An organization's file server has been virtualized to reduce costs.
Which of the following types of backups would be MOST appropriate for the particular file server?
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A. B. C. D.C.
When a file server is virtualized, it is moved to a virtual machine (VM) environment, and the data is stored on virtual disks. Backing up virtualized environments is slightly different from backing up physical environments, and the type of backup chosen can impact the efficiency and effectiveness of the backup process.
Here are the explanations of the four types of backups listed in the question:
A. Snapshot: A snapshot is an image of the virtual machine's disk at a specific point in time. It captures the current state of the virtual machine, including its settings, applications, and data. Snapshots can be used to restore a virtual machine to its previous state if something goes wrong, such as a failed update or a malware infection. However, snapshots are not intended to be used as a backup solution, and they are not a substitute for regular backups.
B. Full: A full backup is a complete copy of all the data on a system or application. Full backups capture all data, including files, settings, applications, and system configurations. Full backups can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, but they provide a comprehensive backup of the system. If a restore is needed, the full backup is used to restore the entire system. Full backups are typically done on a regular schedule, such as weekly or monthly, depending on the organization's backup and recovery policies.
C. Incremental: An incremental backup is a backup of only the data that has changed since the last backup. Incremental backups are faster and less resource-intensive than full backups because they only capture changes to the data. However, restoring from an incremental backup requires the full backup plus all incremental backups since the full backup. For example, if a full backup was done on Sunday and incremental backups were done every day until Friday, restoring from the Friday backup would require the full backup from Sunday plus all incremental backups from Monday to Friday.
D. Differential: A differential backup is a backup of only the data that has changed since the last full backup. Differential backups capture all changes since the last full backup, so they are more comprehensive than incremental backups. However, restoring from a differential backup requires only the full backup and the most recent differential backup. For example, if a full backup was done on Sunday and differential backups were done every day until Friday, restoring from the Friday backup would require the full backup from Sunday and the differential backup from Friday.
Answer: The most appropriate backup type for a virtualized file server is a full backup. Since the file server has been virtualized to reduce costs, a full backup ensures that all data is captured, providing a comprehensive backup of the system. This is important because in a virtualized environment, there may be several virtual machines running on a single physical host, and a full backup ensures that all data on the file server is backed up. While incremental and differential backups can be used to back up virtualized environments, they require a full backup to restore the entire system, which may be more time-consuming and resource-intensive than a full backup alone. Snapshots are not intended to be used as a backup solution, and they are not a substitute for regular backups.