Securing Windows NT/2000 Servers for the Internet

Chapter 5. Backing Up and Restoring Your Bastion Host

Backups are a very important part of any computer operation. Don’t neglect them! This chapter discusses the special procedures to follow when backing up a bastion host. It also provides an introduction to the built-in backup software in Windows NT and Windows 2000.

Backup/Recovery Principles

The most important general principles of backup and recovery are:

• Always create a “golden image” of your systems before bringing them online (see Section 5.3 later in this chapter).

• You may be forced to build separate backup networks for performance reasons; be careful not to short-circuit your firewall architecture with these networks.

• Store backups in a fireproof safe at another physical location.

• Be sure to test restore procedures at regular intervals.

Defining Your Backup Policy

Your organization probably already has a backup policy in place that defines how backups and restores should be handled. Such a backup policy should at least contain answers to the following questions:

• Who is responsible for making backups of your data?

• How often should backups be performed?

• Where should the backup media be stored?

• Who is authorized to restore data to a system?

If you already have a general backup policy for your site, you must decide whether it fits the needs of the bastion hosts in the perimeter network. If the general policy doesn’t fit, you need to define a special backup policy for the systems in the perimeter network.