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Data deduplication methods: Block-level versus byte-level dedupe By Lauren Whitehouse
differences between file-level and block-level data deduplication. In this article, I'll assess byte-level versus block-level deduplication. Byte-level deduplication provides a more granular inspection of data than block-level approaches, ensuring more accuracy, but it often requires more knowledge of the backup stream... More...
Copan adds data deduplication to MAID By Beth Pariseau, News Writer
is adding data deduplication and block-level access to its MAID platform.

Copan signed up with OEM partner FalconStor Software Inc. to add deduplication to its virtual tape library (VTL) in the newest revision of its Revolution product, the R300.

Density for archival storage has always been Copan's focus. Its MAID... More...

Where and how to use data deduplication technology in disk-based backup By Lauren Whitehouse
at the sub-file level (block level) carves the data into chunks. In general, the block or chunk is "fingerprinted" and its unique identifier is then compared to the index. With smaller block sizes, there are more chunks and, therefore, more index comparisons and a higher potential to locate and eliminate redundancy... More...
Top five data deduplication technology tips of 2009 By SearchDataBackup.com Editorial Staff
What about file level and block level dedupe—when should you consider those options? Learn about the fine print of data deduplication technology in this tip.

To help you stay up to date on data deduplication and data backup in 2010, bookmark our special section on data reduction and deduplication for the... More...

VM backup strategies: Backing up virtual machines in VMware vSphere By Marc Staimer
scans the server for new data at the block or file level and backs it up at the next scheduled backup timeframe. That piece of software is typically touted as being "lite," meaning low resource utilization. The most common resource utilization number thrown around in the industry is approximately 2%. How that number is... More...
Source-side data reduction and backup By George Crump
backup data at its source by doing block-level incrementals has come from companies like NetApp Inc., with it Open Systems SnapVault (OSSV) and the Express Recovery Server (XRS) feature of SyncSort Inc. Backup Express.

Block-level incrementals

Block-level incremental (BLI) backups deliver the benefits of low network... More...

EVault backs up VMware By SearchStorage.com Staff
to its backup product, as well as block-level deduplication, encryption and archival modules. The company claims its software is cheaper than most standalone data deduplication products on the market but includes much more functionality.

Siafu adds tape library support
Siafu Software announced that it's Siafu... More...

Is VMware Consolidated Backup right for your enterprise? By W. Curtis Preston
CommVault's method is to perform a block-level incremental backup against the raw volume, which is a "truer" incremental backup that offers an easier (and possibly faster) restore than Symantec's approach. However, it must be understood that CommVault's method still requires copying the entire volume from the data store to... More...
Dell's data deduplication strategy: partner for target and host dedupe products By Dave Raffo, Senior News Editor
Simpana 8 backup software that does block-level dedupe for disk and tape both as standalone software with any Dell hardware and on its DL2000 disk backup product, and will carry EMC Corp.'s EDL1500 virtual tape library (VTL) under the Dell brand later this year. Dell already sells EMC's Avamar and Symantec Corp.'s PureDisk host... More...
Firm switches from tape to centralized backups at its remote sites By Dave Raffo, Senior News Director
that is, we can't. We needed some type of block-level backup we could push through the WAN and not choke us out on bandwidth."

Abel sees no slowdown in the rate his data will grow, especially if IRET goes ahead with plans to digitize paper documents, some of which are 38 years old.

"A lot of the information we store has to be original... More...

Sepaton claims 50-to-1 data reduction ratio By Beth Pariseau
once data is deduplicated at the block level at what it said is a typical reduction ratio, 25 to 1, that data can then be compressed using the Hifn chip to cut its storage capacity requirement in half again, boosting the typical data reduction ratio to 50 to 1.

Sepaton doesn't have many publicly announced customers to back up... More...

Data backup strategies: Migrating from tape to disk By Pierre Dorion
in-time images) at the storage array level are also considered another form of disk-to-disk backup. Although not technically a "complete copy" in the traditional backup sense, well-planned snapshots offer protection against data loss that's comparable to tape but sometimes it lacks the same level of granularity that... More...
CA adds disk backup application to ARCserve Backup software By Dave Raffo, Senior News Director
senior VP Adam Famularo says its block-level incremental backup reduces storage capacity. D2D does a full backup the first time and incrementals with every subsequent backup.

D2D also does bare metal recovery to dissimilar hardware and its single snapshot backup can restore files, volumes, databases or the entire... More...

A product review of free and open-source backup utilities
is not generally a stopping block for many backup/storage administrators. Furthermore, many backup devices, even inexpensive NAS systems, like those reviewed recently in my SearchSMBStorage.com article include backup software such as EMC Corp.'s Retrospect or Memeo Inc. AutoBackup that can back up servers or... More...
Two-node cluster over Oracle 9i By Evan Marcus
to deploy via port (switch) level mirroring. How do I perform the same task on database level?

a) SAN -- how do I have failover
b) DAS -- two servers attached to two DAS for failover

It sounds as though you want to build a two-node cluster on top of Oracle 9i. This is actually one of the most common uses for clusters and... More...

High density file system backup By W. Curtis Preston
only way is to back it up at the image level. Most major backup products have this ability, although not all of them allow you to do single file restores from an image backup, and some do not allow you to do incremental backups against an image backup.

Both features are quite important.

Curtis Preston offers advice to a... More...

What vendors offer backup reporting tools? Who are the major players?
that also offer a pretty high-level monitoring of the backup process.

But the vendors that really fit into this category are the independents who offer multivendor backup reporting solutions. That would include organizations like Aptare, Bocada, Servergraph, which is now part of Rocket Software, Symantec, Tek... More...

VTL costs soar as users hit capacity limits By Alex Barrett, Trends Editor, Storage magazine
has seen and, rather than storing a block it has seen previously, it only stores a pointer to it. In the data protection space, Data Domain and Avamar Technologies Inc. both use data reduction in their data protection platforms. Last summer, EMC Corp. VTL spin-off Diligent Technologies Corp. announced its ProtectTier... More...
Microsoft Office SharePoint backup and recovery strategies By Lauren Whitehouse
of any site data at a granular level is an ordeal. Here's an overview of ways to protect SharePoint content.

Native tools for SharePoint backup and recovery

Native SharePoint backup/recovery tools exist, but they're not without their shortcomings. There's a command-line tool for backup (stsadm.exe) that performs a... More...

Data backup reporting tools evolve By Alan R. Earls
products it can provide the next level of information for the compliance officer's desk but it could also be helpful just because the backup product you are running, say Tivoli or [Hewlett-Packard] HP Data Protection Manager, doesn't have tools that meet your needs."

Some of the backup reporting tools can also... More...

Addressing challenges associated with Linux backup
today, they are talking about byte-level backups. What I've seen in the Linux environment, is data deduplication at the file-level. For example, with BackupPC, if you are backing up five servers and each server has the same version of a file, the software only backs up that file once.

Brian Posey is a freelance writer focusing... More...

HP StoreOnce's first job is backup data deduplication By Dave Raffo, Senior News Director
take awhile for primary dedupe with block storage. "Primary storage in other kinds of arrays [besides NAS] requires various degrees of work, and you have to consider what performance penalty exists," he said. "Some of the vendors' talk about deduplicating primary storage is a little irresponsible. Putting it in your ERP... More...
Who should be responsible for storage security?
the CEO, even the board of directors level, depending on the corporate structure.

In reality, day-to-day storage security is going to be handled by the network administrator or a storage administrator, if the organization has an individual dedicated to that role. It could possibly defer to an information security... More...

REMOTE BACKUP SOLUTIONS
Presentation Transcript: Protecting Data on the Edge by Zenith Infotech
data that these devices hold falls through the backup cracks and is inadequately protected, if at all. In this transcript, W. Curtis Preston describes the most effective techniques, tools and best practices for protecting edge or mobile data including:

 

  • Backing up remote sites to the data center
...
EMC Virtual Infrastructure Data Protection by EMC Corporation
you expect for critical workloads. It combins backup and recovery technologies with VMware server virtualization. EMC Virtual Infrastructure Data Protection solutions guard your virtual infrastructure applications and data from downtime and provide the high availability you expect...
Back Up More Data, In Less Time, At Lower Cost by PHD Virtual Technologies Inc.
By conducting backup and restoration of virtual infrastructures in a unique and smarter way, esXpress is able to achieve unprecedented economies of scale, simplicity of management and cost-effectiveness. Most backup and restore solutions operate...
5 Key Steps for Moving Away From Tape Backup by ExaGrid Systems, Inc.
a 5-step guide to making the move from tape to disk backup with deduplication. Discover a concise summary of the downsides of tape and explore the superiority and economy of next-generation disk backup with deduplication.

For decades, using tape for backup has seemed fairly inexpensive. Although...
7 Key Steps for Overcoming the Limitations of Tape Backup by ExaGrid Systems, Inc.
7-step guide for making the move from tape to disk backup with deduplication. Within these steps, the Guide provides a concise summary of the downsides of tape backup, and then examines the superiority and economy of second-generation disk backup with data deduplication.

This document is a 7-step...
Related Knowledgestorm Podcasts
Re-architecting the Data Protection Process with Data Deduplication using Symantec Backup Exec and Data Domain (Podcast) by EMC Backup and Recovery Solutions
by deployment of new technologies as it relates to enterprise level backup and DR practices.

Learning about data protection and backup planning procedures can make selecting an appropriate data protection strategy less complicated. Download this podcast to learn more about re-architecting your data...
Expert Podcast: Cloud vs. Tape Backup by Iron Mountain
Check out this podcast to learn the basics of cloud and tape backup from Jon Toigo, CEO and Managing Principal, Toigo Partners International - and how these 2 storage mediums aren't necessarily interchangeable.

Believe it or not, the case for tape is still extremely valid. Listen to this podcast featuring Jon...
Replication options for virtualized environments by Quantum Corporation
Preston, executive editor of the Storage Media Group and independent backup expert, discusses the options currently available for performing replication as part of a backup strategy for virtual machines, benefits and drawbacks of using replication in a virtualized environment. W. Curtis Preston, executive...