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CompTIA | 220-1102: CompTIA A+

Backup and Recovery Implementation
Exercises
Introduction
Lab Topology
Exercise 1 - Backups, File History & Recovery Types
Exercise 2 - Backup Rotation Schemes & Frequency
Review

Introduction
Tags: A+ Backup Recovery Types Recovery Sites Backup Schemes
File History System Restore

Welcome to the Backup and Recovery Implementation Practice Lab. In this

module, you will be provided with the instructions and devices needed to
develop your hands-on skills.

Backup and recovery are critical for the long-term preservation of our data.
Every day, a variety of events can occur that can have an impact on our data.
Examples include natural disasters, drive failures, accidental deletion, and cyber-
attacks. Backups are our method of restoring that data. It's also important to
consider where the data is kept and how it is kept. Some industries, such as the
payment card or healthcare industries, have strict rules that govern how data is
stored, where it can be stored, and how long it must be kept. Other data types
may be identified in the backup and recovery strategy. There are several
methods for creating backups, and schemes that use the various styles can be
combined to create stronger backup processes, save storage space, and/or
speed up recovery time. Good backup practices can also help to thwart cyber-
attacks. This module will look at full, incremental, differential, and synthetic
backups. You will go over file history and the advantages of enabling it and
discuss backup storage, frequency, and testing. You will go over different types
of recovery sites and their benefits and drawbacks.

Learning Outcomes
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In this module, you will complete the following exercises:

Exercise 1 - Backups, File History & Recovery Types

Exercise 2 - Backup Rotation Schemes & Frequency

After completing this module, you should be able to:

Create a Full Backup

Restore PC from Full Backup
Configure File History
Create System Restore
Restore the System to the Previous State

After completing this module, you should have further knowledge of:

Incremental Backups
Differential Backups
Synthetic Full Backups
Frequency of Backups & Testing
On-Site vs Off-Site
Hot Site, Warm Site, vs Cold Site
Grandfather-Father-Son
3-2-1 Backup Rule

Exam Objectives
The following exam objectives are covered in this module:

4.3 Given a scenario, implement workstation backup and recovery methods

Backup and recovery

Backup testing
Backup rotation schemes

Lab Duration
It will take approximately 1 hour to complete this lab.

Help and Support

For more information on using Practice Labs, please see our Help and Support
page. You can also raise a technical support ticket from this page.

Click Next to view the Lab topology used in this module.

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Lab Topology
During your session, you will have access to the following lab configuration.

Depending on the exercises, you may or may not use all of the devices, but they
are shown here in the layout to get an overall understanding of the topology of
the lab.

PLABDC01 - (Windows Server 2019 - Domain Controller)

PLABWIN10 - (Windows 10 - Domain Member Workstation)
PLABWIN11 - (Windows 11 - Domain Member Workstation)
PLABSUSE - (SUSE - Standalone Server)
PLABUBUNTU - (Ubuntu - Standalone Server)
PLABANDROID - (Android OS - Android Device)

Click Next to proceed to the first exercise.

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Exercise 1 - Backups, File History & Recovery

Types
The type of backup being performed will affect the overall effectiveness of that
backup and the process. Different styles can be used to make the backing up
process faster or the restoration process faster, depending on the company's
needs.

In this exercise, you will learn about full backups, file history, incremental
backups, differential backups and synthetic backups. You will create a full
backup and then restore the PC from that backup.

Learning Outcomes
After completing this exercise, you should be able to:

Create a Full Backup

Restore PC from Full Backup
Configure File History
Create System Restore
Restore the System to the Previous State

After completing this exercise, you should have further knowledge of:

Incremental Backups
Differential Backups
Synthetic Full Backups

Your Devices
You will be using the following device in this lab. Please power on the devices.

PLABDC01 - (Windows Server 2019 - Domain Controller)

PLABWIN10 - (Windows 10 - Domain Member Workstation)
PLABWIN11 - (Windows 11 - Domain Member Workstation)

Task 1 - Create a Full Backup

A full backup is an exact duplicate of all user-created data files that have been
scheduled to be backed up. Administrators or users who are authorized to run
and schedule backups will determine the scope of what will be backed up.
Typically, files used by applications, metadata, logs, tracking files, and other
control and management files will be copied. Applications, operating systems,
and other software are typically not copied during a full backup. Other
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techniques and clean installs with backed-up data can be used to recreate that
information.

The archive bit is used to recognize what needs to be backed up. It is a bit that is
activated whenever a file is changed. The computer searches for this archive bit
to determine what to backup. The archive bit will then be reset for each changed
file following a full backup. If any data is missing and a drive fails, you will lose
it; a full backup will be the starting point for all backup schemes.

A full backup is the most expensive backup we'll look at because it takes up the
most disk space compared to other backups. A full backup is not the only type of
backup used in most business environments. The high cost of storing the same
data multiple times outweighs the benefits. This type of backup is also the most
time-consuming to complete. Due to the high cost, network traffic and time of
day should be considered. This task will typically be done at the end of the day
when the user has closed out all of the files and logged off for the day.

Another thing to consider in security would be if the file were to become

compromised, a threat actor would access all the files and data. Proper storage
and secure measures need to be taken with backups to ensure data safety.
When it comes to backend recovery, a full backup is the quickest because it is
the only recovery file required. Another advantage is that full backup files are
much easier to manage than others.

In this task, you will look at methods to create a full backup on the PLABWIN10
device. You will then set up a backup schedule.

Step 1
Connect to PLABWIN10.

Right-click the Start charm and type the following:

control panel

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Figure 1.1 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying selecting Control Panel from the Best match pop-up
menu.

Step 2
On the Control Panel window, click System and Security.

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Figure 1.2 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Control Panel window with System and Security
selected.

Step 3
In the System and Security window, select Backup and Restore(Windows 7).

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Figure 1.3 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the System and Security window with Backup and
Restore (Windows 7) selected.

Step 4
In the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) window, notice Windows backup has
not been set up.

Click Set up backup on the right pane.

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Figure 1.4 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying Backup and Restore (Windows7) with the Set up backup
link selected.

Step 5
The Set up backup pop-up box is displayed showing Starting Windows Backup.

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Figure 1.5 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Set up backup pop-up box.

Step 6
In the Set up backup - Select where you want to save your backup page,
select ISO (D:) [Recommended].

Click Next.

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Figure 1.6 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Set up backup - Select where you want to save your
backup page with ISO (D:) [Recommended] Backup destination selected, and the Next button
highlighted.

Step 7
From the What do you want to back up? page, choose the Let me choose
option.

Click Next.

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Figure 1.7 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the What do you want to back up? page with the
required selection made and the Next button highlighted.

Step 8
In the What do you want to back up? page, click Next.

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Figure 1.8 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the What do you want to back up? page with the Next
button selected.

Step 9
In the Review your backup settings page, click the Change schedule link.

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Figure 1.9 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Review your backup settings page with the Change
schedule link selected.

Step 10
In the How often do you want to back up? window, explore the drop-down
menu options.

How often allows you to choose between Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.

Leave the default selections and click OK.

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Figure 1.10 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the How often do you want to back up? window with
the OK button selected.

Step 11
Back on the Review your backup settings page, click on the Save settings and
run backup button.

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Figure 1.11 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Review your backup settings page with the Save
settings and run backup button selected.

Step 12
Back on the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) window, the Backup or restore
your files pane will show that the backup is in progress.

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Figure 1.12 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) window showing
the Backup is in progress.

Step 13
The backup process is now complete.

You can see that the backup size is 22.27 GB in size and it is scheduled to back
up Every Sunday at 7:00 PM.

This will complete the setup of a full backup.

Close the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) window.

Note: The process that was just completed in Windows 10 is the same
process in Windows 11. For more practice, switch to the PLABWIN11 device
and follow the same steps.
In the operating system, there are numerous ways to get to the same
location. In the next exercise, a new path to opening the tools will be
executed to demonstrate the various ways to access the tools.

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Figure 1.13 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) window showing
the backup schedule and size and the Close button selected.

Task 2 - Restore PC from Full Backup

In this task, you will restore the PC from the backup that was just created.

Step 1
Connect to PLABWIN10.

Right click the Windows Start charm and select Settings.

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Figure 1.14 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying right-clicking the Windows start charm and selecting
Settings.

Step 2
In the Settings window, select Update & Security.

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Figure 1.15 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying selecting Update & Security in the Settings window.

Step 3
From the Settings - Windows Update pane, click Backup on the left pane.

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Figure 1.16 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Settings - Windows Update pane showing Backup
selected on the left pane.

Step 4
In the Backup pane, click the Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7) link
under the Looking for an older backup? section.

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Figure 1.17 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7) link selected in
the Backup pane.

Step 5
You will be back on the window from the previous task where you created the
backup.

In the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) window, click the Restore my files
button.

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Figure 1.18 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying Restore my files button selected in the Backup and
Restore (Windows 7) window

Step 6
From the Restore Files - Browse or search your backup for files and folders
to restore page, click Browse for folders.

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Figure 1.19 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Restore Files - Browse or search your backup for
files and folders to restore page with the Browse for folders button selected.

Step 7
From the Browse the backup for folders or drives dialog box, click ISO (D:) on
the left pane.

Select Backup of C: folder that was created in the previous task to restore.

Click Add folder.

Note: The backup will have a different date and time of creation than what
is represented here in the lab.

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Figure 1.20 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Browse the backup for folders or drives dialog box,
with the required selection made and the Add folder button selected.

Step 8
Back on the Restore Files - Browse or search your backup for files and
folders to restore page, select the Backup of C: folder.

Click Next.

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Figure 1.21 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Restore Files - Browse or search your backup for
files and folders to restore page with Backup of C: selected, and the Next button highlighted.

Step 9
In the Where do you want to restore your files? page, leave the default
selection.

Click Restore.

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Figure 1.22 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Where do you want to restore your files? page
showing the default selection and the Restore button selected.

Step 10
In the Copy File dialog box, enable the Do this for all conflicts checkbox.

Click Copy and Replace.

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Figure 1.23 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Copy File window with the required settings
performed.

Step 11
The file restoring process begins.

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Figure 1.24 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Restore Files window showing the file restore is in
progress.

Step 12
On the Your files have been restored page, review the information and click
Finish.

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Figure 1.25 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Your files have been restored page with the Finish
button selected.

Step 13
Close the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) window.

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Figure 1.26 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) window with the
Close button selected.

Task 3 - Configure File History

Unlike other complex backup tools, File History is designed to be quick and
simple to enable. File History enables users to backup contacts, documents,
pictures, music, videos, desktop, downloads, OneDrive, and other data to
another internal or external hard drive or the cloud on a regular basis, such as
every few minutes, every few hours, or daily. Restoration is quick, and several
versions of the file can be restored.

In this task, you will learn about the different settings that can be configured in
file history.

Step 1
Connect to PLABWIN11.

Click the Start charm and type the following:

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file history

Select File History from the Best match pop-up menu.

Figure 1.27 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying selecting File History from the Best match pop-up
menu.

Step 2
In the File History window, notice File History is off.

Click Turn on.

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Figure 1.28 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the File History window with the Turn on button
selected.

Step 3
File History is now on.

Click Select drive on the left pane.

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Figure 1.29 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the File History window with the Select drive link
selected.

Step 4
The Select Drive - Select a File History drive window opens.

If other options for drives are available, you can select them here.

You can also save them to a network share by clicking the Add network location
link and following the prompts.

Click the back arrow in the upper left of the screen to go back to the previous
menu.

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Figure 1.30 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Select a File History drive window showing the back
arrow button selected.

Step 5
Back on the File History window, click the Exclude folders link on the left pane.

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Figure 1.31 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the File History window showing the Exclude folders link
selected.

Step 6
In the Exclude Folders - Exclude from File History window, you can exclude
folders from being included in the File History.

Click Add.

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Figure 1.32 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Exclude Folders window with the Add button
selected.

Step 7
Here on the Select Folder dialog box, you can see the default options for File
History are Camera Roll, Documents, Music, Pictures, Saved Pictures & Videos.

Click Music.

Click Select Folder.

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Figure 1.33 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Select Folder window showing the Music file
selected and the Select Folder button highlighted.

Step 8
Back on the Exclude Folders window, Music has been added.

To remove Music and have the folder added back to the File History.

Click Music.

Click Remove.

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Figure 1.34 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Exclude Folders window, showing the Music file
selected and the Remove button highlighted.

Step 9
Click Save changes.

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Figure 1.35 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Exclude Folders window showing the Save changes
button selected.

Step 10
Back on the File History window, click the Advanced settings link on the left
pane.

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Figure 1.36 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the File History window showing the Advanced settings
link selected.

Step 11
In the Advanced Settings window, you can click the Save copies of files drop-
down menu and select how frequently the File History runs.

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Figure 1.37 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Advanced Settings window showing the Save copies
of files drop-down menu.

Step 12
You can click the Keep saved versions drop-down menu and choose how long
the files in the File History are stored.

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Figure 1.38 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Advanced Settings window showing the Keep saved
versions drop-down menu.

Step 13
On the Advanced Setting window, select the Clean up versions link.

This will allow you to go back through and erase any versions past a certain time
frame.

This can be done to free up space if the file history is using too much space.

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Figure 1.39 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Advanced Settings window showing the Clean up
versions link selected.

Step 14
In the File History dialog box, select Older than 1 year(default).

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Figure 1.40 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the File History Cleanup window showing the Delete
files drop-down menu and the required selection made.

Step 15
Click Clean up.

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Figure 1.41 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the File History Cleanup window showing the Clean up
button selected.

Note: File History was just turned on, so there will be no history to erase. If
there were files, it would go through and erase files older than the time set
up.

Close all open windows.

Task 4 - Create System Restore

System Restore is an option that will allow users to revert to a snapshot in time
of how the computer was at that period. This is not enabled by default and will
need to be turned on. Before doing updates, installing applications, or making
significant changes to the PC, it is recommended that a new system restore point
to be created. If something goes wrong, users can revert back to the previous
state before the change was made. This will not affect personal files the user
creates unless manually configured.

In this task, you will create a restore point.

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Step 1
Connect to the PLABWIN11.

Click on the Windows Start charm and type the following:

Create a restore point

Click Create a restore point from the Best match pop-up menu.

Figure 1.42 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying selecting Create a restore point from the Best match
pop-up menu.

Step 2
In the System Properties dialog box, notice that System Restore has not been
enabled.

Click Configure.

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Figure 1.43 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Properties dialog box, showing the
Configure button selected.

Step 3
In the System Protection for Local Disk (C:) dialog box, click the Turn on
system protection option to enable System Restore.

Move the slider bar under the Disk Space Usage section to 20%.

Click Delete to erase any old restore points.

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Figure 1.44 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Protection for Local Disk (C:) dialog box,
showing the required selection made and the Delete button highlighted.

Step 4
The System Protection dialog box appears to ensure that you want to erase any
old restore points and older system image backups.

Click Continue.

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Figure 1.45 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Protection pop-up window showing the
Continue button selected.

Step 5
The restore points have now been deleted.

Click Close.

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Figure 1.46 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System protection pop-up window showing the
Close button selected.

Step 6
Back on the System Protection for Local Disk (C:) dialog box, click OK.

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Figure 1.47 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Protection for Local Disk (C:) dialog box
showing the OK button selected.

Step 7
On the System Properties dialog box, click Create.

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Figure 1.48 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Properties dialog box showing the Create
button selected.

Step 8
In the Create a restore point pop-up box, type the following.

Restore point 1

Click Create.

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Figure 1.49 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Create a restore point pop-up box showing the
required name typed in, and the Create button highlighted.

Step 9
The restore point is now being created.

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Figure 1.50 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Protection pop-up box showing the restore
point being created.

Step 10
Once the restore point has been created, click Close.

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Figure 1.51 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Protection pop-up box showing the restore
point is created, and the Close button highlighted.

Task 5 - Restore the System to the Previous State

In this task, you will restore the system to its previous state.

Step 1
Ensure you are connected to PLABWIN11 and the System Properties dialog box
is open.

Click System Restore.

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Figure 1.52 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Properties dialog box showing the System
Restore button selected.

Step 2
In the System Restore - Restore system files and settings page, click Next.

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Figure 1.53 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Restore - Restore system files and settings
page showing the Next button selected.

Step 3
From the Restore your computer to the state it was in before the selected
event page, select Restore point 1.

Click Next.

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Figure 1.54 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Restore your computer to the state it was in before
the selected event page showing the required selection made and the Next button highlighted.

Step 4
In the Confirm your restore point page, click Finish.

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Figure 1.55 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Confirm your restore point page showing the Finish
button selected.

Step 5
A warning window appears explaining that the System Restore process should
not be interrupted once started.

Click Yes to start the process.

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Figure 1.56 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying a pop-up warning window showing the Yes button
selected.

Step 6
The system restore process starts.

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Figure 1.57 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Restore pane showing the System Restore in
progress.

Step 7
The computer will restart and disconnect.

This process can take quite some time, depending on the amount of data. There
is not much data on the PLABWIN11 device.

You will need to switch to console mode to see the progress by clicking the
Console mode (2) icon.

The system restore process should take approximately 10 minutes to finish.

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Figure 1.58 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Computer disconnected pane.

Step 8
The System restore process is in progress.

The system will automatically restart in the process.

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Figure 1.59 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Restore in progress.

Step 9
Once the system restarts, you can see that the system has been successfully
restored.

Click Close on the System Restore message box.

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Figure 1.60 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the System Restore message box showing the System
restore is successful, and the Close button highlighted.

Incremental Backups
Incremental backups will begin with a full backup. After a full backup, any
changes made to the files are tracked by the archive bit. If the system is
configured for incremental backups, any changes made will be backed up, and
the archive bit will be reset. Every Sunday, for example, a full backup is run. The
remaining days will be incremental. As a result, any changes made on Monday
will be backed up, and the archive bit reset. On Tuesday, any changes made
would be backed up, and the archive bit reset. This takes up less space than full
backups because incremental backups only record changes to the data each
day. It will also be quicker to do these incremental backups because less data is
being backed up.

When it comes to backend recovery, incremental backups take the longest to

restore because each backup file must be loaded sequentially in order to restore
the data. The full backup would be uploaded first, followed by Monday's
changes, Tuesday's changes, and so on, until the restoration is complete. With
the number of backups being created, this type of backup can also become very
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time-consuming to maintain. Third-party software or the use of scripting,

PowerShell, and Azure cloud platform can be used to create this backup
strategy.

Figure 1.61: Displaying an incremental backup.

Differential Backups
Differential backups will always start with a full backup. The archive bit tracks
any changes made to files after a full backup. If differential backups are
enabled, any changes made will be backed up, and the archive bit will not be
reset. A full-back, for example, is run every Sunday. The remainder of the days
will be differential. As a result, any changes made on Monday will be backed up,
and the archive bit will be kept enabled. On Tuesday, any changes made and the

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changes made on Monday would be backed up, and the archive bit would be left
on. Wednesday would include the changes from Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday. This requires less space than full backups but more than incremental
backups because you are capturing each day's differential and all previous
changes that have occurred since the last full backup.

Differential backups will also be faster than a full backup but slower than an
incremental backup. Less data is backed up than full backups, but the same data
plus redundant data is backed up in each backup compared to incremental.
When it comes to backend recovery, differential backups take longer to restore
than full backups but less time than incremental backups. The full backup would
be uploaded first, followed by the last differential, because the last differential
contains all of the changes made since the last full backup, instead of uploading
each of those days sequentially as in an incremental. Third-party software or the
use of scripting, PowerShell, and the Azure cloud platform can be used to create
this backup strategy.

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Figure 1.62: Displaying a differential backup.

Synthetic Full Backups

This backup technology combines full backups with incremental backups. As an
example, on Sunday, a full backup will be taken. The remainder of the week will
be devoted to incremental backups. An incremental backup will be taken when
the full synthetic backup day arrives. Following that, a full synthetic backup will
be created by combining the original full backup with all incremental backups.
When finished, the synthetic backup will contain all of the original information
from the first full backup as well as all of the changes that occurred. The
incremental will be removed, and the space will be made available. The full

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synthetic backup will be the new backup starting point, and changes will be
tracked using incremental until the next synthetic backup.

Utilizing this technology will be faster at backing up the information because

incremental is being used. Backend recovery will be similar to incremental
backups in terms of recovery. The full synthetic backup would be the first to be
uploaded, followed by Monday's changes, Tuesday's changes, and so on, until the
restoration was completed. Because the number of backups is combined and
reduced on each synthetic day, using this style of backup aids in backup
organization and maintenance.

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Exercise 2 - Backup Rotation Schemes & Frequency

You have now seen the different styles of backups. In this exercise, you will learn
about some best practices with backups and the types of recovery sites that are
deployed. The pros and cons of each recovery site and the different schemes
that can be implemented to increase the effectiveness of the backup plan will be
discussed.

Learning Outcomes
After completing this exercise, you should have further knowledge of:

Frequency of Backups & Testing

On-Site vs Off-Site
Hot Site, Warm Site, vs Cold Site
Grandfather-Father-Son
3-2-1 Backup Rule

Your Devices
This exercise contains supporting materials for A+ (220-1102).

Frequency of Backups & Testing

The frequency of backups will be determined by the needs of the company and
the type of data being stored. Continuous backups may be required, or data
may be backed up less frequently. The first thing to look into is laws and
regulations to see what should be done with the different types of data that are
being stored. Then, a backup strategy must be devised, which includes where the
data will be stored, what types of media will be used to keep it, and the
frequency with which it must be completed. In general, important information
should be backed up daily, but this may need to be increased or decreased
depending on the data’s criticality.

Backups are not simply stored and forgotten about once they are created. They
must be tested to ensure that they will work and that the backup and recovery
plan will work. They will not be tested in a live production environment but rather
in a sandbox environment where the restoration process will have no effect if it
fails. If a failure occurs, there is enough time to redo the backup and not lose
data.

The storage of this data can quickly consume a lot of space. Files are archived to
help with this, which groups multiple data files into a single file to reduce storage

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space or even compression. When information stored on a hard drive or a tape

drive is no longer required on that drive, it is returned to the backup rotation and
overwritten. The quality of the drives and tape drives degrades over time, so
rotation is required to ensure the longest possible life.

On-Site vs Off-Site
On-Site backups are those that are kept in the same location. They are kept
there for easy access and quick data restoration. Typically, hard drives or tape
drives will be used to store the data. There is software that can automate the
process and keep backups. One advantage of on-site data backup is that the
organization is solely responsible for data storage and security. The data would
be in the hands of the cloud provider if cloud services were used. Some
industries may have rules in place to prevent this from happening and may
require you to manage the data. A disadvantage is that if there is a disaster,
there is the potential to lose all the backup information.

Offsite backups are backups that are kept in a separate location. These could be
a centralized location where all backup tapes and drives are shipped to and
stored for the required period of time, or they could be a situation where a cloud
provider is used. When using cloud services, the data is typically stored on a
server in a data center. The type of data stored will determine whether cloud
services can be used or whether the organization must maintain data control at
all times. Although these data centers are heavily fortified, cloud breaches do
occur and must be considered a threat. This type of backup is critical for when
natural disasters occur because the data can be downloaded from anywhere
where there is an internet connection, allowing the operation to be restored and
up and running as quickly as possible.

Hot Site, Warm Site, vs Cold Site

These are three different types of recovery sites for when disasters happen. Each
of the sites listed has its benefits and drawbacks. One thing in common with the
three types of sites is that these sites should be located somewhat close to the
original site. If the site is affected, the employees will need to be able to drive to
the new site to perform their work. Usually something within a 75 - 100 miles
radius from the original site. This is a general suggestion; each situation will
need to be judged on the true need.

Cold Site
This site is not immediately available during the recovery phase and takes the
longest duration to setup and run. Networking equipment must be installed,

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including servers, end-user computers, and software. The data upload must be
completed. Typically, this type of site is not configured except for the power to
the building and environmental controls such as cooling for the server room.
Compared to a warm and hot-site, one advantage of this setup is that it does
not have a high cost. The downside is that this type of site can take several days
or even weeks to setup.

Warm Site
This type of recovery site is exactly what it sounds like, right in the middle of cold
and hot sites. All of the features of a cold site are present, but it also has the
necessary equipment and a network connection. In the event of a disaster,
additional resources may need to be brought in for the setup, which is an
expensive process. This facility's data will be out of date. In the event of a
disaster, any other setup will be completed, and the data will be uploaded. This
type of facility can typically be up and running in a matter of hours.

Hot Site
This site has everything set up and ready to go. There is a structure, electricity,
computers, and a network in place, and the data is backed up in real-time. This
type of site has very little downtime and can be up and running almost
immediately. There is a financial cost associated with the hot site. The energy
required to power the servers and cool the building may be prohibitively
expensive for most businesses. The cloud is becoming an increasingly appealing
option for meeting this need because of the on-demand features and the ability
to spin up virtual machines in the cloud and operate remotely without the
overhead of an expensive building, electricity, and cooling.

Grandfather-Father-Son
This backup scheme was designed to keep a complete backup of the machine
while requiring the least amount of storage space. The backup types of names
are Grandfather, Father, and Son. In most cases, the grandfather will be a
machine image that will be stored offsite at another branch or possibly in the
cloud in case of disaster recovery. This type of backup is typically performed
every month. The father would then take a full backup of the machine but save
the information locally for faster access and recovery. The backup is typically
performed every week. Son will typically use incremental backups and will be the
most commonly used type of backup done every other day. An additional
backup, the great-grandfather, which is a yearly image of the machine, can be
added.

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To visualize this look on a calendar. Every Sunday, full backups will be created
(father). Every other day will be incremental (son) except the last day of the
month when an image of the machine will be taken and stored in the cloud
(grandfather). This type of backup necessitates extensive planning and
preparation, but it provides a high level of redundancy with multiple recovery
points that can be used to restore the data. The use of incremental helps to save
storage space but can make the recovery process time consuming and resource
intensive. Third-party software or the use of scripting, PowerShell, and the Azure
cloud platform can be used to create this backup strategy. An example of the
setup is below:

Week 1 - Sunday Father - Monday Son - Tuesday Son - Wednesday Son -

Thursday Son - Friday Son - Saturday Son

Week 2 - Sunday Father - Monday Son - Tuesday Son - Wednesday Son -

Thursday Son - Friday Son - Saturday Son

Week 3 - Sunday Father - Monday Son - Tuesday Son - Wednesday Son -

Thursday Son - Friday Son - Saturday Son

Week 4 - Sunday Father - Monday Son - Tuesday Son - Wednesday Son -

Thursday Son - Friday Son - Saturday Grandfather

3-2-1 Backup Rule

The 3-2-1 backup rule specifies where your data should be stored and how many
copies should be kept. According to this backup method, the data should be
duplicated at least three times. The second number in 3-2-1 indicates that two of
the three copies should be kept on-site but not on the same media. For example,
data can be stored on a hard drive in the PC, as well as a tape drive or an
external hard drive. Keeping two copies on-site allows faster recovery from
failed drives and quicker uploads to fix issues. But what happens when there is a
disaster like a tornado, hurricane, earthquake or flooding? The final copy of the
three comes into play. The 1 in 3-2-1 is for the copy that should be kept offsite for
disaster recovery purposes. There is no such thing as a perfect strategy, but this
is a solid choice that gives the administrator flexibility with data recovery
options.

Keep all devices that you have powered on in their current state and
proceed to the review section.

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Review
Well done, you have completed the Backup and Recovery Implementation
Practice Lab.

Summary
You completed the following exercises:

Exercise 1 - Backups, File History & Recovery Types

Exercise 2 - Backup Rotation Schemes & Frequency

You should now be able to:

Create a Full Backup

Restore PC from Full Backup
Configure File History
Create System Restore
Restore the System to the Previous State

You should now have further knowledge of

Incremental Backups
Differential Backups
Synthetic Full Backups
Frequency of Backups & Testing
On-Site vs Off-Site
Hot Site, Warm Site, vs Cold Site
Grandfather-Father-Son
3-2-1 Backup Rule

Feedback
Shutdown all virtual machines used in this lab. Alternatively, you can log out
of the lab platform.

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