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Data Backup Strategies
Regular Backup Tasks
The following summary of periodic backup tasks is something
that should be a regular part of the daily routine of
operators.
Supervisors should also verify that the operators are
completing these tasks daily as required, since consistency
is a very important part of the monitoring process.
These suggested tasks can also be modified depending on the
organization and data availability requirements, but at a
minimum these are tasks that should be completed.
Daily Tasks
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Bring back the previous offsite backup and put back with
the regular tapes.
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Check email for successful completion and failure
notifications.
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Review the server error logs for any problems and resolve.
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Check the text files and verify row counts for
individually exported tables.
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Review the backup software error logs and resolve any
errors.
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Review all of the backup times and make sure there are
still appropriate time windows for backups to complete.
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Restore a random file from tape.
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Remove tapes and send offsite.
Weekly Tasks (In addition to the daily tasks)
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Do a
full weekly backup of each server.
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Restore a few critical database tables on the production
server.
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De-fragment servers.
Monthly Tasks (In addition to the daily and weekly tasks)
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Do a
complete restore on the backup server.
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Make
sure that that the complete process is documented and that
the documentation is updated.
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Evaluate the time windows and make adjustments where
necessary.
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Compare the size of tables, the number of rows, the disk
space taken up by tables and all comparative statistics to
those of the month before and resolve any anomalies.
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Check with vendors of DBMS, server software and tape
backup software and get and install any patches or
upgrades to the software.
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