Choosing A Backup Schedule - HP BB118BV - StorageWorks Data Protector Express Package User's Manual & Technical Reference

Choosing a Backup Schedule

Data Protector Express lets you set up jobs that run automatically on regular schedules—at a certain minute
in the hour every hour, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. You can also set up a job that you run manually
once, immediately, or at a specified time. Or you can create a job that contains no schedule at all.
To determine which type of backup job you should create, ask yourself these questions:
Do I need to run the job at a specific time on a regular basis or only once in awhile?
either not scheduled or scheduled. Some jobs may run once or only occasionally. These jobs are usually
not scheduled because they only run when you instruct them to do so.
Data Protector Express includes three default schedule types for jobs that run infrequently: Not scheduled,
Run on specific day, and Run now. These jobs are designed to be run either periodically when you select
them from Data Protector Express, or only once after you complete setting up the job. They are not
designed to be run automatically even if Data Protector Express is running as a service.
If the job is scheduled, how frequently do I want to run it?
at a time or day that you specify, you should select one of the default schedules that Data Protector
Express provides. You can create a job that runs as infrequently as only a few selected days or as often
as every hour. Scheduled backup jobs are generally designed for disaster recovery protection and are
therefore run at regular intervals, normally daily. For a job to run automatically, either Data Protector
Express or the Data Protector Express service must be running.
There are several default schedule types that are designed to be run automatically on a schedule: Run on
selected days (of the week), or Run repeatedly.
If the job is scheduled, do I want to run it on a complex schedule?
automatically on a complex schedule, or if you need to create a specialized backup schedule, use
one of these schedules: Run on selected days or Run repeatedly. These schedules let you choose the
specific days on which the job should run.
What is the purpose of this job?
Protector Express runs jobs in one of four backup modes: full, incremental, differential, or copy. Jobs that
are set to Run repeatedly use the backup type shown in their schedule. Other jobs use the backup type
defined on the Options tab which is set to "full" by default. You can change the backup mode for a job
on the Options property page or by changing the interval settings in a Run repeatedly job. Full backups
provide the best backup for data recovery purposes because they include necessary system information.
Backup jobs that are not run specifically for data recovery purposes can use any of the other backup
modes and can be used for general data restoration purposes. To set up a flexible backup schedule
that includes jobs run in more than just full backup mode, choose Run repeatedly so that you can set the
backup mode for any job in the schedule.
TIP:
To change the default backup mode for a job that does not include media rotation, open the Options
property page and change the Backup Mode setting. For the most flexible complex backup schedule,
choose Run repeatedly
How or whether or not you schedule a job and the type of schedule you select depends on several
factors. Before proceeding, consider the following questions:
• What degree of risk to your data is reasonably allowable?
• Will the amount of traffic on your network require that backup jobs be scheduled to run during
non-peak periods? Are there certain days of the week when running lengthy jobs will interfere
with other uses of your network? Do I need to schedule jobs to run several times a day?
• Are there times when your tape drive will be unavailable?
• Will someone monitor the job as it runs?
• How large will a full backup job be?
• How much data can the backup media hold? How many media does my budget allow me? Or,
alternatively, how many tapes does my library hold?
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Backup Jobs
Is it to protect from disasters or to maintain a historical record?Data
If you want a backup job to run automatically
If you want a backup job to run
Backup jobs are