Dictionary definition(s) for: backup

• n., A copy of a data file made for the purpose of system recovery.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - Prentice Hall's Illustrated Dictionary of Computing ]
  Nadar, Jonar C. Prentice Hall's Illustrated Dictionary of Computing. New York: Prentice Hall, 1998.
• n., A copy of all or portions of software or data files on a system kept on storage media, such as tape or disk, or on a separate system so that the files can be restored if the original data is deleted or damaged.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology (The Society of American Archivists) ]
  Pearce-Moses, Richard. A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology. Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2005. http://www.archivists.org/glossary/index.asp
• n., A copy of an electronic file usually made and maintained for computer security purposes.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - Harrod’s Librarians’ Glossary and Reference Book ]
  Harrod’s Librarians’ Glossary and Reference Book. 9th ed. Edited by Raymond John Prytherch. Brookfield, Vt.: Gower, 2000.
• n., A duplicate copy of all or portions of software or data files on a system made for safety purposes.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - The Computer Glossary: The Complete Illustrated Dictionary ]
  Freedman, Alan. The Computer Glossary: The Complete Illustrated Dictionary. 8th ed. New York: American Management Association, 1998.
• n., A resource that can be used as a substitute in the event of, say, a fault in a component or system or loss of data from a computer file. A backup file is a copy of a file taken in case the original is destroyed or unintentionally altered and the data lost.
  [ Sciences - A Dictionary of Physics ]
  A Dictionary of Physics. Ed. John Daintith. Oxford University Press, 2000. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. University of British Columbia. 3 August 2006 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t83.e220
• n., A resource that is, or can be used as, a substitute when a primary resource fails or when a file has been corrupted. The word is also used as a verb, to back up, i.e. to make a copy in anticipation of future failure or corruption. Thus a dump forms a backup to be used in cases where a user's file has become unusable; the taking of the dump can be regarded as backing up the version on disk.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - A Dictionary of Computing ]
  A Dictionary of Computing. Oxford University Press, 2004. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. University of British Columbia. 4 August 2006 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t11.e305
• n., Additional resources or duplicate copies of data on different storage media for emergency purposes.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - The Computer Glossary: The Complete Illustrated Dictionary ]
  Freedman, Alan. The Computer Glossary: The Complete Illustrated Dictionary. 8th ed. New York: American Management Association, 1998.
• v., To make a copy of all or portions of software or data files on a system on storage media or on a separate system for safety purposes.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - The Computer Glossary: The Complete Illustrated Dictionary ]
  Freedman, Alan. The Computer Glossary: The Complete Illustrated Dictionary. 8th ed. New York: American Management Association, 1998.