Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

New Products

The Importance of Backups Not Lost on Windows Vista

Since the earliest days of computers, backup of data has been crucial. Vista, offers robust backup functionality. The necessity of backing up data has always brought a plethora of problems and solutions for the data center. Questions relating to how often data should be backed up, how quickly backed-up data should be accessible, what backup technology would be most beneficial, and what backup medium is most cost-effective for a particular site, are continuously asked by corporate and IT executives in an effort to make sure company data is always secure and recoverable in emergencies.

A common hindrance to backups, however, despite ever-advancing technologies, is file fragmentation. Fragmentation already causes problems in day-to-day file access, as a file split into hundreds or even thousands (it’s more common than you might think) of fragments is going to take considerably longer to access. Multiply that by all the data files in all an enterprise’s computer systems–because a backup procedure must access all of those files–and it can be seen what a nighmarish problem file fragmentation can be to backups in terms of backup time.

Numerous sites discovered some time back that defragmenting disks prior to running backup greatly speeded backup times. The same holds true today. Advances in defragmentation technology have allowed defragmentation to be scheduled so that it would be done prior to backups occurring.

But since these technologies were developed, disks have gained incredibly high capacities, storing more active files than ever. In addition, the advent of video and other technologies have meant much larger files. Not only do all of those files need to be backed up, but if they are to be backed up in a decent amount of time, they must be defragmented. Due to the sheer volume of files and sizes, scheduled defragmentation may leave files still fragmented after its timed run, and in addition system resources and use are impacted while the defragmenter is running, so that run time cannot usually be expanded. The result: backup times are still impacted by fragmentation.

The true solution is to have disks constantly defragmented, with no impact on system resources, so that when backups occur they can run as fast as possible. Fortunately, defragmentation technology is now arriving on the market which meets these criteria.

A vital element to backups, however, is the same no matter the methodologies used, and that is regular defragmentation. File fragmentation, especially unchecked, can greatly slow backup procedures due to the multiple I/Os necessary to retrieve data from each file fragment.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Latest Products

Lexon Balloon Dog Speaker by Jeff Koons Lifestyle

New Products

Lexon's Balloon Dog speaker combines wild art with wireless Bluetooth 5.0 sound—no bones about it, this translucent, collectible pooch delivers 360° audio and up...

Pro-Ject Peanuts 75th Anniversary Turntable with Charlie Brown Platter Pro-Ject Peanuts 75th Anniversary Turntable with Charlie Brown Platter

New Products

Celebrate 75 years of Peanuts with Pro-Ject's limited edition turntable, featuring hi-fi tech, Bluetooth, and Schroeder-approved specs—finally, a reason Linus might drop the blanket.

OneOdio Focus A6 Wireless ANC Headphones Woman Profile OneOdio Focus A6 Wireless ANC Headphones Woman Profile

New Products

With hybrid active noise cancellation, LDAC, 75-hour battery life, and Bluetooth 6.0, the OneOdio Focus A6 Wireless Headphones might be hard to beat for...

Status Audio Pro X Wireless Earbuds Lifestyle Status Audio Pro X Wireless Earbuds Lifestyle

Earbuds & In-Ear Headphones

Balanced Armature and Dynamic drivers, hybrid active noise reduction, AI-powered Voiceloom speech enhancement, and more take the Status Audio Pro X wireless earbuds up...

Campfire Audio Relay Dongle DAC Campfire Audio Relay Dongle DAC

Dongle DACs

Campfire Audio launches the Relay portable DAC/amp with AKM SEQ 4493 chip, balanced outputs, and high-res support at $229. Strong tech, but tough competition...

GoldenEar T44 Hybrid Floorstanding Loudspeaker Lifestyle Black GoldenEar T44 Hybrid Floorstanding Loudspeaker Lifestyle Black

Floorstanding Speakers

GoldenEar’s T44 hybrid floorstanding loudspeaker offers powerful sound and deep bass without the need for a subwoofer.

Gift Ideas?

Amazon Prime Day is July 8-11, 2025

Daily Deals

Amazon Prime Day is a four-day shopping event from July 8-11, 2025 offering the biggest discounts of the year on consumer electronics.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

ecoustics is a hi-fi and music magazine offering product reviews, podcasts, news and advice for aspiring audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts and headphone hipsters. Read more

Copyright © 1999-2024 ecoustics | Disclaimer: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.



SVS Bluesound PSB Speakers NAD Cambridge Audio Q Acoustics Denon Marantz Focal Naim Audio RSL Speakers