You are the network administrator for a telecommunications company in Rochester, New York. The network consists of two Windows Server 2003 systems and 57 Windows XP Professional systems. Both servers are used as domain controllers. One server hosts DHCP and DNS server services. It is also used as a file and print server. The other server hosts a large SQL database. Each server has two hard disks in it, one for the system and boot partition and another for data.
The backup cycle for each server comprises a full backup each Tuesday at 7 p.m. and a differential backup on all other days of the week at 9 p.m. You are backing up to a digital audio tape (DAT) drive. The backups have been operating flawlessly for some time, but one Tuesday you notice that the backup of the drive holding
the SQL database has stopped and requested another tape. Upon investigation, you determine that the SQL database has grown to 22 GB in size. Which of the following strategies is the most cost-effective way to cure the problem?
Enable compression so twice as much data can be backed up to a single DAT tape.
To solve the problem of the backup failure due to the SQL database size exceeding the capacity of a single tape, you can consider the following strategies:
1. Upgrade the tape drive: One option is to upgrade the existing DAT drive to a higher capacity tape drive, such as a Digital Linear Tape (DLT) or LTO drive. These drives typically offer larger storage capacities, allowing you to fit the entire SQL database on a single tape. This solution may require some investment in purchasing new hardware.
2. Use disk-based backup: Instead of relying on tapes, you can consider implementing a disk-based backup solution. This involves using external hard drives or Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices to store the backups. Disk-based backups generally offer larger storage capacities and faster backup speeds. You would need to configure your backup software to utilize the disk-based storage instead of tapes.
3. Implement incremental backups: Instead of performing full backups every Tuesday, you can switch to incremental backups. Incremental backups only store the changes made since the last full or incremental backup. This strategy reduces the amount of data that needs to be backed up, thus potentially fitting within the capacity of a single tape.
4. Utilize compression and deduplication: If your backup software supports it, enabling compression and deduplication can help reduce the size of the backed-up data. Compression algorithms reduce the size of the backup files, allowing more data to fit on a tape. Deduplication eliminates redundant data, further reducing the storage requirements.
It is important to evaluate these options based on your budget and specific requirements. Consider the tradeoffs between cost, storage capacity, backup speed, and ease of implementation when choosing the most cost-effective strategy for your situation.