Acroprint ATR9800 - Manual (Page 7)

ATR9800 User Guide
System Integrity & Backups 5
System Integrity & Backups
Overview
Systems integrity and data backups cannot be stressed enough. Should you experience a hard
disk crash, you will be very glad you maintained proper system backups. Without a backup,
restoring data to the hard disk is difficult, often impossible, and very expensive.
In short, keeping frequent system backups of not just the ATR9800 system, but of all programs
and data on your PC will protect you should disaster strike. Remember Murphy's Law: If it can
happen, it will happen and at the worst possible time! PCs are electrical devices just like radios,
televisions and toasters; eventually they all fail.
Methods and Tradeoffs
There are many methods for backing up data from PCs: floppy disks, tape, server, RSD
(Removable Storage Drive) and others.
Floppy Disks
Floppy disks are a quick and easy solution for small amounts of data. However, since most
programs create megabytes of data, floppies are not always a viable method of file backup.
Tape Drives
Tape drives have the initial disadvantage of being expensive, costing anywhere between
$300 and $1,500. But the initial higher cost is quickly paid for in shorter backup times. A
20 Megabytes drive, which takes almost an hour to backup with floppy disks, can be
backed up in as little as 10 minutes. As typical disk capacities increase further to 4GB,
8GB and 12GB, your only realistic backup medium is tape.
Servers
For PCs on a network, backup over the network is a viable alternative to using removable
drives. This type of scheme is sometimes used in small- to medium-size businesses as a
way of protecting PCs without the expensive of tape drives or removable storage. The idea
is fairly simple, copy data from one PC to another over the network. Duplicating each PC's
information provides a way to protect each individual PC.
In a way, this type of backup is most similar to in-place hard disk duplication in terms of
how it works. It is simple in the same way, and can be automated. It addresses some of the
concerns about that method since there is not the same single point of failure in terms of
virus attack or hardware failure. However, depending on the location of the two PCs, theft,
disaster and sabotage can still be a big problem. If the two PCs are sitting on different
desks in the same office, you have not gained much protection against these threats. Also,
remember that viruses can travel over a network.