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Full Backup
A full backup resets the archive bit of all files and backs them up accordingly.
Differential Backup
This backs up all changed files since the last successful full backup. This does not reset the archive bit. Each differential backup is always based on the last full backup. Thus, any changes made since that last full backup are backed up. The benefit of this scheme is that during a full restore, only the last full backup and the most recent differential backup are needed to restore the entire site. The downside is that differentials can get rather large.
Incremental Backup
An incremental backup will back up all changed files since the last successful full backup, or since the last incremental backup. An incremental backup does reset the archive bit. Once an incremental scheme has performed an incremental backup based on the last full backup, it bases all subsequent backups on the last incremental backup. In other words, you get a bunch of small backups, all with the most recent changes. What this translates into is a tedious and lengthy full restoration task. The last full backup will need to be restored, as well as all the incremental backups up to the current date.
A full backup resets the archive bit of all files and backs them up accordingly.
Differential Backup
This backs up all changed files since the last successful full backup. This does not reset the archive bit. Each differential backup is always based on the last full backup. Thus, any changes made since that last full backup are backed up. The benefit of this scheme is that during a full restore, only the last full backup and the most recent differential backup are needed to restore the entire site. The downside is that differentials can get rather large.
Incremental Backup
An incremental backup will back up all changed files since the last successful full backup, or since the last incremental backup. An incremental backup does reset the archive bit. Once an incremental scheme has performed an incremental backup based on the last full backup, it bases all subsequent backups on the last incremental backup. In other words, you get a bunch of small backups, all with the most recent changes. What this translates into is a tedious and lengthy full restoration task. The last full backup will need to be restored, as well as all the incremental backups up to the current date.