Q: What is System Center Data
Protection Manager (DPM)
2007?
A: DPM 2007 is Microsoft’s backup
and recovery platform that offers
both continuous backup and
tape-based archiving. DPM 2007
offers share-level and volume-level
protection for Windows servers and
desktops. This version also backs
up and restores information for Exchange
Server, SQL Server, Microsoft
Office SharePoint Server (MOSS),
as well as servers running Virtual
Server 2005 R2 SP1 or Hyper-V. Each
protected server’s DPM agent sends
data changes and application-transaction
information (e.g., Exchange
transaction logs) to the DPM server
according to a defined schedule. You
don’t have to configure DPM 2007 to
gather specific information; you just
input which application to protect,
and DPM knows which files to capture
to protect relevant data.
DPM offers various data-protection
topologies. The most popular
is using DPM-accessible attached
storage, or iSCSI- or fiber-connected
SAN-based storage to back up
system data. You can periodically
write these backups to tape for
archiving, or even use DPM to write
directly to tape without any DPM disk
usage. However, writing DPM directly
to tape gives the poorest restoration
experience and limits DPM’s selfrestoration
features.
Data restoration with DPM is easy
because its application knowledge
allows granular restoration. For
example, you can restore Exchange
storage group data, a store, or even
an individual mailbox. Another cool
DPM 2007 feature is bare-metal
restoration, which lets you recover a
system that won’t start.
—John Savill