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IIRC, @OriginalGriff made several posts here about how good AOMEI Backupper[^] is.
I am the - hobby - responsible of the computers & server of the local school, and we have to change the server this year (win2003 ... !!). The company doing it wants to use StorageCraft as a backupper, but the sw is almost as expensive as the server itself 
AOMEI seems to be an alternative, but I only know it from its good reviews here, which were probably also only based on a home version, not the server one.
Any recommendation/ideas ?
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I wasn't particularly happy with AOMEI, partly because of the aesthetics of the UI which many of these backup programs seem to suffer from -- as I ranted about a week or two ago, the UI's seem to be designed for centennials with cataracts, obscure icons that didn't even have hover-over tooltips to figure out what they did, and of course the clincher was that it simply stopped working without any way to diagnose the problem or correct it, at least that I could find. On a positive note, I was pleased how easy it was to explore the backup repo and view/select individual files.
Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free was recommended and I find the UI and UX a much better experience for my own tastes. It just "feels" more solid -- I know, a totally subjective experience. For example, I can easily set up schedules for my two drives at different times and when the backup is about to start, a pop appears that informs me the backup is about to start, the popup stays on the screen for 30 seconds (or something like that) then goes away, and during that time I can cancel the backup if I want. It's little things like that that I appreciate, where Macrium balances being informative and giving me control but also being unobtrusive.
Hope that helps!
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You have my vote for Macrium!
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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Thanks Marc, great feedback.
My use case would be to back-up the complete server system - including the OS, e.g. if the server crashes, I write back the image on the fixed server, and voilà. I suppose this requires their Server version... I suppose you are using the free version you have linked to ?
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Rage wrote: I suppose you are using the free version you have linked to ?
Yes, I'm currently using the free version, but I'm planning to pay for the Workstation version given I'm very pleased with it.
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I find Acronis Backup (home version) works for me. You can set up multiple backup regimes (e.g. different locations, schedules etc.). All my computers at home use this, and it has saved me a lot of work at times.
IIRC, they have a server edition, but I know very little about it.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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Daniel Pfeffer wrote: they have a server edition, but I know very little about it
I - well, the school - unfortunately cannot afford it, they have a licensing fee of several hundreds of euros a year. The data are also not worth it, and for that price, I get one tech support day to reinstall the server.
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After they released a pre-alpha feature set level product as their top to bottom rewrite a few years ago I've washed my hands of Acronis.
I'm currently using WHS 2011, but since its end of life and there're only 2 or 3 years of support left on its underlying server OS I can't recommend it directly. Supposedly the same backup tools are built into one of MS's $400ish server OS packages though.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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I've only been using it for 2.5 years, and so far - so good.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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If you are even remotely considering backup up to hidden network shares (so people don't go poking about in there) then forget aomei right away - fail.
Yes you can back up to such by specifying the unc/path, but when it comes to restoring it was by browse only - could not set the path to where the backups were. I copied a backup set (a nightmare in itself, identifying the full and differentials set) to another visible area (local HDD), and aomei couldn't figure out that they belonged together as a set - because it relies on it's log which only works from the original backup location which you cant browse to.
Hard to configure, (the ui really sucks - makes w10-metro look good), seems to me designed for the clueless to do simple image backups, asking it to do file backups was like begging for pebbles at a quarry, and from the feel of restore seems files backups not really intended to ever be restored form a multi gen set without a lot more pain.
backup aomei - never
macrium - absolutely
I'm not anti aomei - I like and use their partition assistant, but aomei backup sucks
Format Success.
Welcome to your new signa&*(gD@@@ ![Beer | [beer]](https://codeproject.global.ssl.fastly.net/script/Forums/Images/beer.gif) @@@@@@*@x@@
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Noticed you mention budget issues, this is something I did at another client:
The Multi Machine Budget solution:
- add a 4TB HDD or two to the server (cheap enough)
- on the PC's use FreeFileSync to mirror themselves to that/those server HDD's
(each PC not that much space needed if only backing up My Documents/Desktop)
- Then you only need 1 server license for Macrium (or whatever) to back up the server
(no reason if other servers that they can't mirror too.)
I found FreeFileSync more resilient than SyncBack - particularly if sync interrupted
- indeed a bit more fiddly to set up but once done it's done (copy what works to the next pc)
- make sure to set the options not to lock folders during sync, copy 1 way, delete files on mirror that not in the PC, save the FFS logs file on the server (so they can be watched without going to each PC one by one).
- this solution working for the client > 6 months now, so far without hiccup.
Format Success.
Welcome to your new signa&*(gD@@@ @@@@@@*@x@@
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Here's a crazy idea: Use VMs.
I don't run anything on my physical machine except for the OS and things like motherboard drivers. As reinstalling from scratch is rather straightforward, and very quick nowadays, I don't bother backing it up - ever.
The important software I run lives in a VM. As the hardware is virtualized, you never have to install a driver, even if you move it from one physical machine to another. Backing up is as trivial as copying a single .VHD file from the host (xcopy or robocopy or dragging and dropping in Explorer will do), although you may still want to "fully" replicate a VM instead, if only for the sake of keeping the same MAC address - otherwise Windows may insist on getting reactivated if it sees it change.
You may lose the ability to do incremental backups, but the process of backing up is so simple, IMO, it's is worth the price. I tend to put actual data elsewhere--say, a share on a NAS--and since that's just data (and not executable code), again, it can be backed up with xcopy or robocopy - so this is where you can regain, at least partially, the ability to do incremental backups. It's always a good idea to keep "operational" software and its configuration (in a VM) separate from its data (on a network share) anyway.
Also - you can trivially mount a .VHD file without any proprietary third-party software, so if you need access to a specific file, or an entire folder hierarchy, from a backup, selective restores are also pretty easy. Assuming you're comfortable with the Windows file system.
Food for thought. YMMV, but this has been working great for me for years.
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It all depends on what you're doing on that server...most software is virtualization-friendly enough, at least in the sense that if it's oblivious altogether to the fact that it's running on virtualized hardware, it should run well enough.
As long as you're comfortable with managing that sort of environment, as any good seasoned Windows developer ought to be nowadays, I find it's a great solution for me and I've been saying for years now that I wouldn't go back.
It might not be a one-size-fits-all type of solution that applies in every scenario, but it's worth giving it some thought IMO.
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Great suggestion!  If I'm not mistaken, Win Server provides an extra license for a VM. 
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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My car is almost 12 years old, but until recently it was in almost perfect condition. I got it from an elderly gentleman who did not drive very much anymore and always had kept it sparkling clean as if it was in a showroom. I live in a bigger city with excellent public transportation, so I also drive very much.
Then I was on the way to work and waited at a red light, when one of [^] rammed me and pushed my poor car all the way onto the intersection.
The car still can drive, but its fate is sealed. Repairs will cost almost as much as it's still worth. Fortunately, that elderly gentleman wants to buy a new car again and I can get the one he has now. Again with very little miles and sparkling like new. I only have to wait until he has made up his mind what new car he is going to buy.
This morning, when I wanted to drive to work, I had a flat tire. I hope I don't find a bullet hole in it. If I do, I know that someone is after me and must invest in some artillery. If not, I must find a way to keep the old car together until I can get rid of it.
I am endeavoring, ma'am, to construct a mnemonic memory circuit using stone knives and bearskins.
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If someone really wants to kill you, there would appear to be many easier ways to do it. OTOH, do you have an ex-GF/wife that enjoys doing things in an insanely complicated way? 
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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Daniel Pfeffer wrote: ex-GF/wife
Daniel Pfeffer wrote: enjoys doing things in an insanely complicated way?
As do most of them?
I am endeavoring, ma'am, to construct a mnemonic memory circuit using stone knives and bearskins.
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Just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you! 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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It can also be that they are trying to get my poor car off the road. Lately they have made the turbo Diesels responsible for everything, including the situation in North Korea.
I am endeavoring, ma'am, to construct a mnemonic memory circuit using stone knives and bearskins.
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My car is not responsible for Kim Jung Un and his demented dreams!
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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OriginalGriff wrote: My car is not responsible for Kim Jung Un and his demented dreams!
And vice-versa?
Format Success.
Welcome to your new signa&*(gD@@@ @@@@@@*@x@@
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That I cannot guarantee.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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That "somebody wants me dead" is so 1980's
these days [in the movies at least] somebody breaks into whatever is the the highest security government department, plugs their laptop into the server (obligatory rainbow cable with perfectly fitting connector) gets on an ASCII terminal, types a few DOS commands (obligatory password *******) and they erase you.
Format Success.
Welcome to your new signa&*(gD@@@ @@@@@@*@x@@
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Dang!
That means the guys down in Antarctica will have to do the complete setup for me again and I don't like owing them a favor. This will not simply be forgotten for a pound of coffee.
I am endeavoring, ma'am, to construct a mnemonic memory circuit using stone knives and bearskins.
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