Protecting your investment: Backing up your data...
Written by Dale Allen, 2005
GFS backup strategy
I recommend using the Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) tape rotation strategy.
GFS is a tape rotation strategy.
(Also see The Tower of
Hanoi)
To provide a systematic approach to tape storage that ensures the highest
possible protection for your data and gives you an easy way to locate stored
files, The GFS method is one of the simplest and most effective tape rotation
strategies used.
The GFS strategy is a method of maintaining backups on a daily, weekly, and
monthly basis. Although you can use a seven day schedule, GFS backup schemes are
usually based on a five day work week, beginning any day. A full backup is
performed once a week, usually on Friday. All other days,
differential or
incremental backups are
performed.
Here's how it works
- The daily backups are the son.
- The last full backup in the week (the weekly backup) is the father.
- The last full backup of the month (the monthly backup) is the
grandfather.
By default, you can re-use daily media after six days. Weekly media can be
overwritten after five weeks have passed since it was last written to. Monthly
media are saved throughout the year. These can and should be taken off-site for
storage. If your business was struck by fire, flood, or theft, you can ensure
that your system can be restored, by keeping a recent copy of your files
off-site. You can change any of these media rotation defaults to suit your
particular environment.
NOTE: A five-day GFS rotation scheme requires 21 media-per-year.
The primary purpose of the GFS scheme is to suggest a minimum standard and
consistent interval at which to rotate and retire the used media.
Related topics on Allen Enterprises Website in Puerto Rico
This page has been viewed
times since 2010
|
|
