Full backup created.
Days 2 – 6 Incremental backups created.
Day 7 – Next new Full backup created.
Days 8 – 12 Incremental backups created.
Day 13 – Next new Full backup created. Automatic cleanup deletes files created on days 1 – 6.
If the same task used ‘Delete version chains older than 7 days’, then those 7 days wouldn’t start counting until day 7 for the first set of files (version chain 1) and not until day 13 for the second set etc. So automatic cleanup wouldn’t delete the oldest chain until day 14 in the above example.
Well, I don't have room on my internal (or external) hard drive to hold a new Full backup image file. So it sounds like I really can't use automatic cleanup.
Would it be accurate to say that if I copy all the files from my internal/staging hard drive to my external hard drive - so both hard drives have all the same backup files - that my external hard drive should provide a solidly reliable restore option?
Eliezer Broder wrote:Well, I don't have room on my internal (or external) hard drive to hold a new Full backup image file. So it sounds like I really can't use automatic cleanup.
Would it be accurate to say that if I copy all the files from my internal/staging hard drive to my external hard drive - so both hard drives have all the same backup files - that my external hard drive should provide a solidly reliable restore option?
In principle, if you keep all files mirrored between internal and external drives then all should be OK... but... Acronis will get confused if you try to restore from the external drive from within Windows if the internal drive files are also present.
My recommendations here would be:
If possible, invest in larger internal / external drives - this would provide for more capacity and allow use of automatic cleanup assuming there is room for this.
My personal practise is never to manually copy files but to have additional backup tasks that run independently with different storage destinations. The time taken to run a second or further backup should be comparable to the time needed to manually copy existing backup files to the same destination but with the advantage again of allowing for automatic cleanup to be used to keep management to a minimum.
In principle, if you keep all files mirrored between internal and external drives then all should be OK... but... Acronis will get confused if you try to restore from the external drive from within Windows if the internal drive files are also present.
1. So in the scenario where my internal drive is toast or I need to restore completely from the external drive - and let's say the external drive has an exact copy of all files from the internal drive - should I be able to restore reliably from the external drive?
If possible, invest in larger internal / external drives
2. Unfortunately not an option now.
My personal practise is never to manually copy files but to have additional backup tasks that run independently with different storage destinations.
3. Do you mean I should have almost an identical job: the first job to backup to the internal drive then a second job to make the same backup to the external drive? Will that really make a difference? What I currently do is have the backups run weekly and sit on the internal drive - then once a month, I bring my external hard drive (normally stored offsite) on location to copy that month's worth of incremental/differential backups. If that's the same, I'd rather continue with my current procedure. Is it?...
1. So in the scenario where my internal drive is toast or I need to restore completely from the external drive - and let's say the external drive has an exact copy of all files from the internal drive - should I be able to restore reliably from the external drive?
In that scenario, then you should be doing the recovery using Acronis bootable rescue media along with having your external drive connected which should work fine. The issue with having copies of files on both internal & external drives is with the Windows Acronis application which uses metadata and SQL database to track all files but has no knowledge of the copied files on the external drive because it didn't create them there.
3. Do you mean I should have almost an identical job: the first job to backup to the internal drive then a second job to make the same backup to the external drive? Will that really make a difference? What I currently do is have the backups run weekly and sit on the internal drive - then once a month, I bring my external hard drive (normally stored offsite) on location to copy that month's worth of incremental/differential backups. If that's the same, I'd rather continue with my current procedure. Is it?...
Yes, having multiple different backup jobs that can run at different times to different storage locations. This approach shouldn't take a lot longer than having to manually copy and mirror your files from the internal to external drive but allows for the use of automatic cleanup or the clean up versions tool for file management.
The risk of your current approach is that your local, internal drive files could be at risk in the interim period of time between bringing your external drive on-site and copying those files. You could suffer from an internal drive failure or have the files encrypted by ransomware etc.
you should be doing the recovery using Acronis bootable rescue media along with having your external drive connected which should work fine
Sounds like a plan. Thank you!