Figure 74 Full and incremental backups
In Figure 74 on page 261, conventional backups were performed. To restore to the latest possible state, you need the full backup and all four incremental backups. The restore chain consists of five elements, which often reside on different media.
Such a restore can take a considerable amount of time, as each incremental backup must be read. If tape devices are used, time is spent for loading and unloading of several media and seeking for object versions to restore.
Figure 75 Synthetic backup
In Figure 75 on page 261, a synthetic full backup exists, which is used for restore by default. The restore chain consists of only two elements, namely the synthetic full backup and the subsequent incremental backup. The restore is significantly simpler and quicker than that without the synthetic full backup. In the figure, both possible restore chains are shown.
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