Do you use backup rotation schemes?

Yes, we use backup rotation schemes as part of our backup strategy to ensure that we have multiple copies of data stored over time and to optimize storage resources. Backup rotation schemes involve rotating backup copies according to predefined schedules or cycles, typically using a combination of full backups, incremental backups, and differential backups. Here are some common backup rotation schemes that we may use:

1. **Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) Rotation**: The GFS rotation scheme involves retaining multiple generations of backups, including daily (sons), weekly (fathers), and monthly (grandfathers) backups. This scheme allows us to maintain a balance between frequent backups for short-term recovery needs and longer-term retention for historical data.

2. **Daily, Weekly, Monthly Rotation**: In this scheme, we perform daily backups to capture changes since the last backup, weekly backups to provide additional recovery points, and monthly backups to preserve snapshots of the system at regular intervals. This scheme balances the need for frequent backups with longer-term retention.

3. **Tower of Hanoi Rotation**: The Tower of Hanoi rotation scheme involves rotating backup copies in a pattern inspired by the Tower of Hanoi puzzle. It includes a series of backup sets with increasing retention periods, such as daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly backups. This scheme provides a balance between granularity and retention, ensuring that recent backups are readily accessible while older backups are archived for longer-term retention.

4. **Incremental-Only Rotation**: In this scheme, we perform daily incremental backups to capture changes since the last backup without creating full backups regularly. This approach conserves storage space and reduces backup windows but may require more complex restore operations, as it relies on incremental backups to reconstruct the complete dataset.

5. **Full-Backup Rotation**: This simple rotation scheme involves performing full backups on a regular schedule, such as weekly or monthly, and retaining multiple full backup copies for historical data. While this approach provides complete backups for each cycle, it may require more storage space and longer backup windows compared to incremental or differential backups.

6. **Custom Rotation Schemes**: Depending on our specific requirements, we may customize backup rotation schemes to align with business needs, compliance requirements, and data retention policies. This may involve incorporating elements of different rotation schemes or creating bespoke rotation schedules tailored to our environment.

By using backup rotation schemes, we can optimize storage utilization, balance retention requirements, and ensure that we have multiple copies of data stored over time for disaster recovery, compliance, and business continuity purposes.