Glossary of backup terms


The subject of computer backups is rife with jargon and highly specialized terminology. This page is a glossary of backup terms that aims to clarify the meaning of such jargon and terminology.

Terms and definitions

3-2-1 Rule
Backup policy
Backup rotation scheme
Backup site
Backup software
Backup window
Copy backup
Daily backup
Data salvaging/recovery
Differential backup
Disaster recovery
Disk cloning
Disk image
Full backup
Hot backup
Incremental backup
Media spanning
Multiplexing
Multistreaming
Normal backup
Near store
Open file backup
Remote store
Restore time
Retention time
Site-to-site backup
Synthetic backup
Tape library
Trusted paper key
Virtual Tape Library