Types of Backup

Backup Types and Its Advantages and Disadvantages

1. Full Backup:- 

Full Backup is a method of backup where all the folders and files selected for the backup will be backed up. Because Full Backup stores all Folders and Files, Frequent Full Backups results in to faster and simpler restore operations. Full backups is advise to take when Folders are smaller or project occupied space is not large. Full backup is restricted for a Weekly or Monthly Schedule. How ever you should be aware of security concerns as each Full Backup contains full set of data. If backup media is stolen where backup is taken it would be danger as hacker or thief can hack your data.

Advantage:- 

# Restore is fastest. It is easy to manage as entire list of Folders and Files are in one backup set.

Disadvantage:-  

# Backup is slow as each time each file is backed up again every time as Full backup is running. Occupies more storage space as comapred to Differential and Incremental Backups.

2. Incremental Backup:-

Incremental Backup is a backup of all changes made since last backup. Last Backup can be Full Backup or Incremental backup. In Incremental Backups, One full Backup is taken first and than subsequent Backup runs are just changed files and new files added since last backup. Incremental Backup provides faster method of backing up data than repeatedly running full Backups. Time it takes to execute backup may be a fraction of time it takes to perform Full Backup. 

When Restoring from Incremental you need most recent Full Backup as well as Every Incremental backup you have taken since last Full Backup.

Advantages:- 

# Backup process is fast.

# Storage capacity require is low as files are not duplicate.

Disadvantages:-   

# Restore process is slow

3. Differential Backup:-

Differential backup contains all files thats have changed since last Full Backup. In Differential Backup, One full Backup is done first and subsequent Backup runs are changes made since last Full Backup.

Advantages:-

# Mush Faster Backup Process

# More efficient Use of Storage space since only Files which are changed since last backup is backed up.

# Faster restore process than Incremental.

4. Mirror Backup:- 

Mirror Backup is identical to Full Backup with the exception that files are not compressed in Zip files and they can not be protected with a password. Mirror Backup is used to create a Exact Copy of a Data.  Benefit is that backup files can also be readily accessed using Windows Explorer. A Mirror Backup is a Simple Copy of selected Folders and Files at a given instant of Time. Mirror Backup is Fasted backup method because it copies Files and Folders to destination without any compression. Other Backup types collects all files and folders being backed up each time into a single compressed "container File" and Mirror backup keeps all individual files separate in destination and that's why destination becomes mirror of the source.

Handy feature of Mirror backup is backup4all's option. When this option is selected any mirror operation after the first will only copy new and modified files  making operation very fast. A Mirror backup cannot keep track of different version of files. However backup4all's provides an option to customize destination folder name using user-defined parameter giving ability to save each Mirror Backup in a different location.

Advantages:-

# Fastest Backup type in conjunction with 'Fast Mirror' Option.

# Creates snapshot of selected Files and Folders in destination which you can browse and access later without needing to run backup4all.

Disadvantages: 

# It need more storage space than any other backup type

# Password protection is not possible.

# Cannot track different versions of files.