Gfs Backup Scheme - ACRONIS BACKUP AND RECOVERY 10 SERVER FOR LINUX - UPDATE 3 User Manual

Plan's credentials and task credentials
Any task running on a machine runs on behalf of a user. When creating a plan or a task, you have the
option to explicitly specify an account under which the plan or the task will run. Your choice depends
on whether the plan or task is intended for manual start or for executing on schedule.
Manual start
You can skip the Plan's (Task) credentials step. Every time you start the task, the task will run under
the credentials with which you are currently logged on. Any person that has administrative privileges
on the machine can also start the task. The task will run under this person's credentials.
The task will always run under the same credentials, regardless of the user who actually starts the
task, if you specify the task credentials explicitly. To do so, on the plan (task) creation page:
1. Select the Advanced view check box.
2. Select General -> Plan's (Task) credentials -> Change.
3. Enter the credentials under which the plan (task) will run.
Scheduled or postponed start
The plan (task) credentials are mandatory. If you skip the credentials step, you will be asked for
credentials after finishing the plan (task) creation.
Why does the program compel me to specify credentials?
A scheduled or postponed task has to run anyway, regardless if any user is logged on or not (for
example, the system is at the Windows "Welcome" screen) or a user other than the task owner is
logged on. It is sufficient that the machine be on (that is, not in standby or hibernate) at the
scheduled task start time. That's why the Acronis scheduler needs the explicitly specified credentials
to be able to start the task.

2.5 GFS backup scheme

This section covers implementation of the Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) backup scheme in Acronis
Backup & Recovery 10.
With this backup scheme you are not allowed to back up more often than once a day. The scheme
enables you to mark out the daily, weekly and monthly cycles in your daily backup schedule and set
the retention periods for the daily, monthly and weekly backups. The daily backups are referred to as
"sons"; weekly backups are referred to as "fathers"; the longest lived monthly backups are called
"grandfathers".
GFS as a tape rotation scheme
GFS was initially created and is often referred to as a tape rotation scheme. Tape rotation schemes,
as such, do not provide automation. They just determine:

how many tapes you need to enable recovery with the desired resolution (time interval between
recovery points) and roll-back period
 which tapes you should overwrite with the forthcoming backup.
Tape rotation schemes enable you to get by with the minimal number of cartridges and not to be
buried in used tapes. A lot of Internet sources describe varieties of the GFS tape rotation scheme.
You are free to use any of the varieties when backing up to a locally attached tape device.
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