Dell Power Solutions

STORAGEExec Advanced Disk-Based Backup Option. This option offers fast,minimal-impact backups and restores through synthetic and off-hostbackups. Synthetic backups reduce backup windows and networkbandwidth requirements by merging the initial full backup with recurringincremental backups of just the new or changed files. Additionally,synthetic backups allow for quick client restore from a singlebackup image—making restores of full and incremental backupsfrom multiple tapes unnecessary. The off-host backup feature enableshigh backup performance and frees the remote system by processingthe backup operation of the remote system on a Backup Exec mediaserver instead of on the remote system or on a host system.Benefits of synthetic full backupsA synthetic full backup is an operation that combines data from priorfull and incremental backups to produce a data set that is indistinguishablefrom a full backup created at the time of the last incrementalbackup. Key benefits of synthetic full backups include:• Minimized backup times by moving the creation of syntheticbackups outside the time-critical backup window• Protection of additional business-critical resources within thesame backup window• Low network bandwidth consumption during the backup window• Fast restores because data is restored from one data set, notfrom full and multiple incremental backups—eliminating therecovery of redundant copies of files and the multiple stepswithin a nonsynthetic recovery operationBenefits of off-host backupsAn off-host backup is an operation that requires a SAN to leveragetransportable snapshots to produce a near-zero-impact backup. Keybenefits of off-host backups include:• Backup load moved from the protected resource to thebackup server• Backup window effectively eliminated• Data integrity of applications ensured prior to backup• Minimum impact on the application server when performingoff-host backups with the VERITAS Backup Exec Agentfor Exchange Server or VERITAS Backup Exec Agent forMicrosoft SQL ServerExploring additional features in Backup Exec 10VERITAS Backup Exec 10 for Windows Servers offers several additionalfeatures that enhance its capabilities, including MicrosoftSharePoint Portal Server integration, a remote Linux/UNIX agent,and multi-staged disk backups.Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server integration. The enhancedVERITAS Backup Exec Agent for Microsoft SharePoint Portal Serverprovides granularity that enables administrators to perform backupsand restores of components of the portal server configuration ratherthan the entire SharePoint environment. Distributed SharePointPortal Server 2003 server farm configurations are now fully supported,and restores can be made to the original SharePoint PortalServer information store or redirected to another SharePoint PortalServer information store without affecting other workspaces.Remote Linux/UNIX agent. The VERITAS Backup Exec RemoteAgent for Linux/UNIX Servers offers high-performance backups andrestores of 32-bit and 64-bit systems, using source compression andpacketizing of data to minimize network bandwidth requirements. Thisapproach enables network administrators to perform rapid backup andrestore operations on Linux and UNIX servers connected to theirWindows-based Backup Exec media server over the network.Multi-staged disk backups. Backup Exec 10 delivers a multistageddisk backup capability. This disk staging enables administratorsto automatically store single or multiple sets of data to disk for apredefined retention period and then archive to tape—to help provideoff-site disaster recovery or meet data compliance requirements.Enhanced application support. VERITAS Backup Exec 10 integratesfast, reliable data protection support for application platformssuch as Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server, Lotus Domino, andOracle ® Database 10g. Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 and VMware ®GSX Server 3.1 environments are supported by installing the BackupExec media server on the host virtual server and protecting the entirevirtual server. Also, users of Microsoft Operations Manager canproactively monitor and manage Backup Exec servers through theMicrosoft Operations Manager Management Pack, which is currentlyavailable for download at no cost from the VERITAS Web site (www.veritas.com/Products/van?c=option&refId=321).Simplifying backup managementSimplicity and ease of use are requirements for any organization.With the Central Admin Server Option, VERITAS Backup Exec 10for Windows Servers allows administrators to manage and monitormultiple Backup Exec servers from a single console. This simple,centralized management approach helps keep administration levelsand costs low, and scales easily as needs grow over time.Backup management can be further enhanced by the BackupExec SmartLink technology, another feature of Backup Exec 10for Windows Servers. By integrating VERITAS Replication Exec andVERITAS Storage Exec with the Backup Exec suite, SmartLink technologyprovides a single point of administration for many tasks—allowing administrators to manage resources efficiently. Thesefeatures of Backup Exec 10, along with many other enhancements,can help organizations of all sizes to meet the growing demands thatdata backup and recovery place on an IT infrastructure.Mike Garcia is senior staff product manager within the Small-to-Medium Enterprise DataProtection Group at VERITAS Software.Michael Parker is a product marketing manager in the VERITAS Data Management Group forWindows data protection solutions. He has a degree in Economics from Northwestern University.70POWER SOLUTIONS Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, February 2005. Copyright © 2005 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. February 2005