Differentialkopiointi

Differentialkopiointi, often translated as differential copying or incremental backup, is a method of data backup that involves copying only the files that have changed since the last backup operation. This is in contrast to a full backup, which copies all data regardless of whether it has been modified. The primary advantage of differential copying is its efficiency in terms of time and storage space. By only backing up changes, subsequent backups are significantly faster and require less storage than repeatedly performing full backups.

The process typically begins with an initial full backup. Following this, each subsequent differential backup captures all files that have been modified or added since the *last full backup*. This means that to restore data, you would need the most recent full backup and the latest differential backup. While this is generally more efficient than full backups, it can become slower and consume more space over time as the number of changed files since the last full backup grows. This method strikes a balance between the comprehensiveness of a full backup and the speed and space savings of incremental backups, which only back up changes since the *previous backup of any kind*.

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