Keeping a backup log book

We recommend that you maintain a written log book for each computer at your site.


Record all the information about the hardware and software configuration for each computer, as well as all maintenance information (such as when a breakdown occurs and what was done to correct the problem).

In addition, use this log book to keep track of the backup history for each computer.
If your system is damaged such that the online backup history information is unavailable, you can use this information to construct a backup set from which to restore your system.

For each backup of the system:

Date

Last day included in the backup.

Filesystem

Name of the filesystem backed up (such as ``/usr'').

Backup level

Level of the current backup (such as ``Level 2'').

# Volumes

Number of tape volumes in the backup.

Start/Finish Time (optional)

Time from the start of a backup of a filesystem until the last error check is completed.

See also:

• ``Understanding incremental backups''