Picking the right tape backup software...

[MIDIman]

Hi all - I ran a thread last month concerning picking out a tape drive for backing up a 2 terabyte server. I think we've decided on a Dell Powervault 110T LTO-2 Ultrium - tough choice though between it and the 110T SDLT based drive (suggestions welcome). It has the following software listed, and I'm not sure which one to pick.

My requirements for software -

1) Ability to backup weekly, progressively - i.e., I don't think we want to backup the whole mess every week, but rather add as we go. Is that not normal?

2) Ability to not restore files that have been removed - i.e. if I remove a file from the server (likely), I don't want it to restore that file.

3) Backup files that have been update - i.e. normally once a file is on storage, it will never change, but there might be that odd time when something has to be changed. I want to make sure these files are backed up again.


The external SCSI tape drive will be installed on an Intel P4 machine, Win2K Pro, and will be directly installed on the machine its backing up from, not going through a network. We do not need remote access of any kind either. All of the files being backed up are large mpeg-2 files (2gb - 8gb or more), and they will all exist in a single tree of directories (i.e. D:\Library\*).


Here's the software choices from Dell. Thanks in advance:

TBU S/W VERITAS BUE Server Suite [ Add $404.10 ]
TBU S/W VERITAS BUE Professional Suite [ Add $1,529.10 ]
TBU S/W VERITAS BUE Remote Server Pack [ Add $269.10 ]
TBU S/W VERITAS BUE On-Line Options Pack [ Add $1,259.10 ]
TapeWare, TBU Software, SBS/Enhanced Suite [ Add $269.10 ]
TBU S/W TapeWare Remote Server Pack [ Add $89.10 ]
Veritas Backup Exec, SBS Suite [ Add $314.10 ]

 

[apriest]

I would HIGHLY recommend Retrospect by Dantz.

http://www.dantz.com/

Check out the datasheets on any of their products from some really good reading. Also, their whitepapers:

http://www.dantz.com/en/products/win_multiserver/whitepapers.dtml

 

[asm0deus]

We recently acquired a raid 0+1 360GB Powervault 725N for our NAS at work, we also ordered a Powervault 110T. We also went ahead and got the Veritas software. It will handle most of the things you want to do. I dont know what all that extra software they listed is though. Our quote from Dell had it listed as Veritas Server, Power suite, at $449. It's all we needed. We do weekly & monthly automated backups. I would not get the other stuff listed, even if it's there to help you do exactly what you want, you should be able to do it with just the main veritas suite. Its just how you organize it that matters more.

edit: the consultant who helped us with these specs was a former veritas salesman, so i think he knew what exact piece of software would do it.

 

[imported_NoGodForMe]

Novaback by www.novastor.com
Haven't tried the others, but I like this software.
It has incremental, and backs up the registry (called System State).

 

[MIDIman]

Originally posted by: apriest
I would HIGHLY recommend Retrospect by Dantz.
http://www.dantz.com/

Retrospect Disk-to-Disk is listed as "Protects a single Microsoft Windows server performing backups to 1394/USB2 hard drives or CD/DVDs."

Would this work ok with a tape backup drive as well? Just curious cause its about half the cost of the Single Server version.

 

[apriest]

Originally posted by: MIDIman

Retrospect Disk-to-Disk is listed as "Protects a single Microsoft Windows server performing backups to 1394/USB2 hard drives or CD/DVDs."

Would this work ok with a tape backup drive as well? Just curious cause its about half the cost of the Single Server version.

I'm not sure. I've never setup that product, just the single and multi-server versions and options.

 

[Cable God]

Tape is antique. Disk is it now V2i Protector by Symantec (formerly PowerQuest).

 

[Blain]

Is cloning or "ghosting" a HD image from one drive to another about the easiest way for the average Joe to keep a system backed up?

 

[Kilrsat]

Is cloning or "ghosting" a HD image from one drive to another about the easiest way for the average Joe to keep a system backed up?

If you do have a dvd burner, Norton Ghost has a few nice options where it will burn the drive images straight to dvds (multiple, if needed). Really handy.