Backing up the File System

There are several components to the file system that should be backed up.

1. Data Files
   Your core data files – all the files stored in your system.
2. Index Files
   Files storing information for speedy search. While you don’t typically need to back this up, doing so will make sure you don’t need to rebuild the index, which can take some time, depending on the size of your dataset.

1.1 Backup Strategy

Backup strategy refers to the frequency and type of backups that are automatically scheduled.
You can schedule a backup depending on your needs, and the capabilities may vary depending on the tools you choose. 12d Solutions recommends at least the following:

1. Scheduled once a day (midnight): Do a full file backup, including the index
2. Scheduled once a day (noon): Do a differential backup, without the index

1.2 Backup Options

Option A: Third Party Tool

12d Solutions does not recommend one backup system over another, and there are several options available to you. Many of these tools provide a schedule for backing up data. These tools may also have the capability to backup from the Volume Shadow Service, to prevent backing up partially written files.

Option B: Scheduled Task

If you do not wish to use a third party tool, you can schedule a task via Windows Scheduler to backup the files. You can use a variety of native tools in Windows, including:

1. Robocopy
2. WBAdmin