On-the-Fly Backup Made Easy

ENT, Feb 26, 2001 by Stephen Swoyer

Storactive's LiveBackup 2.0 is a solution that can mirror information from desk-top computers, laptops, and network file servers to a centralized backup server.

Storactive recommends deploying LiveBackup on a Pentium Pro, Pentium II, or Pentium III servers with at least 128 MB of RAM and 5 GB of free space. For our test, we installed the software on a custom-built Pentium III 800-MHz test box with 512 MB of RAM and 54GB of free space.

Because LiveBackup employs a physical hard disk as its backup medium, we chose to use it in conjunction with two ultra-fast external storage sub systems from StorCase Technology, each of which was outfitted with two 18-GB, 15,000 RPM Ultra160 SCSI hard drives from Seagate. We used a 39160 Ultra 160 SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) from Adaptec as our controller.

LiveBackup requires a lot in the way of software prerequisites to get it up and running. In addition to a host operating system of either Windows NT 4.0 Server with Service Pack 5 or higher installed or Windows 2000 Server, LiveBackup also requires the installation of Adobe Acrobat 4.0; SQL Server 7.0 Standard Edition -- a special Run-Time Restricted version of which is included with the LiveBackup software -- with Service Pack 2; Internet Explorer 5.0; and Internet Information Server 5.0. This poses an interesting question: How is one to install Live-Backup on Windows NT 4.0 Server, for which Internet Information Server 5.0 is not available?

LiveBackup is not a conventional backup application. Most backup tools support incremental backup, and many -- such as LiveVault from LiveVault Corp. -- provide on-the-fly backup that migrates changes as they occur. This ensures that large amounts of redundant data aren't sent continuously across the wire.

LiveBackup supports both approaches, but also augments them with a versioning capability that creates an audit trail as files change. This means that you should be able to roll a file back to an earlier state in the event that it becomes lost or damaged.

When we first activated its versioning capability, LiveBackup replicated a copy of each of the files that we specified to its own data store. From that point on, whenever we made a change to one of the files for which we enabled versioning protection, LiveBackup automatically saved a trail of the changes we made. We were then able to restore our files -- using a straightforward GUI tool -- to any point in their audited history.

Storactive says LiveBackup provides complete disaster recovery of Windows 9x, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 workstations. To test this feature, we used the LiveBackup System Image Wizard to create a disk image of one of our test clients -- an IBM Thinkpad 570E laptop running Windows 98 SE -- and saved it to the LiveBackup Server.

We then proceeded to botch a Windows 98-to-Windows 2000 Professional upgrade on this system by powering it down halfway through the installation procedure. We were able to use LiveBackup to create a floppy disk that allowed us to boot into a command-line on our otherwise unbootable laptop. We then typed a simple command and began the restoration process. Please don't try this at the office -- at least not without first creating a disk image of the system.

We also used our now restored and functional Windows 98 laptop to test LiveBackup's real-time mirroring and versioning capabilities in network-disconnected mode. According to Storactive, LiveBackup can store backup information on a laptop's own hard disk when it is disconnected from the network. Upon reconnection, the folks at Storactive claim, the LiveBackup client software will sync up with the Live-Backup server and replicate any changes that occurred.

To test this feature, we selected several Microsoft Word documents on our test box for versioning, disconnected from the network -- after they had been backed-up to the LiveBackup Server -- made changes to several, then deleted one or two for good measure. When we reconnected, we were able to use LiveBackup to restore our deleted files and -- optionally -- roll our changed files back to previous versions courtesy of the versioning support we enabled.

LiveBackup has a straightforward management story to tell. Its administrative console snaps into the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), which shipped as an optional download for Windows NT 4.0 and serves as the standard management framework for Windows 2000. If you've used MMC before, chances are you'll be able to find your way around LiveBackup's administrative console with little or no difficulty.

You can also use the LiveBackup administrative console to push out client software to target systems. This is a good feature that should cut down on "sneaker networking."

We believe LiveBackup 2.0 is a powerful product that can be deployed on either a standalone basis or as a complement to existing backup solutions.

Its support for full-scale mirroring and on-the-fly backup -- in addition to its sophisticated versioning and disaster recovery features -- make it ideally suited to the task of backing up distributed Windows 9x, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 workstations.