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Backup and Disaster Recovery

Define recovery objectives, protect backup copies and test a realistic restore using fictional data.

3 reading lessons · about 30 min ·written by MTT

The idea

Recovery point objective describes acceptable data loss in time; recovery time objective describes the targeted time to restore service. These are requirements, not guarantees created by choosing a product. Include business priorities and the dependencies needed to return to a usable state.

Worked example

A fictional system fails at 09:00 and its last usable backup is from 08:00. Restoring only that copy loses an hour of later changes. A two-hour recovery-time target means aiming to restore usable service by 11:00, including the required validation.

Try it

Choose recovery targets for a fictional shop and explain their business impact. Calculate possible lost time for two backup schedules. List the application, database and configuration needed for a usable restore rather than merely recovered files.

Lesson 1 of 3 · About 10 min

Define what recovery must achieve

Check your understanding

Course quiz

Finish the course to unlock the quiz

Complete all 3 lessons and 5 questions open up here. You have 3 to go.

What you will learn

Distinguish recovery-point and recovery-time targets
Identify consistent backup dependencies
Validate a restore beyond file existence

Before you start

Prerequisites: Basic computer familiarity. Practice only with disposable files or a non-production environment.
Cost: Free introductory reading lessons, exercises and quiz. Optional third-party tools, hosting or AI subscriptions may cost money.

Original introductory lessons and assessment by Master the Trick. Estimated times include the suggested exercises.