Symantec Backup Exec Storage Option

Backup ExecHi,
 
 I have Symantec Backup Exec software running Windows 2008 server and there are qty. 5 of 500GB external USB hard drive (Monday thru Friday. With that I have two questions:
 (1) Instead of connecting and disconnecting these 500GB external USB drives each and every day, can I replace all 5 of these with one 4TB external USB drive and let Symantec Backup Exec overwrite old data as necessary?
 (2) If I want to keep two 4TB drives and label them "WEEK1" and "WEEK2" and swap them every Monday, will that work?
 
Thanks.
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sgleeAsked:
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Gerald ConnollyCommented:
Well!

Drives*1 - What happens if your building burns down 5 seconds before the backup finishes? You have lost your data and your backup
Drives*2 - Better, but are you able to cope with losing a weeks worth of backups if your building burns down 5 seconds before the last backup completes
DRives*5 - Better still - you only lose 1 days worth of data, assuming you take the tapes offsite every day
Mr TorturSystem EngineerCommented:
Hi,

well indeed, that is a kind of small configuration I did not see yet.

But to try to answer your questions :
1) if you are doing your backups with 5x 500GB hdd today, you could do them on 2x 4TB hdd tomorrow, you will have to change your backup target but the configuration type is still the same.
Then when you ask if BE will "overwrite old data as necessary" :
I suppose you mean you will copy the content of your 5 old hdd on the 2 new ones...? how?
Answer could be "maybe it is possible", with some admin actions (copy old backup datas to new drives, catalog, change backup target in jobs, ...)
But I think it will likely not work. You will have to :
- add your 2 new drives as backup devices (Removable B2D folder)
- change backup target in your backup jobs to the new drives - in fact I don't know if you have currently one jobs or several to manage different targets
- do full backup first, then incremental ones

2) yes it will work if your jobs are set to write to your new usb hdd one week each

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sgleeAuthor Commented:
"I suppose you mean you will copy the content of your 5 old hdd on the 2 new ones...? how?" --> No, I was thinking about adding 2 new drives as backup devices (Removable B2D folder) and start backing up from the scratch (without moving  data from existing 500GB HDs).

What do you think about this?
1. Begin Carbonite backup.
2. Just get one 4TB USB HD and let the backup job keep writing (& overwriting old data as it runs out of space) data daily
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Mr TorturSystem EngineerCommented:
ah ok. Then when you asked if it will overwrite old data you speak of the backup job lifecycle in the future, not about the past data you would have copied.
>> well, this is about retention and overwriting options, you set that on media set in BE if I remember correctly.

What is carbonite backup? it seems to be another backup software, but I don't know about it.

If you add a drive you must check your backup jobs will write on it, as I told before.
sgleeAuthor Commented:
Fyi, Carbonite is online backup company.

If I have two 4TB external USB HDs with one defined backup job (to overwrite old data as needed) and exchange these USB HDs weekly, what happens to the backup? Does it backup the data to either USB HD whichever is available? Would you recommend that?
Mr TorturSystem EngineerCommented:
Hi,
as I said I never worked with USB disk in BE.
If working with 2 usb disks I would have created 2 jobs, one Week1 on usb hdd1 and one Week2 on usb hdd2.
Because it is better to have separate set of backups on each disk.
I mean not to have for example a full backup and 2 incremental backups on one disk, and 3 next incremental on the other disk drive.
I case you loose the disk with the full backup, your incremental on the other disk drive will be useless.
Mr TorturSystem EngineerCommented:
No comments lately, closing the question with my first answer selected, which I think answer to the (2) main questions.
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