In-Depth
Editor's Choice: Backup
<b>Winner: </b>CommVault Systems Galaxy<br>
<br>
<b>Honorable Mention: </b><a href="#ultrabac">Ultrabac Software UltraBac
7</a>
Galaxy
$1,895 single server 
CommVault Systems; 732-870-4000; www.commvault.com
Let’s say you had all the money in the world and had to pick the best
backup software. What would it be? For me, it’s CommVault’s Galaxy. My
reasons are simple: The interface is easy to work with, and the support
and training teams behind the product are first rate. Also, I like Galaxy’s
approach to enterprise storage: It views backup data logically instead
of physically. This means that to do a restore, I just have to tell Galaxy
the time to bring a system back to. Galaxy figures out the media that’s
needed.
You start, quite simply, with a system that manages all your other systems,
called the CommServe. The CommServe keeps track of your MediaAgents (which
are the systems that control your standalone drives, RAID arrays, libraries
and so on). In addition, you install agents (called iDataAgents) on all
the servers you need to manage. So, your file server would get a File
Server iDA, while your Exchange server might get an iDA for the database
backup or, if you want a more granular approach, an iDA for individual
mailbox backups. Keep in mind that the mailbox iDA takes quite a bit longer
to accomplish than its database counterpart, but it allows single-message
restores for those times when the senior partner calls and says, “I need
a message I deleted three weeks ago. Your job depends on it!” All of these
portions of the architecture (the CommServe, MediaAgents and iDataAgents)
make up what’s been termed the CommCell. This entire structure can be
managed through a single console, which can run through a Java-enabled
Web browser or through an MMC console.
 |
| CommVault
Galaxy lets you
view and manage the CommCell structure via a Java applet window. (Click
image to view larger version.) |
Galaxy integrates well with the key players in the SAN/NAS industry such
as Brocade, EMC, Compaq and Network Appliance. LAN-free backups (for both
SAN and NAS environments) and server-free and serverless backup are available
within a SAN environment.
|
Honorable
Mention
|
|
UltraBac
7
$495 (Single Server Edition) and $1,095 (Enterprise
Edition)
UltraBac Software, 425-644-6000
www.ultrabac.com
|
|
|
But there’s another mid-level data management software you may decide
to ponder. UltraBac is easy to install, configure and manage. It offers
a subset of comparable features, like a SQL agent and an Exchange 5.5/2000
agents (although it doesn’t provide the same level of abilities as high-end
enterprise solutions). UltraBac does support some cool things like active
cluster backups. It also has a new FTP device that allows an administrator
to perform backup and restore operations to any FTP server connected to
the Internet by simply entering the FTP server’s address as the backup
path. UltraBac then “pushes” a compressed data stream to the designated
FTP server. This new feature allows organizations easily to store data
offsite or centralize data from remote-site backups.
About the Author
J. Peter is a Microsoft MVP (Office Servers and Services) and has received this award for 7 consecutive years. He's an internationally published author and technical speaker. J. Peter is a technical journalist for InfoWorld and has cared for the Enterprise Windows column for nearly a decade. He's the co-founder of both ClipTraining and Conversational Geek and a strategic technical consultant for Mimecast. Follow him on Twitter @JPBruzzese