Backup Anytime

Online backup seed installation.

The word installation above could be misleading but is included because of its’ common and accepted usage when detailing the “backup to disk” function which  comes with all quality online backup systems. Backup to disk can actually be run at any time but here we are talking about the initial backup post installation.

A seed install is effectively an installation for which the first backup is run locally. There are a number of reasons for which this may be the chosen first backup method. Most equate to broadband, time, data quantity and backup window limitations. Lets take a closer look.

Broadband.

Commonly, download speeds are  significantly greater than upload speeds. In the main this is logical as web browsing involves far more download than upload and most web users general download more and more often than they upload. This offers advantages when restoring data online but the actual backup process which is the more common online backup communication direction uses upload. If your upload speed is low a seed install may be recommended.

Time

Your provider (and likely your software) can give a reasonably accurate estimate as to the amount of time the first backup will take. If you are depending on the online backup system before it has run in your environment for some time (not recommended) then the length of time between to initial backup starting and the next backup completing will be of much importance to you. If the first backup is going to take more time to run than a “backup to disk” and forwarding of same to your provider would take then a seed install may be the best choice.

Data quantity.

No matter how good your upload speed, if the data quantity is inordinately large it will take considerable time over broadband thus making the seed install an attractive option. It must be remembered that companies with enviable upload speeds commonly have significant quantities of data so upload speed advantages are often negated by excessive data quantities.

Backup window.

Your backup window is the length of time a backup has to complete to allow for user access,  application access and next scheduled backup. Seed installs are commonly used to beat the backup window deadline. In these cases it is standard practice for a technician to run the install on site and collect the data if it is to be at the data-store when the next backup starts.

There is one other area of consequence which was not listed above and that is the area of “technical issues”.

An acute example of this in computing is when a process with a progress indicator hangs on circa 99% of the completion indication. This is normally not a coincidence and usually a sign of an error, bug or fault anywhere in the system. If this equates to a significantly large first backup only it may be resolved by a seed backup but regardless the fault should be sought and rectified. Remember that any compromise on a large backup will likely be required in the instance of a large restore. 

In short. Seed installs are common. If a provider is running a seed install at your office, find out why. Many reasons are acceptable. If however, the reason is due to a system crash discuss this with the technician and see if the issue can be resolved so you do not run seed installs for the wrong reasons.

Remember that a crash may not be the fault of the technician. The online backup technician who arrived at your ofice for the first time today can not be responsible for technical issues which have been in existence visably or dormnant for some time. It could be due to a slow processor, a lack of RAM, a network issue or  your broadband. It is also important that if it is possible to rectify the issue for the technician that you  do this rather than run an unnecessary seed install.