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Backup to a remote server over the Internet
Whatever backup solution you apply, a general rule is
that you should not keep the backup copy in the same place where you store
the original data. For example, you should not backup data to the same hard
disk, because if the disk goes out of order, you can lose both copies of your
data at the same time. If you have several disks installed on your system,
you can backup from one to another, but it is not the best approach too, because
a virus attack or a serious hardware malfunction can damage both disks.
If you have a CD or DVD writing device you can backup to removable media and
store disks somewhere away from your computer. However in this case you will
have to do a lot of manual work regularly. This also applies to various USB
attachable devices.
So, the solution should be something that will backup
your data automatically somewhere as far as possible. You can do this by backing
up data to a remote server over the Internet.
Today many companies offer remote
backup services. If you subscribe to these services, you will need to install
their software on your system and configure it so that it would transfer your
files regularly to their server. Usually they apply their own protocol to
transfer data and their own special server programs to store it. If your computer
is behind a firewall, you can have problems accessing such services, because
it may appear that they use some forbidden IP ports.
They charge monthly fee
for the service and sometimes they charge additional fee depending on the
stored amount of data. You will also have to pay to your ISP for the network
traffic.
A good alternative is a backup to an FTP server. File Transfer Protocol
(FTP) is one of the basic Internet protocols designed for exchange of information.
It is the classic way to move large files online. In contrast to HTTP that
is mainly used to transfer web texts and images, FTP can transfer any files
of any size.
To access your data stored on FTP server you need an FTP client
or just a usual web browser. There are two different types of FTP sites: public
(anonymous) and private. Both ask for a username and password when you log
in. The difference is that, on a public FTP site, you can choose to enter
"anonymous" as the username and your email address as the password. On a private
site, this will not work. Instead, you must be assigned a unique username
and password, and you must use these to log in. Public FTP sites usually store
commonly used data - free software programs, music, images etc. That is why
such sites are often called FTP archives. Private FTP sites serve as storages
of any personal data.
Using a private FTP account, you can put your files
in a place easily accessible for you and your recipients. Some backup programs
have a built-in FTP client. They can make backups to remote FTP servers, so
you do not have to do this manually. This way you will be able to view your
files stored on the FTP any time you wish using any FTP client. FTP server
is a convenient storage place that can be easily accessible for you and the
people whom you want to share your data with. This is a cheaper and simpler
variant of the remote backup.
The first thing you need to consider when backing
up your files over the Internet is data security. You should take into account
that FTP protocol is unprotected by itself. Even private FTP account does
not ensure the security of your files; it only protects the access to FTP
server. Anyone who specifies your account credentials will get access to your
data. So if you store your files on a remote server, it is strongly recommended
to protect them using some encryption algorithm.
You can store your data in
a standard password-protected ZIP archive. The benefit is that it is rather
simple and quick method and you will be able to extract your files on any
computer using any ZIP client. However, there are methods that provide tighter
security by applying stronger encryption algorithms, like Blowfish. The usage
of strong encryption methods increases data security greatly, but in this
case files may be stored in some specific format depending on the backup program.
To decrypt such files, you will need to use the program that encrypted and
backed them up.
Today's computers store the immense amount of information.
Even in case you back up only the most important files over the Internet,
their size may be very large. To save disk space and reduce network traffic
it is better to compress the transferred data. ZIP compression is the most
common type of file compression. Some backup programs allow choosing compression
quality for the data. The higher is the compression quality, the more time
will be required to process the data, but the resulting ZIP file will be smaller.
Depending on your needs, you can either compress each file separately, or
put all files into a single ZIP archive.
Each time you are backing up your data, you can perform either full or incremental
backup. Full backup copies all files of backup set. Backup copy may be quite
large in this case. Incremental backup copies only files that have been changed
since the last full or incremental backup. If you save your data to a remote
server, making incremental backups will reduce network traffic and time required
for the backup procedure. However, it is not recommended to compress your
files into a single ZIP archive in case you make incremental backups, because
it is impossible to insert new data to an old ZIP archive over the network.
In this case, the backup will be fully rebuilt each time.
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07.08.05
Backup Platinum successfully passed
the "Designed for Windows XP" certification
by Microsoft®
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Can run in service mode
on Windows 2000/
