Amethyst backup plan, options and suggestions

[Belinda Frick]

For Amethyst 1.4 and higher, please also see the document
Amethyst backup procedures


This document should be read in conjunction with all other SSL documents
related to this topic.

The statements made here are based on our own experience and are not
intended to slate any specific technologies, methods, or schemes. Neither
do we intend to prove or disprove any of the statements in this document.
It is merely a guideline and should be seen as such. IT departments must
make the final decision on the best backup method based on their preference,
experiences and preferred technologies.

The needs and requirements may change from user to user and this depends
on their specific criteria. Mirrored systems may be the best backup
option where zero fault tolerance is required. Mirrored systems should
still be backed up on a regular basis and this scheme could also apply
to mirrored systems.

Please remember the following:

1. Do not exceed your original specifications in terms of size and volumes.
2. Always ensure that you are using the latest versions of all software.
3. Even when compressed, Audio (voice) data uses large quantities of disk
space. Do not skimp on backup equipment and media.
4. We strongly recommend high quality hard drives for backup purposes.
DVD's and CD's do not support enough capacity and are often not reliable
enough. DAT is not recommended and DLT is not one of our preferred media.

Backup

We recommend a minimum of a monthly backup of the full database.

Use any of the backup options to create this backup. GBAK from interbase is a
good option for this. See the GBAK documentation in the OpGuide.pdf from interbase
for more information on how to use this facility.

Daily incremental backups

Use AmtBackup for incremental backups. See the documentation on this for more
information.

Restore

To Restore use the GBAK option to restore. See the GBAK documentation in
the OpGuide.pdf from interbase for more information on how to use this facility.

Use the daily/incremental backups created with the AMTBackup and move the data
back to the main restore database using the AMTMove program.This needs to be done
one by one and can be time consuming. This all depends on the amount of data that
needs to be restored. If this becomes a problem increase your main backup to
weekly instead of monthly.

The Archive and purge options can be used in conjunction with backups as well
read all the information related to this.