Backup Retention Policy

Camden Computing Services
Backup Retention Policy
5/2002 (original date)
10/2005, 10/2006 (update)
10/2008 (update)


This policy refers to backups of user data that are copied
on to tape (or any backup media, including disk-to-disk storage).   
User data is stored on disks on our
computer systems.  Periodically, backup copies of this data
are saved on to tapes (or other media).  This is useful in case of a system
failure (and files have to be restored from the backup media), or in the
case of a user accidentally erasing one of their files (and
again, that file can be restored from the backup media).  This
policy refers to how long these backup tapes/media are kept (their
retention).

Daily backups for user data are kept for one week using 
online disk storage. Weekly backups are kept
for 8 weeks on disk storage (both local and remote).  
No backups are saved beyond 8 weeks.

All backup tapes are recycled back into use.

This only affects the backup copies of user data, not users actual data
that is currently on the system.  This policy only affects the
backup copies.  Backup copies are not kept beyond 8 weeks.
Thus if a user deletes a file in their account on purpose or
by accident, that file most likey can be recovered from the backup media for
the first week, and maybe for a period of up to 8 weeks on the weekly backups.
Beyond 8 weeks from the time the file
was deleted, that file can not be recovered from backups.
Files which are not deleted from a user's account, are kept for
as long as their account is kept active. 


System files and log files, may be retained for up to one year
for proper administration of systems and statistical analysis of
log data.  

The above policy holds for all Camden Computing Services servers, including
Unix, Novell, Windows, and all other servers/systems.



Additional Info: Backups of data occur every day, 7 days a week, 365 
days a year. These backups are performed once a night.   While
some of the backups are performed to a tape, most backups are
actually copied to online disk storage locally in Camden, or remotely to
our New Brunswick campus.  No matter what the backup storage media
is, the above policy holds.  

Exception: The campus exchange server only retains online backups
of data for up to one week (and users can retrieve this data
themselves).  System wide backups are kept for two weeks, but this
is only meant for full system restores in case of system failures.


Questions on the above policy can be sent to the Camden Help Desk:
 (help@camden.rutgers.edu).



Camden Computing Services
OIT (Office of Information Technology)