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CompTIA Security+ 3.4
TechKnowSurge Catalog Interactives What Does This Run Copy?
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What Does This Run Copy?

Track what each full, differential and incremental run copies, and what it leaves behind for the next one.

⚑ Complete this interactive to capture a CTF flag worth 5 points.

About this interactive

When a file changes, its archive bit is set, telling backup software it needs backing up. Each backup type treats that bit differently. A full backup copies every file and clears every archive bit. A differential copies each file changed since the last full and leaves the bits set, so each differential holds more than the one before, until the next full clears them. An incremental copies each file changed since the last backup of any type and clears the bits it copied, so each one holds just the latest changes. Databases do the same job with the transaction log. Each change is written to the log first. An incremental (log) backup copies the log records since the last one, and they are then cleared from the log. A differential holds every change since the last full. If incrementals and differentials run on the same files, the incrementals clear bits the differentials need. That is why the lesson says a plan mixing them needs software that tracks changes itself.

What you'll learn

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+
3.4 Explain the importance of resilience and recovery in security architecture.

Key terms

Full Backup
A complete copy of all selected data, serving as the baseline backup type from which other backup strategies operate.
Differential Backup
A backup type that copies only the data that has changed since the last full backup.
Incremental Backup
A backup type that copies only the data that has changed since the last backup of any type, minimizing storage use but requiring multiple restore steps.
Archive Bit
A file system attribute flag that is set whenever a file is created or modified, signaling that the file needs to be backed up; certain backup types clear this bit to track which files have changed since the last backup.

Topics

Interactive Fill In

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