What are my options if I want to just backup my data directories on Windows 2008 Server. It looks to me like the backup software built into the OS only backs up an entire hard drive.
Is my only option to copy the files?
A:
Ntbackup, the backup program included in previous versions of Windows Server and NT-based Windows client operating systems, is no longer supplied or supported, but you still have some choices.
- Use Windows Server Backup to back up full hard drive partitions. You will need to configure your system to store data on a separate partition from the boot partition in order to keep from backing up the operating system. (Note: You must back up to a partition on a different disk or to a network share.)
- Use Robocopy. This is a command-line tool that replaces xcopy. It has numerous options that allow you to back up via file-copying and set the archive bit according to what type of backup job you want to achieve.
- Purchase a third-party backup tool. Microsoft Data Protection Manager and Symantec BackupExec are two enterprise-capable (and enterprise-priced) options.
Jay Michaud
2009-05-01 20:46:26