How to backup Windows Server 2003?

How to backup Windows Server 2003?

Backup Windows Server 2003
In Windows Server 2003 there is a backup program to backup your server. If you have a server which is used by several clients to store their data or every department in your company has their own share on the server to store the departments data you must be sure this data is backed up. If not and the server is crashed, the data of the departments or clients or gone and this could be a large damage for your company.

To prevent this, you can make backups of your system. For example you can make daily backups or weekly backups to protect your data against such crashes and to make sure you can restore your data later. This is all possible using the Windows Server 2003 backup program.

Many larger companies don't use the integrated backup program to backup Windows Server 2003 but they use often other backup programs like Symantec Backup Exec. But there are many programs to backup Windows Server 2003.
Although in a small company or in a home situation the Windows Server 2003 backup function is a backup program which works fine.

Using this program to backup Windows Server 2003 you can store them to several types of storage media. The storage media can be a logical drive, such as your hard disk, a removable drive or a tape device. Most companies use backup tapes because they have a large capacity and these tapes can for example be stored outside the building so the tapes are save of being stolen or when there is a fire the tapes are still there.

Types of backups
There are several ways to backup Windows Server 2003. To let you understand how backups work is here a section that gives you all the information you need to know about backups.
Normal backup
A normal backup is a backup that will backup all the files you have selected to be backed up and will mark these files as having been backed up. This type is mostly used as a first time backup of your system.
Copy backup
This type backs up selected files but does not mark any file as having been backed up.
Incremental backup
An incremental backup saves space on the medium and also to save time during making it. In stead of copying everything to the medium, this type copies only the files which were created or modified since the previous normal or incremental backup.
The files which were backed up, will be marked as having been backed up. By making the next incremental, only the modifications will be backed up since the last incremental. To restore this type it is necessary to have a normal (and the previous made incremental backups) backup.
Differential backup
This type works in the same way as an incremental backup but does not mark the files as having been backed up.
Because it doesn't mark the files as having been backed up it doesn't check if a differential has been run. This type, in combination with a normal, is more time-consuming then an incremental in combination with a normal but it is faster to restore data because you only need the last normal backup and the last differential backup instead of every incremental and the last normal backup.

Daily backup
This type only backs up files that were created or modified that day, without marking the files as having been backed up.

How to backup Windows Server 2003 step by step?

Step 1:
Start the Windows Server 2003 backup program by:
Click Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Backup.
Or click Start -> Run and type 'ntbackup'.
The next screen is shown.

Step 2:
Here we click 'Advanced mode'.
The next screen is shown.

Step 3:
Here we click the 'Backup Wizard (Advanced)' button.
The backup wizard will start and you click 'Next' and then the next screen is shown.

Step 4:
Now we are going to backup Windows Server 2003 on a normal way first.
Select 'Back up everything on this computer' and click next.
The next screen is shown.

Step 5:
Here you can select a place where to store the file. Select any place you would like your backup will be stored to and give up a name for the file (For example: NormalBackup).
Click 'Next' and the next screen is shown.

Backup Windows Server 2003

Step 6:
In this screen click the 'Advanced' button.
The next screen is shown.

Backup Windows Server 2003

Step 7:
Here you select 'Normal' and click 'Next'.
The next screen is shown.

Backup Windows Server 2003

Step 8:
Here you check the check box 'Verify data after backup' and click the 'Next' button.
The next screen is shown.

Backup Windows Server 2003

Step 9:
Here click 'Replace the existing backups' and then click 'Next'.
The next screen is shown.

Backup Windows Server 2003

Step 10:
Here you enable 'Later' and in the 'Job name' box you type a name of the backup. (For example: Sunday evening)
After you have entered a job name you click the 'Set Schedule' button.
The next screen is shown.

Backup Windows Server 2003

Step 11:
Here the drop down list Schedule Task you select 'Weekly'.
In the drop down list Start time you set a time when the backup must start (For example: 6.00 PM).
In the Schedule Task Weekly section you set the number '1' in the Every week box and you select the 'Sun' check box to let the backup run every week on Sunday at the time you set.
After you set the week, day and time settings as you wish you click the 'Ok' button.
The next screen is shown.

Backup Windows Server 2003

Step 12:
Here you must enter a user name and password which has privileges to backup data. (For example: Administrator)
After you clicked the 'Ok' button and the user has privileges to backup data the next screen is shown.

Backup Windows Server 2003

Here you click 'Next' and the final screen is shown.

Backup Windows Server 2003

Step 13:
Click 'Finish' and you will return to the main screen of the backup program of Windows Server 2003.
If you click the 'Schedule jobs' tab on the main screen you can see that the backup job is scheduled weekly on Sunday (in my example). If you want to review the information about the backup job you can click on a job and a property screen is shown. Here you can view backup details etcetera.
If you want to edit a backup job or create a new one you just click a day at the calendar.

Now that the Normal Backup Windows Server 2003 is completed we are going to make the incremental.

Step 14:
Click in the main screen on the 'Welcome' tab and start the 'Backup wizard advanced' again. In the screen which is shown click 'Next'.
The next screen is shown.

Step 15:
Earlier when we made a normal one and we chose 'Back up everything on this computer'.Now we are going to make an incremental and therefore we don't want everything but we want a selection of files, drives or network data.
Select therefore 'Back up selected files, drives, or network data' and click 'Next'.
The next screen is shown.

Backup Windows Server 2003

Step 16:
Here you can select the files you would like to backup. You can pick an entire drive, folders, or files you like to be backed up.
After you have selected the drive(s), folders or files you want you click 'Next'.
The next screen is shown.

Backup Windows Server 2003

Step 17:
Here you type a name and you select a folder where to store the backup file and you click 'Next'.
After clicking the 'Next' button the same screen is shown as the screen in Step 5.
Here you click again the 'Advanced' button and you repeat the next steps until you have finished the wizard.
So you choose again:

The backup type = incremental
Again 'Verify data after backup'
Again 'Replace the existing backups'
Again 'Later' and click 'Set schedule'
Again you select 'Weekly', a day of the week to run the backup and the time.
Again you have to select a user and password with the privileges to backup data.
Finally the final screen is shown and you click 'Finished'.

You can make such incremental ones every day of the week if you want. This could even more save to protect your data then doing it weekly. The only thing you have to do is running the wizard and follow the steps above again.

This is a very good way to backup Windows Server 2003. Of course you can do it an other way by using this program but that's up to you.
There are also many other programs to backup Windows Server 2003 but this backup program of Windows Server 2003 is for a small company a very good utility.

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