New
#1071
Is incremental less reliable than a full backup? Incremental backups is the only thing I might use if upgrading to the pro version.
Is incremental less reliable than a full backup? Incremental backups is the only thing I might use if upgrading to the pro version.
Hi,
Yes it is as it relies on all the incremental backups that precede it. If one fails then the entire back up is worthless.Is incremental less reliable than a full backup?
I'd recommend combining incremental backups with a full monthly one at least.
Cheers,
Hi,
That's true but it's still risky IMHO. Especially in the long run where people rely on incrementals for months in a row.Not quite true. You need to go back to before the failed incremental
Cheers,
I also use a combo of full and incremental. Having a long string of incrementals can get increasingly risky, so I do fulls and only an incremental as a stop gap if I've just done something I don't want to lose. Like a few app updates, or some cosmetic changes. Then at the end of the day, my normal full. Not to be taken literally, but I use the incremental function as a kind-of "restore point" or "checkpoint". In either case, always with verify.
I use incrementals for daily back ups, differentials weekly and full monthly. I also if planning anything big like changing hardware, upgrading windows will create a full C:\ SSD Image.
All my backup are verified, I have the time for that.
Forever incrementals just don't sound like a very good Idea to me, too many things can happen and they do to all of us.
In this respect, differentials have a higher integrity inasmuch as each is self contained i.e. they are not chained like incrementals. Of course differentials grow as time goes on.
I guess the same is true with incrementals forever to an extent as the first "merged incremental" is effectively a differential file, and as time progresses it must grow but all subsequent incrementals in the "forever" chain will be lean and mean.
As I said earlier it seems to me (for me) a good strategy is Full monthly with 7 daily "incrementals for ever" and a weekly differential as a secondary backup.
Has anybody here ever actually used Synthetic Fulls. This seems to be more risky to me in terms of integrity?