I have too much data to make a backup chain. What should I do?
I like Acronis but I don't like that you have to keep multiple full backups in order to be safe with this program. I have over 10TB of data on my drive. I don't have enough room on an external drive to store multiple full backups. I'm thinking about using a NAS, but a 10+TB full backup would probably take 2-3 weeks to back up onto a NAS. It's just not practical. Are there any other options? Would a differential backup do the trick? It would be the same problem though - eventually the differential backup would grow so large that I'd have to blow it all away and start over (or be content that it takes weeks to back up my computer).
I don't know why backup programs are like this. They suck. Why can't they just back up the data incrementally in its original format so I don't have to worry about some stupid .tib file or whatever getting corrupted? I'm aware of syncing software, but I don't want to use that because if I get infected with ransomware it'll just replace all my backup files with the encrypted versions. Any ideas?
Yes to what Steve said. With 10TB, you should plan out multiple backup tasks.
I just did a little calculation using my current backup to NAS. Based on the size of the .tib file and time to run the backup, 10TB would take about 45 hours. A far cry from 2-3 weeks. But also it should be more efficient to run to smaller backup files.
+1 to Steve’s suggestions.
For as long as I can remember I have taken a similar approach.
Ian
I back up two 2 TB drives once a week. I finally bit the bullet and bought a 12 TB external drives for backups. That has really helped. I thought that this plenty big enough but it eventually filled up. I had to go back and change the backup setups so that auto cleanup could work and maintain enough free space.
Well I just wanted to give an update. I will not be going with Acronis due to the limitations of the software. I don't want to have to do full/incremental backups all the time or risk the integrity of my data. It's a horrible design that 99% of programs adhere to. The program I've found after MONTHS of testing is Nero BackItUp. What I like about this program is:
1. The files are backed up in their native format (no proprietary .tib or whatever files)
2. The backups are incremental, but if one backup is damaged/missing, you don't lose all data from subsequent backups (only the files backed up during that "incremental" backup, and since the files are stored in native format, you can still restore manually even if the backup manifest file becomes corrupted.
3. It's not a syncing program. In fact, restores are just like Acronis where you can restore to an exact date and have your files exactly like they were on that date (AKA "snapshots")
*** See Attached File for a Screenshot ***
There are 3 things you need to be aware of with this program:
1. It doesn't support long file paths. If you have any files with paths longer than 260 characters, they won't be backed up by this program. You'll need to shorten those paths if you want them backed up.
2. If you have any files with foreign characters (i.e. Russian, Japanese, etc.) it won't back those up either. You need to rename them.
3. It doesn't support deduplication. This means that if you move a bunch of files (like, for example, you clean up your desktop), the program keeps all those files that were on your desktop so you can go back in time and restore your desktop exactly like it was. If, for example, you take all the files on your desktop and put them into a folder called "dump" (I actually did this as a test), the program will backup up all those files again like they're new instead of just marking them to be restored to the right place on subsequent restores. Honestly though, this isn't a big deal to me. Yes, my backup drive will get full before my main drive does due to the duplicate files, but it's not like I'm moving 100GB files around on a regular basis. If you do then this isn't the program for you.
I personally plan to replace my backup drive when it gets full and once I've completed another backup on the new drive, I'll wipe the old one and put it aside when the new one gets full in a few months/years. This is WAAAAAAAAAAAAY better than what I'd have to do with Acronis, which is either split up my backups or create an array of multiple drives so I have enough space for multiple full backups (not to mention how long a full backup takes).
I've tried literally 50+ programs trying to find a good backup program. Acronis would have been my choice if it weren't for their terrible full/incremental backup scheme. But Nero's solution is just as good when it comes to snapshots/restores, which is the main feature I was looking for.
Thanks for the information Jake. I have a copy of that program so I will check it out. Sound similar to Windows File History option. My Synology NAS allows a similar type of backup (you need to install an app on the Windows PC to implement it).
I assume that you tried Acronis Nonstop Backup and found it wanting - cannot recall if it has the vice you are concerned with.
Ian
No, what is nonstop backup? I tried Googling it but it didn't tell me much. Is that included in ATI 2021 or is that a different program? I couldn't find a setting for it in ATI 2021. Are you talking about the sync feature? I don't want to sync two locations (if I did I'd have a million different programs to choose from). Syncing is a great way to lose all your files in a ransomware attack.
Yeah, File History is great except for the convoluted way it refuses to show any information. There's not even a progress indicator! They expect you to open the error log to get any status at all on what it's doing. I don't want to start my day by checking an error log. Nero pops up after every backup and tells you whether it was successful or not and since I have it run at 1:00am every day, it's right there when I sit down at the computer in the morning with either a big green button (meaning there were no errors) or a big orange button (if there were any problems with the backup). I want that peace of mind.
EDIT: I just found it and tried it. It stores the data in some proprietary .data file. It probably relies on all previous backups just like an incremental backup too so if one backup is corrupted, no subsequent backups will work either. That's a big no-no for me. Even Acronis says they don't recommend using nonstop backup as a primary backup.
Nero is DESIGNED to work this way. Like I said, let's say I have a million files and I save some new pictures to my desktop one day. Nero will back those up, but let's say the backup got corrupted and for some reason it didn't warn me. Then a year goes by and my drive dies. I go to restore and the only thing I'm missing are those pictures whose backup got corrupted that day. So I figure out what day they were created/saved (it stores this information in the backup) and I go find the backup manually. Since it's in it's original format, all I have to do is copy those files over manually without the program.
With Acronis I'd be absolutely screwed. My data from BEFORE the corrupted backup with those pictures would be okay, but any subsequent backups would be corrupted as well so I'd lose a year's worth of files.
I don't see how anyone can see Acronis as a viable backup program. I mean, I guess if you're backing up grandma's computer that only has a few gigs worth of data it's okay, but how the heck do they expect you to have the space to back up your data 2-3x, let alone have the time to do it! And if anything goes wrong with their crappy proprietary files you're just screwed. No thanks.
Jake, good luck with using Nero BackItUp if this meets your requirements.
One point to note: Nero BackItUp is a File & Folder back up program only. It would not back up and allow you to recover your Windows OS and installed applications - only your selected data.