Computer Associates BABNWUP900NE6 Administration Guide - Page 41

Assessing Basic Storage Requirements How Much Data are You Backing Up? The more data you have, the more time, hardware, media, and network bandwidth you require. You need to decide: ■ Whether you need to back up user data only. ■ Whether you must also include system configurations and installed applications. ■ Come up with a rough, total size for the data that you must back up, allowing a reasonable margin for growth based on past experience in your organization. How Much Time Do You Have? As well as the amount of data that you have to back up, your infrastructure and management requirements will depend on the time that is available for backup operations in any given period. Ask yourself the following questions: ■ Can you run backups during non-working hours, at night or on weekends? ■ Do you have to run backups concurrently with normal business operations because your network is in use round the clock? Identify the blocks of time that are available during the day and the week. If your organization shuts down for any long periods during the month or year, you might consider these times as well. What is Your Infrastructure Like? If you have not already done so, you should familiarize yourself with the hardware, network, and site configuration that your backup and recovery plan supports. You should know: ■ The numbers and types of computers and workstations you need to back up. ■ The identities of computers that have media libraries or devices attached (these are the BrightStor ARCserve Backup servers). ■ The type of SCSI or fiber cabling connecting each library to its server and the transfer rate of the cabling. ■ The type of library on each server. ■ The type of devices in each library and their transfer rate. ■ The degree of data compression that you plan to use, if any. ■ The types and capacities of your network, subnets, routers, and so on. Planning 2-3