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STORAGEoccurs. Replication can be set to run automatically or replicationand synchronization can be scheduled for a particular time or day.Administrators can also dedicate a network interface card (NIC) toRepliStor traffic, making it easy to isolate replication from the rest ofthe network. This approach may also help administrators to bettermanage the impact of replication on network bandwidth.Backup and recovery with LEGATO NetWorkerLEGATO NetWorker protects critical business data—simplifying, centralizing,and automating backup and recovery operations acrossUNIX ®, Windows, Linux®, and Novell®NetWare®platforms. Built on anopen, highly scalable architecture, NetWorker is designed to enableorganizations to standardize on one application to provide complete,fast, and reliable data protection in both large data centers and smallbranch offices. Reliable backup and restore processes can help minimizedowntime costs and management overhead, thereby contributingto lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for storage resources.LEGATO NetWorker helps deliver data protection capabilitiesand management consistency for enterprises with heterogeneousdirect attach storage (DAS), NAS, and storage area network (SAN)environments. Advanced indexing, high-speed parallelism, automatedmedia management, LAN-free and serverless backup, clusterawareness, and dynamic tape drive sharing are among the valuablefeatures that NetWorker offers to enable administrators to effectivelyprotect storage assets and minimize downtime.A NetWorker data protection solution can also include applicationmodules, which are designed to deliver online hot backups and granularrecovery for Oracle ®, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange,and SAP ®applications, among others. NetWorker SnapImageandPowerSnap modules, which can provide image and instant snap-shot backups, can further free applications from the impact of dataprotection operations and help accelerate restores. These modules aredesigned to be fully integrated with vendor application programminginterfaces (APIs) to help achieve 24/7 availability levels and ensurecomplete, reliable protection. Tape autoloader and library modulescan enable hands-free data protection for a wide variety of tape androbotic devices. In addition, the NetWorker DiskBackup Option (DBO)allows data to be backed up to disk,staged on disk, and automaticallymoved to tape, or cloned from diskto tape or disk to disk—all withsingle-step (one-click) recovery. A1 TB license for DBO is includedwith the Dell edition of LEGATONetWorker.NetWorker includes featuresthat are designed to take advantageof Windows Storage Server2003, Windows 2000 Server, andNetWorker is designedto enable organizationsto standardize on oneapplication to providecomplete, fast, andreliable data protection.Windows Server 2003 functionality, helping to provide backup andrecovery scenarios that are robust, scalable, and flexible. Centralizedmanagement, structured metadata, and open tape format (OTF)compatibility enable NetWorker to specifically address and facilitatefast data backup and recovery.NetWorker is designed to support the Removable Storage featureof Windows Storage Server 2003, Windows 2000 Server, andWindows Server 2003 without requiring additional Microsoft orLEGATO software. The Removable Storage service acts as an agent toeither the NetWorker server or storage node software to perform theactual mounting, labeling, and tracking of media. The RemovableStorage service controls storage hardware’s doors, drives, and robotics,and performs uniform drive-cleaning operations. NetWorkerperforms volume and file management, which is not provided by theRemovable Storage service. The use of Removable Storage is optionalwith NetWorker, allowing multiple data management applicationsto share access to the same storage hardware.NetWorker is designed to use the Windows Server 2003 VolumeShadow Copy Service (VSS) to provide backup functionality foractive applications and services. In this process, all applications andservices that are running during the backup operation are frozen fora brief time to provide a point-in-time snapshot, or shadow copy, ofa data volume. NetWorker backs up the files on the shadow volume,and then alerts VSS that the snapshot can be released.Backup and replication: A powerful combinationThe combination of Microsoft Exchange 2003, Windows Storage Server2003, and LEGATO RepliStor and NetWorker software can providean optimal Exchange consolidation platform and branch office dataprotection strategy to help create business efficiencies and reduce costsfor both branch offices and the data center. When Exchange data froma remote office is consolidated and replicated to a central location, itcan be backed up by trained personnel while leveraging equipmentand software that have already been established in the data center.In addition, implementing data protection in a branch officeenables information to be replicated as it is created. The approachdescribed in this article enables a second copy of the informationto be readily available in the data center for disaster recovery. Asa result, trained data center administrators can help provide rapidbusiness resumption if a remote location goes down, because datacan be immediately available. In this way, an Exchange consolidationplatform and data protection strategy can help ensure reliablebranch office backups, quick recovery of data, business continuity,and low equipment and administration costs in branch offices whilehelping to increase branch office and data center productivity.Joe Pollock is a software marketing manager in the Dell Storage Product Group. He hasa B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida and has more than 11 years oftechnical marketing and sales experience in the storage industry.78POWER SOLUTIONS Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, February 2005. Copyright © 2005 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. February 2005