Your backup schedule should cause the least inconvenience to your computer users:
Backups should be done when no one is using the computer.
Full backups, which take more time and more tapes than
partial backups, should be carefully planned.
Scheduling the backup for the end of the work day is
usually best. It's also a good idea to plan the backup
for the same time every day. This way, everyone knows
what to expect and can plan their own schedules
accordingly.
![[fig801]](img/fig801.gif)
Performing a partial backup the day after a full backup
requires less time (and fewer tapes) than the partial
backup almost a week later. As the
week progresses, computer users modify and add more files
since the last full backup, so more new
information exists to backup.
If you schedule full backups for Fridays, you may
only need one tape and a little bit of time for your
first partial backup on Monday. But, by Thursday,
the day before the full backup, plan on using several
tapes and spending a lot more time backing up the
computer.
If you perform a full backup daily, the time it takes and the number of tapes needed remain more predictable.
