Backup and Disaster Recovery
- The Technology At Work To Keep Your Systems WorkingThe NAS device can be configured to backup multiple Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 servers by partition or by logical drives. There are no file or folder-level exclusions, because a snapshot of the entire partition is taken at the block level on the hard drive.
Also, database applications such as Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange Server transfer data in blocks without having to worry if files are open or if they are in use.
- NAS vs. TapeThough tape backup is common, it’s far from being an ideal BDR solution. Analysts have said that over half of tape backups fail, so chances are that if you need to restore from tape, you’ll be out of luck. But assuming all goes well with tape backup, how does it compare with the NAS appliance?
- Key Components Of The Device's Technology
Base Image
The first backup taken of a server is the base image — an exact copy of the currently used space on the server. The base image is taken for each volume (or partition) on the server. Once the base image is set all future backups are incrementals.Remote Storage and Base Remote Backup Image Creation
Your data is stored (in encrypted form) in two secure online data backup centers, located hundreds of miles apart from each other. The BASE IMAGE will be sent via a SATA II drive to the primary remote storage facility. There is generally a three-week turnaround time required for this base image transfer to occur. Incremental back ups will occur in the meantime and they will collapse into the base image when the transfer is complete.Incrementals
Incrementals take place at the frequency that you schedule. If you select 24/7 backups at 15 minute incrementals 96 incremental files will be created each day. If you selected one-hour incrementals, 24 incremental files will be created each day.Incremental Forever Methodology
Incremental Forever Methodology differs from regular incrementals in that only one full backup or base image is required. This greatly reduces the time it takes to perform subsequent backups as each incremental takes only seconds to complete.Synthetic Incrementals
Incremental files are collapsed into synthetic incrementals (basically one larger incremental file). This is done to ensure chain integrity and to speed up restorations. The fewer hops from the current point-in-time back to the base image, the faster your restoration will be.Recovery Options
Recovering files and folders is a simple process where the entire image is mounted as a volume on the NAS device. The encryption is needed. Files can then be copied to the destination server over the network. We also provide utilities enabling your engineers to restore files, folders, Exchange mailboxes or messages and SQL tables and databases.Virtualization (Physical to Virtual) Standby Server Functionality
The NAS device can “virtualize” failed servers while keeping the system in the same state as it was before the problem arose. No configurations are necessary. Once virtualized, the NAS will resume the backup schedule that was in effect before the failure.Bare Metal Restore (Virtual to Physical)
When it comes time to restore the virtualized server back to physical hardware, our bare metal restore process allows restorations to dissimilar hardware.On-site and Off-site Solution with Multiple Restore Points
Multiple NAS devices can be placed on a LAN. Each NAS device, depending on the model, can be configured to backup one single server or multiple servers.Everything comes together in our NAS device to produce 15-minute incremental snapshots that safely reside within the device and are ready to be used to restore a file, a file folder, an email, or a database… all within five minutes.
