Dual Backup Routine Capability for the ACT! Scheduler Utility

[#1]

In a virtualised environment storage is more limited and there is reluctance to store large backup files greater than 7 days. For instance a database of 50GB including attachments the storage capacity required is 350GB.

If the backup scheduler allowed for two backup routines, one backup routine of every day with retention of up to 3 files as well as a 30 day backup routine with retention of 1 file. That provides a fallback condition to retrieve data for the situation where data loss or corruption that isn't immediately discovered     

[#2]

I'm not sure I understand exactly what you mean here...

if you mean being able to schedule (via ACT! Scheduler) to more than one backup task for the same database, then 100% in agreement. Can you explain it a bit further?

I'd like to be able to schedule more than one backup task per database as that would mean we could schedule one backup task to backup only the database only (no attachments) on a daily basis, and a second backup task that backups up the database and the attachments once a week.

Coming from a background of looking after accounting firms (mighty list builders they are!) I'm a fan of the routine we used to use with tapes, Grandfather, Father, Son.

Daily tapes to do the daily backup, rotated each week

Weekly tapes to do the week, used once a week and there are 5 of these, rotated each month.

Monthly tapes to do the monthly backup, there are 12 of these, rotated each year.

and we often but not always had a yearly tape as well. This yearly tape is kept permanently.

The daily backups were often incremental (differences since last backup only), the weekly was a full backup.

The other feature I'd LOVE to see is being able to specifiy a non-local drive to put the backup file onto. As Graeme has said, virtual enviroments are often low on drive space, being able to plonk it elsewhere right from the get go would be fab.

Ben.

[#3]

Yes Ben, excellent translation. I think incremental backups would be good for attachments. Why backup 99% of the attachments repeatedly, day after day.   

[#4]

Ben - you can plunk them elsewhere, but you have to set the ACT! Scheduler service to run as a user with appropriate network permissions.

I agree it'd be nice to have multiple backup schedules for the same DB, also for the reason of backing up to different locations.