More Backup Software

This month, in my ongoing review of backup solutions for Windows NT networks, I tested two packages, Stac's Replica and Barratt Edwards International's (BEI's) UltraBac 4.1. Each package proved its worth based on the merits of its functionality, and both solutions stand out from other packages because of the unorthodox approach they take to address backup and archival operations.

While vendors whose applications target Fortune 1000 companies are paring down their solutions to simplify implementation for small to midsize organizations, BEI and Stac are developing solutions that target ever-larger networks. Although neither company's upgraded solution was available as of this writing, some benefits of their soon-to-be-released kin were apparent in the evolving versions I tested.

In addition to these vendors are solutions providers, such as @Backup, that tout the Internet as the way to ensure safe, secure offsite archival and backup, and Eastman Kodak's OPEN/stor open file management product (for a review of this product, see Bob Chronister, "OPEN/stor," page 90).

All these choices mean you will have even more difficulty figuring out which product is best for your network. Although these packages have the same basic premise of information backup and archival, they are all very different.

Replica 3.0 for Windows NT Single Server Edition
Stac's backup software, Replica 3.0 for Windows NT Single Server Edition, reminds me of a racecar--it's fast and built only for speed, not versatility. For administrators, this limitation means you will forgo some features you'd expect from backup software, such as data encryption, virus scanning, or selecting the files or folders you want to back up, and you don't have a choice about incremental or differential backups.

The feature that makes Replica fast is the same feature that limits it--the software lets you back up only full drives or volumes at a time. The name Replica is appropriate because the product offers more replication than backup capability. Replica can quickly assemble and deliver a data stream to tape devices because it doesn't read file tables and individual file and folder information, but requests entire blocks of information at a time. Thus devices can record at full throttle, rather than continuously pit-stopping to wait for more information to come down the track.

On my test network, Replica produced a steady throughput of 130MB per minute (MBpm) when writing to the Lab's high-speed DLT device, as opposed to a high of 90MBpm with other backup software packages. Similarly, with Replica, the Lab's DDS recording device ran roughly 30 percent faster than with products using a more traditional recording methodology.

Replica's approach to file structures and how it selects the data it will back up is Spartan, but it has a scheduler that lets you decide when to back up. Like the rest of the software, the scheduler is straightforward and direct. With no incremental or differential backups to consider, the scheduler amounts to little more than a weekly calendar and a clock.

Replica's technology is useful for disaster recovery schemes. If you use Replica's three slightly modified NT setup disks with a fourth disaster recovery disk specific to Replica, the software can restore a system with a failed hard disk on the fly. In less than 30 minutes, I completely restored 2.7GB on the Lab's test server using the high-speed DLT drive. The software also tracks hard disk partitions and restores them with the rest of the data. (Be aware that Replica does not support proprietary disk partitions such as those that Compaq and HP use.) However, Replica will not let you adjust the size of the partitions during a restore, so you can't replace a crashed hard disk with a smaller disk.

Not being able to resize partitions irritated me, and I was miffed because Replica does not integrate the creation of the NT setup disks into its disaster recovery scenario--these disks are vital to the disaster recovery process. Further, a dialog box pops up to tell you to create the disks, but doesn't explain how to do it. Instead, the dialog box points you to NT's online documentation, where I searched for NT setup disks, set up, and disaster recovery without finding the information. To be fair, I'll admit Stac details the process in the printed manual, but I shouldn't have to go hunting.

Despite these annoyances, I found several features to like in Replica. The Direct Media Access feature is useful; because of Replica's method of recording disk information, you can access a recorded volume (e.g., an entire partitioned disk) as if it were a removable hard disk. Configuring a tape to access it this way is easy. I copied the C:\ partition of the network server to a DDS tape and selected Restore. With just a couple of mouse clicks, I mounted the media as an independent drive on the network, chose a drive letter to associate with it, and made it available to all authorized users. Replica mapped the new drive to the server and labeled it a Removable Disk, and I didn't have to reboot the server.

Replica lets you access the media as you access a drive: through Windows Explorer, Network Neighborhood, and so forth. Another nice feature is that you can access the "disk" after you shut down the Replica interface from the administrative machine. And, although this version of the software is not supposed to support multiple tape drives, it does. During backup, I was able to access a medium mounted as a removable disk.

Users can see information and even run programs from the tape, but on a read-only basis. As you might expect, running a program from the tape is time-consuming. The software took more than 20 seconds to open a small application stored on the Replica-created removable disk, as opposed to just over a second to open the same application resident on the local hard disk.

Stac ported the software to NT from NetWare, so you'll notice some similarities to the NetWare version. A small agent installed on the tape server where the recording devices are connected lets you install the administrative console software on a Windows 95 machine. This feature lets you access remote servers, such as those locked away in secure closets, for backup procedures without somebody having to be physically present at the machine. This procedure is odd for an NT network, but typical for a NetWare network because NetWare servers do not have a graphical interface. (Be aware that Replica's NT version does not support NetWare servers or workstations.)

Replica 3.0 is not a product targeting enterprise installations, but a single server edition that supports one tape drive. According to Stac, an enterprise edition of Replica will be available by the end of this year. It will support multiple tape devices, multiple servers, and robotic autoloaders.

For now, however, Replica 3.0 is a powerful tool that approaches backup from an entirely different angle. The interface, as shown in Screen 1, like the rest of the software, is relatively straightforward with only a few windows pertinent to its operation, and tabs within these windows make navigation a breeze. A full history of jobs is readily available, and a toolbar icon gives users direct access to a Web site that contains the latest information on the product. One option that I would really like this software to have is a functional right mouse button.

The lack of support for the numerous file structures in distributed environments, virus-checking capabilities, encryption, and support for incremental or differential backups will keep Replica's market share segmented. However, small to midsized businesses that need to protect their intellectual property in a hurry will be hard-pressed to find a faster product that's easier to use.