Can anyone recommend a reliable backup and restore solution for the C drive on server 2000?
My C drive is a basic disk with a single partition. Id like to be able to schedule unattended backups to a separate fat32 disk so that if the server crashes, I can replace the C drive, boot from a CD and restore the C drive from the backup image.
Are you running any services/software like Active Directory, SQL Server or Exchange Server?
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In response to DJL, yes it's a domain controller running Active Directory.
SysExpert, I'll look through your list of suggestions and respond tomorrow (it's late now where I am). I'd particularly like one such that I can run the restore from a bootable CD. Alternatively, if I could run the restore in Directory Services Restore Mode, that would do. In my experience server 2000's own Windows Backup is not always reliable.
SysExpert, I'll look through your list of suggestions and respond tomorrow (it's late now where I am). I'd particularly like one such that I can run the restore from a bootable CD. Alternatively, if I could run the restore in Directory Services Restore Mode, that would do. In my experience server 2000's own Windows Backup is not always reliable.
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Thanks to all of you. SysExpert, you gave me a lot to look at - it will take me some time to try various options. Does anyone have any experience with Paragon Drive Backup Server? It looks like one of the most reasonably priced server solutions. Symantec Backup Exec is expensive! DJL, I haven't found server 2000's NTBackup to be entirely reliable when run as a scheduled task. When I've needed it, I've found a high percentage of its backups to be unusable. Maybe I need to take another look at it and see if I was configuring it wrong somehow. For the time being, I am shutting the server down and ghosting the C drive fairly regularly, but it's a pain staying late at work until everyone's gone home! At least it's reliable, but I'd like a reliable way of backing it up daily without shutting down. I'll assign points at this stage, and may ask another question later about NTbackup when I taken another look at that. But if you have any final comments, they'd be appreciated.
A few more things for you to think about;
1) Check to see if the restoration to different hardware works with Server 2000. I don't think paragon does. If your server fails and you can't restore the image because of problems with new hardware, and you don't have an active directory backup, restoration could be tricky.
2) Server 2000 doesn't have Volume Shadow Copy, so you can't backup open files unless the software has its own open file support. Again I think paragon relies on VSS so you would have to shutdown the machine to image it.
With regards to NTBackup - i've never really had any problems with it. Its tape support is rubbish, but if you're backing up to disk then it should be reliable.
Server 2000 only has 16months of support left. You might also want to think long term about upgrading to Server 2003 - VSS support would make backups easier, and would allow you to use some of the cheaper backup software. If you went for for Server 2008 you could use the inbuilt disk imaging.
1) Check to see if the restoration to different hardware works with Server 2000. I don't think paragon does. If your server fails and you can't restore the image because of problems with new hardware, and you don't have an active directory backup, restoration could be tricky.
2) Server 2000 doesn't have Volume Shadow Copy, so you can't backup open files unless the software has its own open file support. Again I think paragon relies on VSS so you would have to shutdown the machine to image it.
With regards to NTBackup - i've never really had any problems with it. Its tape support is rubbish, but if you're backing up to disk then it should be reliable.
Server 2000 only has 16months of support left. You might also want to think long term about upgrading to Server 2003 - VSS support would make backups easier, and would allow you to use some of the cheaper backup software. If you went for for Server 2008 you could use the inbuilt disk imaging.