It would be unwise to try to make a complete WHS system backup; I doubt there's any way to do it w/off the shelf solutions. We expressed early on in that section that DATA should be backed up, not the WHS system. Our approach to any server is to try and centralize the data so it is readily shared on the network (and easily backed up) rather that leaving it in client PCs, which can then utilize more secure settings.ivier wrote:To me it seems that the backup device (Icy Box) section would benefit to have a bit of description on what terms it is a viable option as a backup device.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, there's no straightforward way to make complete WHS backup to this kind of eSata device. Personal folders and shared folders can be backed up by WHS itself, but the client pc backup database cannot. There is an add-on called BDBB to accomplish the backup database backup, but the backup destination needs to be a single volume, not 4 separate volumes that the Icy Box offers. If the client pc backup database size is smaller than a single drive in Icy Box, then it will work, but with bigger backup database there wouldn't be a volume large enough for the backup to succeed.
I don't know how typical it is that the pc backup database size is greater than 2 TB; in my case it's around 5-6 TB. Moving data from client pc to personal folder in WHS (to minimize backup db size) may not be practical either, as data transfer rate between a pc and a WHS is not very high.
Thanks for the info on BDBB. This looks like an invaluable addition to WHS for those seeking double insurance on all PCs in their network. Info in the latest version of BDBB, v 1.0.33 is at MediaSmartServer.net.
Your 5-6 TB of data could be migrated to a server in large batches, over a gigabit network at night. We've seen 100mb/s sustained transfer rate between WHS and 1 or 2 PCs in our network; even with such network speed, it would certainly take a while to transfer 5-6 TB (something like 15~18 hrs?) but spread out over a week or longer, it wouldn't be that onerous a task.