Q. How many backup tapes should you be using in your backup plan?

A. Ideally, twenty-two.
      · 12 tapes for monthly backups, used the last day of the month
      ·  5 "Friday" tapes for weekly backups, used every Friday
      ·  4 weekday tapes, used Monday through Thursday
      ·  1 cleaning tape, used every week

You can get by with a few less, if you don’t want or need a full year of monthly backups.  Other tape plans can be utilized, depending on your specific needs.

A. We recommend at least two, if possible. Daily tasks are to verify the backup is complete, change the tape, and take the tape off-site. (Remember to have alternates selected in case someone is unavailable).

A.The backups should include the company's live data (databases, documents, and email), the operating system of the server, and the server configuration information. If the company has historical data, that can also be included depending on the amount of free space on the backup solution. If there is not enough room on the backup, we recommend creating an archive backup to only include the historical data, and refrain from backing it up on a regular basis.

Q. How many ways can you confirm a backup was successful?

A. There are 2 ways that we typically confirm the backups have completed properly. The first way is using the reporting feature of the backup application. This feature usually emails a backup report to the person in charge of the backups. The second piece we typically use is called the 'verify function'. This is a built-in function of the backup software that runs at the end of the backup to compare the information in the backup to the information that is actually on the server, thus confirming that the backup ran correctly.

Q. What does the cleaning tape do?

A. The cleaning tape is used to clean the heads of the tape drive.  Many tape read errors can be corrected by running the cleaning tape, improving long term reliability.  The cleaning tape is inserted into the drive and runs automatically. Usually, this takes about a minute.

Q. How often should you run a cleaning tape?

A.You should run the cleaning tape on a regular basis, and also whenever it’s requested by the drive.  Remember, depending on the environment surrounding the drive, the tape may need to be run more often.  We recommend that your regular cleaning tape schedule should include running the tape about once a week. Many drives have a cleaning indicator light that will come on when it is time to clean the drive. Refer to your manufacturer's recommendations when setting up a cleaning schedule. 

Q. On average, how many uses can you get from a backup tape?

A. . Each tape is only good for a specified number of uses.  Usually, each tape is good for 50 uses but the number can vary.  The usage number for your tape should be indicated on the packaging.   Be sure to keep track of how many times the tape has been used and replace it accordingly.  Many tapes have boxes to check each time it is used.   

Q. How often should backup tapes be replaced?

A. . We recommend replacing tapes annually. After using tapes for a full year, they become degraded and may cause errors in the backup job. It is also possible for the tape to break inside the drive. If this occurs, it is likely that the drive will need to be replaced.