When to back up and when to archive files

When the backup-archive client backs up or archives a file, it sends a copy of the file and its associated attributes to the server; however, backup and archive operations have different results.

Use backups to protect against unforeseen damage to your files, and use archives for maintaining more permanent versions of your files.

Backup data is managed by version by using predetermined policy-based rules. Using these rules, the IBM Storage Protect administrator can control the following processes:

• The number of versions that are maintained on the IBM Storage Protect server
• The number of days each additional backup copy is kept
• What happens to backup versions when the file is deleted on the client system

Each copy of the file that is stored on the server is considered to be a separate and unique version of the file.

Archive is a powerful and flexible mechanism for storing long-term data. Archive data, called archive copies, are kept for a specified number of days. The archive function has no concept or support for versions. The user or administrator is responsible for determining what files get added to an archive.

Backups protect against file damage or loss that can occur through accidental deletion, corruption, or disk crashes. The server maintains one or more backup versions for each file that you back up. Older versions are deleted as newer versions are made. The number of backup versions the server maintains is set by your administrator.

Archive copies are saved for long-term storage. Your administrator can limit how long archive copies are kept. The server can store an unlimited number of archive versions of a file. Archives are useful if you must go back to a particular version of your files, or you want to delete a file from your workstation and retrieve it later, if necessary. For example, you might want to save spreadsheets for tax purposes, but because you are not using them, you do not want to leave them on your workstation.