Acronis Server Cloud Backup - User Guide User Manual

Page 8

Backup file format

Acronis Small Office Backup usually saves backup data in the proprietary tib format using
compression. This reduces the amount of needed storage space.

When creating a tib file, the program calculates checksum values for data blocks and adds these
values to the data being backed up. These checksum values allow for the verification of data
integrity.

The data from tib file backups can be recovered only through the Acronis Small Office Backup
program. This may be done in Windows or in the recovery environment.

Backup validation

The backup validation feature allows you to confirm that your data can be recovered. As mentioned
above, the program adds checksum values to the data blocks being backed up. During backup
validation, Acronis Small Office Backup opens the backup file, recalculates the checksum values and
compares those values with the stored ones. If all compared values match, the backup file is not
corrupted and there is a high probability that the backup can be successfully used for data recovery.

Consolidation

Consolidation allows you to delete backups which you no longer need from a backup chain.

A chain to be consolidated can consist of a full backup and one or more incremental backups.

If necessary, you can delete the base full backup from the chain. The program will create a new full
backup in place of the oldest remaining backup. Consolidation keeps whichever backups you choose
and deletes any backups that are not selected.

Because consolidation may require significant time and system resources (including disk space), we
recommend using it sparingly. In many cases, starting a new backup chain and then deleting the old
one will be a better choice.

Disaster recovery

Recovering from a disaster usually requires a rescue media and a backup of the system partition.

Acronis Small Office Backup provides for recovery from a disaster caused by system data corruption,
viruses, malware, or other causes.

If the operating system fails to boot, Acronis Small Office Backup will recover the system partition.
The boxed product comes with a rescue CD. Other legal owners of the program can create a rescue
media by using the Media Builder tool.

Scheduling

For your backups to be really helpful, they must be as "up-to-date" as possible. This means that you
should run backups on a regular basis, say once a day. Although creating an Acronis Small Office
Backup backup is quite easy, on occasion, you may forget to do a backup.

With the scheduler, you do not have to remember. You can schedule automatic backups ahead of
time. Your data will be backed up as long as there is sufficient storage space.

Understanding these terms and concepts will be helpful when using the program's features.