GFS rotation scheme basics

ARCserveIT's GFS Rotation scheme is based on the standard backup schemes in the mainframe and minicomputer environments. The "GFS" (Grandfather-Father-Son) rotation scheme is a set of pre-configured backup jobs consisting of full backup jobs combined with incremental and differential jobs. Setting up a GFS rotation scheme offers several advantages:

• Guarantees data security by automatically naming media and preventing you from overwriting the media until the appropriate number of media and the retention of the pool is correct.
• Helps maintain media integrity by ensuring that media is not overused.
• Keeps a current and accurate backup of the source that has been selected in addition to re-scheduling missed clients for a make-up backup session, if specified.

  After you initially set up your GFS rotation scheme, you only need to make sure the right media is in the drive for each day of the week. ARCserveIT provides this information for you.

Based on a weekly schedule

The GFS strategy is a method of maintaining backups on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The primary purpose of the GFS scheme is to suggest a minimum standard and consistent interval at which to rotate and retire the media.

GFS backup schemes are based on a seven-day weekly schedule beginning any day. A full backup is performed at least once a week. On all other days, full, partial, or no backups are performed. The daily backups are the Son. The last full backup in the week (the weekly backup) is the Father. The last full backup of the month (the monthly backup) is the Grandfather. GFS rotation schemes allow you to back up your servers for an entire year using a minimum number of media.

A five-day GFS rotation scheme requires 21 media-per-year, while a seven-day scheme requires 23 media-per-year.

For more information, see:

• Selecting a Backup method
• GFS media pools
• Setting up a GFS rotation job