Back Up Service for On-Campus Desktop PCs
in Kellogg Academic Departments

We have completed the rollout of Kellogg's hard drive backup service for office desktop computers in academic departments.   This service should help faculty and staff avoid data loss, as well as reduce individual back up effort.  Installation of the required client software on your PC and activation of the back up service has been completed. However, to verify that the Retrospect Backup Client is working properly and actively backing up your computer, you MUST follow the steps listed in verifing the status of your backup. If you encounter a problem with the backup service you must email the retrospect backup listserv at admin-backup@kellogg.northwestern.edu.

We are running Dantz Retrospect enterprise software to drive this back up service.  To have activated the back up of your PC, we have installed the Retrospect client software on your PC, which has been set up to communicate with a back up server and tape drive located in the Kellogg Network Server Room.  Your PC will normally be backed up on a continual rotation at least every 5 calendar days, unless your PC is turned off or not on the network. If your computer has not been backed up in 7 calendar days, you will receive notification from the Retrospect client software.  The Retrospect client software will notify you when back up is about to begin and give you the option to defer until later.  The Retrospect server will take into account PCs that have had their back up deferred and give them priority when selecting PCs for back up.

This service will do a complete back up of all your on-campus desktop PC files with the exception of mp3 files.  This back up service is designed to deal with loss of data files due to equipment failure, theft, or accident.  It is not intended to serve as a permanent or long-term data archive. Back up tapes are moved offsite monthly and are retained for six months.  If you need to make a permanent archive of specific data (such as for a completed space-intensive research project), your department's technical support representative can make recommendations specific to your needs.  Note that the back up service operates efficiently by not storing duplicate copies of software program files across the school (such as Windows, Office, Eudora, etc).

If your PC experiences a hard drive crash, your department's technical support representative will have access to the back up tapes to restore your files.  If you need to request a specific copy of a lost/deleted/damaged file, you will be asked to submit a service request with as much information about the file as possible.  (For example: What was the name of the file? Where was the location of the file on your computer? What kind of file was it? When was the file last modified?)  KIS will check the back up tapes for the file and contact you with the results.  Restore requests will be handled in one business day provided that the relevant back up tape is on site.  Restore requests will be handled in three business days if the relevant back up tape is stored off site.  In an emergency, you will be able to call 7-2100 and have your department's technical support representative paged.

Frequently Asked Questions about Retrospect Back Up

1. How can I confirm that my computer has been backed up?

Click on Start, then Programs, then Retrospect Client.  On the Status tab, in the History field, you will see a listing of the most recent back up activity that has taken place on your computer. For visual description verifing the status of your backup please select link.

2. Which PCs at Kellogg are backed up by Retrospect?

All school-owned Windows-based desktop PCs in academic departments, except for workstudy computers, will be backed up by Retrospect when the rollout is complete.  This includes desktop PCs of faculty, staff and PhD students.  Computers owned by individual PhD students are not eligible to be backed up by Retrospect.  Apple/MacIntosh computers and UNIX workstations are not backed up by Retrospect.

3. Can I have Retrospect back up my laptop?

Retrospect is intended for backing up desktop PCs on campus.  If you use your laptop as your primary computer, we can make special arrangements to back it up using the Retrospect client.  However, your laptop will be backed up only when it is connected directly to the Kellogg network on campus, not when it is connected via phone, cable modem, or DSL.  Please consult your department's technical support rep for more information.

4. Does Retrospect back up my personal home directory on the Kellogg network (H: drive)?

No.  Your personal home directory resides on one of the Kellogg network servers. All servers will continue to be backed up by the Kellogg network server back up system. Your home directory is backed up every night by this system. Your home directory is still a good place to back up smaller sets of critical data (up to 100 MB).

5. Can I specify when my computer will be backed up by Retrospect?

Yes.  By default, Retrospect is configured to proactively back up computers around the clock. It polls computers to see if they are due to be backed up. If a computer needs to be backed up, AND it is turned on and connected to the network, Retrospect will initiate back up. Before the back up begins a window appears and gives you the option to defer back up to a later time. If you defer, the Retrospect server will come back to you at a later time. Retrospect can back up your files while you are working, but it does consume some of your computer's resources to do the back up. The more applications you have running, the more likely you are to feel your computer's performace decline while being backed up.  If you would like to set a specific time preference, follow these instructions:  Launch the Retrospect Client from your start menu. Click on the tab marked Proactive Backup. You will see that you are scheduled to be backed up according to the normal schedule by default. Click on the After button.  From here, set the time after which you want Retrospect to back up your computer.

6. What if I do not want to have my computer backed up by Retrospect?

Faculty members may decline to have their on-campus desktop PC backed up by Retrospect.  If you wish to decline this service, please notify David Keown, Assistant Dean for Information Technology, via email, so that we can confirm your request.  Additionally, it is possible to mark certain folders on your computer as private and the data in those folders will not be backed up.  If you would like information on this option, please consult your department's technical support representative.

7. I received an error message saying that my machine was backed up with execution errors. Should I be concerned about this?

No. Retrospect server has a feature called Open File Backup which allows the Retrospect software to back up files that are currently in use. If a back up occurs while your computer is running you may receive a number of execution errors. When Retrospect begins the back up, it takes a snap shot of your files and folders. This includes the file size and time stamp. If you are working on your computer, some file sizes and time stamps may change as you work. This especially happens if you are checking e-mail with Eudora.  Retrospect backs up the files that have changed, but reports an exectution error because of the discrepancy in time stamp and file size. If you have any specific questions about a particular back up, please do not hesitate to contact your department's technical support representative.  The KIS staff can review the server logs to check that your back up is happening normally.
 

If you have any other questions, please contact Daniel Rebac, Manager of Faculty/Staff Computing, or send a message to the backup listserv at admin-backup@kellogg.northwestern.edu

Updated: 12/12/2003