Incremental backup

Incremental backup stores all files changed since the last FULL, DIFFERENTIAL OR INCREMENTAL backup. The advantage of an incremental backup is that it takes the least time to complete. During a restore operation, each incremental backup is processed, which could result in a lengthy restore job.

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Incremental backup provides a faster method of backing up data than repeatedly running full backups. During an incremental backup only the files changed since the most recent backup are included. That is where it gets its name: each backup is an increment since the most recent backup.

The time it takes to execute the backup may be a fraction of the time it takes to perform a full backup . Backup4all uses the information it has recorded in its catalog file (.bkc ) to determine whether each file has changed since the most recent backup.

The advantage of lower backup times comes with a price: increased restore time. When restoring from incremental backup, you need the most recent full backup as well as EVERY incremental backup you've made since the last full backup.

For example, if you did a full backup on Friday and incrementals on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and the PC crashes Thursday morning, you would need all four backup container files: Friday's full backup plus the incremental backup for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. As a comparison, if you had done differential backup on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then to restore on Thursday morning you'd only need Friday's full backup plus Wednesday's differential.

Advantages:

1. Backing up is the fastest
2. The storage space requirements are the lowest

Disadvantages:

1. Restore is the slowest

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Backup4all supports incremental backup type and offers a solution for the slow restore issue.
To keep the number of stored incremental backups to a reasonable number and reduce the size of the backups, Backup4all provides two options: "Limit the number of stored backups" and "Merge stored backup to maintain the maximum limit" that can limit the number of stored backups. These two options will perform an internal merge to keep the number of stored incremental backups under the selected limit.

Related links:

• backup types
• full backup
• differential backup
• mirror backup