What is a second copy of a file kept for recovery called?

What is a second copy of a file kept for recovery called?

• A. backup (file)
• B. archive
• C. mirror
• D. snapshot

Answer: (A)

The key concept is having a separate copy of your data specifically kept for restoring it after problems. A backup serves exactly this purpose: it is a duplicate you can pull from when data is lost, corrupted, or you need to recover from a disaster. This copy is typically stored on different media or in a different location to protect against the same failure that affected the original data, and it can be full, incremental, or differential to balance safety and space. Other terms describe related ideas but not the primary recovery role. An archive is long-term storage for preserving data that may not be needed daily, not primarily for quick restoration. A mirror is a real-time duplicate used for immediate availability and continuity, not primarily for recovery after loss. A snapshot captures the state of a system at a specific moment, useful for rolling back to that point, but it’s usually one element of a recovery strategy rather than the general concept of keeping a separate recovery copy.

The key concept is having a separate copy of your data specifically kept for restoring it after problems. A backup serves exactly this purpose: it is a duplicate you can pull from when data is lost, corrupted, or you need to recover from a disaster. This copy is typically stored on different media or in a different location to protect against the same failure that affected the original data, and it can be full, incremental, or differential to balance safety and space.

Other terms describe related ideas but not the primary recovery role. An archive is long-term storage for preserving data that may not be needed daily, not primarily for quick restoration. A mirror is a real-time duplicate used for immediate availability and continuity, not primarily for recovery after loss. A snapshot captures the state of a system at a specific moment, useful for rolling back to that point, but it’s usually one element of a recovery strategy rather than the general concept of keeping a separate recovery copy.