2014 Backup only new or modified files after first full backup
Isnt it possible to run your first full backup and then from there on out only back up the files that have been modified or created new since the last backup ? I have read the differences between backup methods but I have no found one that suits me other than to keep running full backups which takes too much time. I know in Backup Exec you can do this. Or maybe in 2014 its not supported ?
Thanks,
So I should be able to set it up to only backup the new and modified files by choosing to create only incremental backups thus eliminating the need for cleaning up backup chains ?
Also is there any free upgrade that you know of for 2014 ? I thought that you could upgrade to 2017 for free.
Thanks !
Sorry but there is no option to only backup new and modified files.
The way Incremental backups work is that you first select what your Source data will be, i.e. select files & folders to be included in the backup file.
Next, Acronis will make an initial FULL backup of your selected Source data - this is a requirement for all ATI Backup schemes.
Now, when you perform any further Incremental backups, this will only include those changes which have been detected for the Source data since the date/time of the previous FULL or Incremental backup.
For Incremental backups, all files in the version chain are required for recovery to be possible, and the longer the version chain (i.e. the higher the number of files in the chain) the higher the risk should any files in the chain become damaged or corrupted in any way.
The default setting for Incremental backup schemes is to create a new Full backup after making 5 Incremental backups, keeping the chain length to just 6 files.
Automatic cleanup rules allow for the management of backup files at a version chain level and is the recommended method of doing so.
I find incrementals to be a bit confusing. I have ran a full backup and I have it set to run an incremental next. Attached is a screenshot. But according to your response I will need to have chains in order to record modified and new files ?
If you stay with the option you have chosen to create only Incrementals after the initial full version, then you will have one very large backup version chain, potentially with hundreds of incremental files attached. In that case there can be no automatic cleanup possible as you cannot delete any of the files in this chain without destroying the chain from that point forward.
Personally, having a very long version chain, i.e. anything more than say 20 - 30 files (if we assume you did a daily incremental backup) is introducing an extra element of risk as every file in the chain is a potential break point if any issues arise such as a bad disk sector, malware attack etc.
The choice ultimately is yours to make but you should understand all the factors involved.
What would you recommend sir ? Continue only running full backups or running incrementals with chains that can be cleaned up. As I said, I just want to only backup new or modified files. I would assume restoring files would become an issue as well.
Thanks,
I changed it to these settings now:
Your new settings should be safer while providing good cover for capturing your file changes etc.
One point to understand on how Automatic Cleanup works:
You have configured Delete version chains older than 7 days but this is not quite as it simple as it sounds.
A version chain = 1 x Full backup .TIB file plus 5 x Incremental .TIB files (per your configuration).
That version chain is not considered to be complete until the next Full backup has been created successfully.
The 7 days does not start counting until the version chain is complete, so nothing will get deleted until 7 days after that next Full backup has been created, which can be longer than 7 days if your schedule is not daily.
Now this is all done on a 1 TB drive so I may need to limit the number of chains. The full backup was around 350 GB.
Thanks,
My personal preference is to use the "Store no more than X recent version chains" where it is easier to work out what the size of the chain will be, but again with the understanding that your backup destination drive needs to be able to store X chains + 1 Full backup file before automatic cleanup will run to make space by deleting the oldest version chain.
So I'm thinking it should work out but I may need to limit the number of chains and days to keep them because it sounds like it will even replace the full backup with another after the cycle is complete.
Thanks,