How Offsite Copy works

You enable and configure Offsite Copy when you define a new drive-based backup job. Or you can edit an existing backup job to enable Offsite Copy.

When you enable Offsite Copy, you specify up to two Offsite Copy destinations. After the backup job finishes creating recovery points, Offsite Copy verifies that at least one of the Offsite Copy destinations are available. Offsite Copy then begins copying the new recovery points to the Offsite Copy destination.

The most recent recovery points are copied first, followed by the next newest recovery points. If you have set up two Offsite Copy destinations, Offsite Copy copies recovery points to the destination that was added first. If an Offsite Copy destination is unavailable, Offsite Copy tries to copy recovery points to the second destination, if it is available. If neither destination is available, then Offsite Copy copies the recovery points the next time an Offsite Copy destination becomes available.

For example, suppose you have configured a backup job to run at 6 p.m. and configured an external drive as an Offsite Copy destination. However, when you leave the office at 5:30 p.m., you take the drive with you for safe keeping. When the backup job completes at 6:20 p.m., Norton Ghost detects that the Offsite Copy destination drive is not available and the copy process is aborted. The following morning, you plug the drive back in to the computer. Norton Ghost detects the presence of the Offsite Copy destination drive and automatically begins copying your recovery points.

Offsite Copy is designed to use very little system resources so that the copying process is done in the background. This feature lets you continue to work at your computer with little or no impact on system resources.

If an Offsite Copy destination runs out of disk space, Offsite Copy identifies the oldest recovery points and removes them to make room for the most current recovery points. Offsite Copy then copies the current recovery points to the Offsite Copy destination.

More Information

About using external drives as your Offsite Copy destination

About using a network server as your Offsite Copy destination

About using an FTP server as your Offsite Copy destination

“To define a drive-based backup”

Editing backup settings

How Offsite Copy works