Why is my restore time limited by disk speed?

Even with fast network speeds, data can only be written to disk at the drive's maximum speed. SSDs (500+ MB/s) are much faster than HDDs (100-200 MB/s). For large restores, disk write speed often becomes the bottleneck.

How do incremental backups affect restore time?

Incremental restores require processing the base full backup plus each incremental in order. Each incremental adds overhead for chain reconstruction. Longer chains mean longer restore times but less storage use.

What's a good RTO target?

It depends on business needs. Critical systems may need RTO under 1 hour. Standard business systems often target 4-8 hours. Less critical data might accept 24+ hours. Define RTO based on business impact of downtime.

How can I reduce restore time?

Use faster network connections (10Gbps vs 1Gbps), store backups on SSDs, reduce incremental chain length, use differential instead of incremental, or keep hot standby copies for critical systems.

Technology

Restore Time Calculator

Estimate how long it will take to restore data from backups based on backup size, network speed, disk performance, and backup type. Analyze RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and get optimization recommendations.

Backup Size

Size Unit

Backup Type

Network Speed

Speed Unit

Disk Write Speed

MB/s

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Calculate Your Data Restoration Time

Our Restore Time Calculator helps IT professionals estimate how long it will take to recover data from backups. Understand your Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and identify bottlenecks in your disaster recovery process.

Understanding Restore Time Calculations

Restore time depends on backup size, network bandwidth, disk write speed, and backup type. Full backups restore fastest but take more storage. Incremental restores require processing the full backup plus each incremental in sequence. Understanding these trade-offs is critical for disaster recovery planning.

Restore Time Formula

Restore Time = Backup Size / min(Network Speed, Disk Speed)

Why Calculate Restore Time?

Meet RTO Requirements

Ensure your backup strategy can meet business recovery time objectives.

Identify Bottlenecks

Discover if network or disk speed is limiting your recovery capability.

Plan Infrastructure

Size network and storage appropriately for acceptable recovery times.

Compare Scenarios

Evaluate different restoration scenarios from cloud, NAS, or local storage.

How to Use This Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

RTO is the maximum acceptable time to restore business operations after a disaster. If your calculated restore time exceeds your RTO, you need to improve your backup/recovery infrastructure or strategy.