Internet Operations - Backup and Restoration

Question 1

Backup and Restoration Procedures

Answer 1

Controls relating to program and data backup files and disaster recovery plans are corrective controls

Businesses rely extensively on the concept of “redundant backups”—Having multiple backup copies, which means that if one backup fails or if the problem occurred before the last backup, the organization need not rely on a single archived copy.

While studying for the CPA exam, please know the following terms and their “value” designations: system backup is good; data redundancy is bad

Question 2

Backup and recovery procedures link to type of processing employed

Answer 2

1) Grandfather, father, son system -

A) traditional term used to refer to a 3 generation backup: son is newest, father is one generation back, grandfather 2 generations

B) associate with batch processing in a magnetic tape environment where new master file created when old was updated

2) Checkpoint an restart - Common batch processing systems, checkpoint is point in data processing where processing accuracy verified; if problem occurs, one returns to previous checkpoint instead of returning to beginning of transaction processing
3) Rollback and recovery - Common to online, real time processing; all transaction written to transaction log; when problem detected, recovery manager program reprocesses all transaction that have occurred since snapshot taken

Question 3

Network-based backup and restoration

Answer 3

Network capabilities increasingly provide continuous backup capabilities. High-availability clusters (HACs) are designed to improve availability of services

1) Remote backup service (online) - a) outsourcing service that provides user with online system for backup and storage
B) Remote backup has several advantages as they are off-site and some services can operate continuously backing u ah transaction as it occurs

2) RAID - redundant array of independent disks
3) Storage Area Networks (SANs) - replicate data rom and to multiple networked sites. Data stored on SAN is immediately available without need to recover - HIGH COST
4) Mirroring - most frequently used in e-commerce for load balancing (distributing excess demand from primary site)

HIGH COST HIGH RELIABILITY APPROACH COMMON IN e-COMERCE