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Why bother and what is it?
Conventional tape backup has gotten faster, but the growth of data to be protected
has outstripped it. The result is longer backup jobs. The backup window is too
short, and the "risk window" is too long. The need for continuous
application availability requires spending less time making backups. Recovery
takes too long. The business processes that can't be shut down for two hours
each day to make backups are devastated by the 16 hours typically required for
complete system recovery. Different approaches have to be found to overcome
these issues, using disk in the processing of backups addresses these issues.
D2D2T is the backing up of data from servers, desktops and notebooks to one
or more disk volumes which forms the operational backup. The data that has been
backed up to disk is then further backed up to tape for the off-site backup.
Most backup software allows for the changing of the backup target to use disk
directly. The second step of moving it to tape becomes more complex for some
software. The original index of what files has been backed up will be lost if
the software does not support staging backup to disk. To minimise system administration
in restoring data from tape it is important to have a central database that
contains the contents of each backup set so the right tape can be quickly retrieved
and restored.
Fortunately most restores come from last night’s backup, which in this
case is on disk. Thus the restore is done quickly because there is no lost time
in retrieving the tape, finding the file and accomplishing the restore.
Advantages of D2D2T
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1.
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Minimise the backup window – backup speed is now governed by network
speeds (Max 450 GB/HR for gigabit) not tape drives (Max 130GB/Hour native).
This allows for core revenue generating applications to be up longer.
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2.
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Reduce risk – the more frequently data is backed up the lower the
risk of losing data.
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3.
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Quicker recovery – less downtime for an organisation waiting for data
to come back on-line. Loss of access to data can be as costly as having a
disaster.
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4.
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Reduce System Administration – the process of moving to tape is the
most prone to error, with the removing of time restrictions this can be done
during work hours without any disruption of production servers.
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Lan 1’s Solutions
Adaptec Fibre Channel to Serial ATA Drives Arrays (FS4500)
For those customers with an existing SAN, the addition of an inexpensive array
takes advantage of the Fibre Channel infrastructure. Depending on the software
in use the FS-4500 could be used for data replication and then movement to tape,
as a stage in a virtual library of as the target for Snap Shots of production
volumes. A major application of the FS-4500 is to back up notebooks in without
affecting primary production storage.
The advantage of the FS-4500 is that it adds up to 24TB of inexpensive storage.
For more details on the FS4500 click here
SnapAppliance with bundled BakBone NetVault software.
The SnapAppliance NAS with the Guardian Operating system comes bundled with
Bakbone’s NetVault software
that turns the SNAP NAS into a complete backup solution with the addition of a tape unit to the NAS.
Providing a structured backup to disk, NetVault's Virtual Tape Library operates
and functions just like a real tape library. NetVault administrators can take
advantage of the high performance, low cost attributes of disk for quick backups
and restores. With or without the aid of a real tape library, an administrator
can quickly set-up a storage space for backup. If needed, multiple network clients
can be backed up simultaneously to a virtual tape library. Backups can be migrated
or duplicated to or from a virtual library to a real tape library for off-site
storage.
The Snap appliance provides a capacity and an affordability for any organisation
from 640GB to 30TB. The Model 4500 which can start at 1TB and expand in 1TB
units up to 3TB provides exceptional value for a backup engine. With its SCSI
port tape drives or libraries can be added to provide a complete backup solution.
For more information:
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