Skip to main content

Incremetal baockup - am I doing it wrong

Thread needs solution

I do a full backup and then incremental backups each day selecting the full backup as the source file each time. Is this not the same as doing differential backups. Presumably I can restore my system using the last incremental and initial full backup. Or does an incremental backup always backup the changes since the last incremental backup even though I select my initial full backup as the source file every time.

0 Users found this helpful

An example of full plus incremental or full plus differentials.
(Full backup defined as a backup of the entire disk.)
--------------------------------------------------------
Example of Full + incremental

Monday=Full Backup (All disk content)
Tuesday=Incremental-1 (Backup includes only the disk sector changes from Tuesday to backup time on Monday
Wednesday=Incremental-2 (Backup includes only the disk sector changes from Wednesday to backup time on Tuesday
Thursday=Incremental-3 (Backup includes only the disk sector changes from Thursday to backup time on Wednesday
Friday=Incremental-4 (Backup includes only the disk sector changes from Friday to backup time on Thursday
Saturday=Incremental-5 (Backup includes only the disk sector changes from Saturday to backup time on from Friday
Sunday=Incremental-6 (Backup includes only the disk sector changes from Sunday to backup time on Saturday

Restoring an incremental backup such as you wanted your computer to be restored to the same condition it was immediately following the Saturday backup (incremental -5)

1. Select the Incremental-5 for recovery.
2. True Image would restore in this sequence: Full Backup; Incremental-1; Incremental -2; Incremental-3; Incremental-4; Incremental-5
or a total of 6 files would be restored.

If the original full backup was damaged, no restore of any file from any incremental would be possible.
If Incremental-4 was damaged, then the full backups plus incremental 1-2-3 would be restored but not incremental-4

From a recovery standpoint, it is wise not to depend upon an excessive number of incrmentals as all preceding backups must be readable in order for the selected date to be restored.
-------------------------------------------------------

Differential backups:

Monday=Full Backup (All disk content)
Tuesday=Differential-1 (Backup includes all disk sector changes since the full backup on Monday.)
Wednesday=Differential-2 (Backup includes all disk sector changes since the full backup on Monday.) Each successive differential backups get incrementally larger as it contains all prior changes since last full backup.
Thursday=Differential-3 (Backup includes all disk sector changes since the full backup on Monday.) Each successive backups gets incrementally larger.
Friday=Differential-4 (Backup includes all disk sector changes since the full backup on Monday.) Each successive backups gets incrementally larger.
Saturday=Differential-5 (Backup includes all disk sector changes since the full backup on Monday.) Each successive backups gets incrementally larger.
Sunday=Differential-6 (Backup includes all disk sector changes since the full backup on Monday.) Each successive backups gets incrementally larger.

Restoring a differential backup such as you wanted your computer to be restored to the same condition it was immediately following the Saturday differential-5 backup.
1. Select the Differential-5 for recovery.
2. True Image would restore in this sequence: Full Backup plus Differential-5
or a total of 2 backup files would be restored.

If the original full backup was damaged, no restore of any backup file would be possible.
If differential-5 was damaged, any of the other differentials are candidates for selection to be restored which always begins with the full backup which is the base.
--------------------------------------------------------

So which source file do I select when doing an incremental backup - Do I select the full backup each time, or do I select the last incremental file. or doesn't it matter

Which version of TrueImageHome and are the backups being created from inside the Windows version or when booted froom the bootable CD?

Generally speaking, incrementals are mostly created by a backup task when using TrueImage from inside Windows.

The user creates a backup task choosing what is to be included in the backup, where backups are stored and how many backups (full + inc) are to included as part of the backup chain (versions) and how many chains (versions) are to be retained.

Backups are executed from within a user created backup task. As part of the parameters, if the user wants incremental type backups, you select how many incremental backups are to be created before a next full is created. Once you have created the task and indicate a schedule or "backup now", the task will execute the first backup & it will be a full backup. The next sequence of backups will he incrementals. It is the program (not the user) which will use the 1st full as the foundation and then the next group of backups will be the x number of incrementals as configured by the user when the task was created. The user is not involved in the creation of the incremental.

If the user wants a different type backup or different files covered or duplicate backup files, etc, then a new task must be created for each different set of circumstances.

-----------------------------
Edot: This posting may also shed more light
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/31221#comment-96882