Backup

What is the Archive Bit?

The archive bit is a small flag at the beginning of a file which indicates

Whether the file has changed since it was created. It’s most often used for backup programs which run on an incremental basis if the archive bit is set; the file has changed and so will be backed up. Once the file's been backed up, the archive bit is reset until you next open and change the file (for example, adding something to a Word document).

If the Archive bit is set -> the file has changed and so will be backed up.

Once the file is backed up -> the Archive bit is reset until next open and change the file.

For example: My backup plan (Sunday Normal and Monday to Saturday Differential)

1)     Sunday I am running Normal back up in my network once the files are backed up the Archive Bit is cleared which state the file has been backed up.

2)     The next to 6 days I am running differential backup (Differential backup copies files created or changed since the last normal or incremental backup. It does not mark files as having been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is not cleared).

3)     If I need to restore the Wednesday deleted files on Thursday I need last normal back tape and Monday to Wednesday Differential back tape.

How many types backup are there in windows?

The Backup utility supports five methods of backing up data on your computer or network.

Normal backup Copies all selected files and then resets the archive bit.

A normal backup copies all selected files and marks each file as having been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is cleared). With normal backups, you need only the most recent copy of the backup file or tape to restore all of the files. You usually perform a normal backup the first time you create a backup set.

Backing up your data using a combination of normal backups and incremental backups requires the least amount of storage space and is the quickest backup method. However, recovering files can be time-consuming and difficult because the backup set can be stored on several disks or tapes.

Backing up your data using a combination of normal backups and differential backups is more time-consuming, especially if your data changes frequently, but it is easier to restore the data because the backup set is usually stored on only a few disks or tapes.

Incremental backup Copies all selected files with the archive bit set and resets bit.

An incremental backup backs up only those files created or changed since the last normal or incremental backup. It marks files as having been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is cleared). If you use a combination of normal and incremental backups, you will need to have the last normal backup set as well as all incremental backup sets in order to restore your data.

Differential backup Copies all selected files with the archive bit set but does not reset the bit.

Differential backup copies files created or changed since the last normal or incremental backup. It does not mark files as having been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is not cleared). If you are performing a combination of normal and differential backups, restoring files and folders requires that you have the last normal as well as the last differential backup.

Copy backup Copies all selected files but does not rest the archive bit.

A copy backup copies all selected files but does not mark each file as having been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is not cleared). Copying is useful if you want to back up files between normal and incremental backups because copying does not affect these other backup operations.

Daily backup Copies all selected files that were edited the day the backup was performed.

A daily backup copies all selected files that have been modified on the day the daily backup is performed. The backed-up files are not marked as having been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is not cleared).

How many backup features are there in windows 2008 server?

1) Windows GUI backup

2) Wbadmin command line backup

3) IFM backup using Ntdsutil

NTDSUTIL

Activate Instance NTDS

IFM

Create sysvol full F:\IFM (the vol will contains Active Directory, Registry, Sysvol) we can use him when we are promoting new DC.