Backup Express
Multi-Platform Backup Solution
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| Backup
Express
Backup Express is an enterprise-wide backup and restore
system that operates in UNIX (all versions), Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000
and NetWare environments. Its distributed architecture gives
it the flexibility to optimize network usage by sending
backup data over only specifically designated segments of
a network. At the same time, it provides centralized control
of all backup and restore functions with a single catalog
accessible through an intuitive, point-and-click graphical
user interface on any UNIX or Windows node with TCP/IP.
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| Flexible
Architecture - Centralized
or Distributed Backups
Backup Express solves today's network backup and
restore problems, and adapts easily to tomorrow's changes. You are
never locked into a single way of doing things.
Backup Express is one of the few backup products
that allows you to choose UNIX or Windows now - and later change
your mind with no trouble. Why? Because Backup Express is exactly
the same on either platform. To change platforms, a simple, quick
conversion is all you need. Your backups and restores continue without
interruption.
Backup Express allows you to put your backup devices
wherever you choose. You can attach them to UNIX, NT/2000, or NetWare
servers, connect them to a NAS appliance, or integrate them within
a SAN.
Configure your backups and restores as you want
them. With Backup Express you can quickly and easily:
- Cluster tape drives at a single NT server.
- Keep sensitive data off your network by directly
connecting an autoloader to a UNIX server running a critical application.
- Achieve high performance for a large database
server by sending its data to a jukebox, so you can back it up
fast without bringing your network to a screeching halt.
- Implement SAN technology by sharing tape devices
among multiple servers.
Or do all four. Connect all your backup devices
to one server or distribute them throughout your enterprise to respond
to increased data volumes or to integrate your backup system with
NAS appliances or a SAN. Put your backup devices where they're needed
most - for convenience, security, and performance.
Attaching devices to multiple servers or to a SAN
has these advantages:
- Increases backup and restore speed.
- Reduces network congestion.
- Eliminates I/O bottlenecks.
- Improves security and reliability.
- Ensures scalability, so your backup system can
grow as your enterprise does.
Backup Express is also incredibly
easy to use because it's intuitive. Everything is exactly where
you expect it to be. You get the best of both worlds--mainframe-like,
centralized control, plus a simple drag-and-drop GUI.
Well-designed, distributed architecture gives Backup
Express the flexibility to exploit advanced data management technologies,
including SAN, NAS, and NDMP.
And, because you can administer Backup Express from
any TCP/IP-enabled machine, you have "any-point control."
Schedule backups, run restores, or check job status and configurations
from across the room or across the world.
State-of-the-Art Tape Library Interface
Automated Tape Libraries
(Jukeboxes) can contain hundreds of storage slots, dozens of read/write
drives and multiple import/export slots. Backup Express simplifies
common tape library operations:
- Multi-Hosting tape libraries.
SCSI-connect multiple UNIX and/or Windows NT/2000 machines to
a single multi-drive library to reduce network traffic and maximize
your hardware investment.
- Easy Drag-and-Drop Interface.
All library functions such as labeling tapes, reading barcodes,
verifying tapes, etc. are all accomplished using drag-and-drop.
- Automatic labeling.
Label large non-contiguous sets of tapes automatically, using any
drive.
 
- Real-time color display.
An up-to-the-minute color display shows the exact status and location
of all the backup and restore media in your library.
- Easy drag-and-drop import/export.
Place one or more tapes in the import/export
ports of the tape library, and drag-and-drop them into empty storage
slots. The library will activate automatically to import the tapes.
Exporting is equally easy.
- Mass import/export. Import/export
large sets of tapes automatically, not just one at a time.
- Comprehensive tape library
support. Backup Express is certified on virtually all automated
libraries, independent of media type.
- Tape Library sharing. Share
large tape libraries between open systems and mainframes. Backup
Express supports ADIC's AMLs, StorageTek's ACSLS, and IBM's 3494
Magstars.
Fast
Backup Express is built for speed. Its architecture
is based on advanced I/O techniques, distributed processing, and
exceptional multi-tasking capabilities.
The speed of Backup Express helps you get the job
done within your backup window. This becomes more important as the
data on your network grows, and your backup window shrinks.
Even more critical is the ability to do speedy restores
with Backup Express. After a small loss, productive work can resume
almost immediately. Even if an entire system is lost, business operations
can resume quickly.
See
Sample Screen Shot
Backup
Express is particularly fast because of its ability to simultaneously
support multiple devices connected to multiple servers. This has significant
advantages. You can:
- Run many backups concurrently, accelerating processing
dramatically.
- Back up or restore data locally, reducing network
traffic.
- SCSI-connect many servers to relatively few devices,
delivering optimal performance.
- Reduce network traffic by distributing storage
devices anywhere in your enterprise: LAN, WAN, and/or SAN.
- Run drives simultaneously and at a maximum capacity.
- Share the load among servers, so no machine is
I/O bound.
Backup Express offers a variety
of options for maximizing performance. Where the highest speed is
required, you can run raw (physical) backups instead of simple (logical)
backups. For even more speed, take advantage of parallel processing
by using the Backup Express partition or file splitting option.
In addition, Backup Express supports
NDMP, enabling high-speed local, three-way, or Filer-to-server backups
of Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices.
Easy
Modern network environments are complex,
but Backup Express makes administration easy. Control is centralized,
and all functions can be administered through a Windows-like graphical
user interface, available on any machine with a TCP/IP connection
to the network and the appropriate Backup Express authorization.
With Backup Express, everything is
designed with streamlined administration in mind:
- Easy GUI-driven implementation.
All administrative functions are implemented through an
easy-to-use GUI. Point-and-click, drag-and-drop features
simplify configuration, backup definition, scheduling,
and other functions.
Sample
screen shot
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- Any-point centralized
control. Administrators can manage and monitor all
backup and restore operations from any node with a TCP/IP
connection to the network. On-screen and printed reports
provide detailed information on the status and processing
of all Backup Express operations.
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- Full-featured Scheduler.
An easy-to-use scheduling facility initiates full,
incremental, or differential backups. With robotic devices,
backups can be unattended from start to finish.
Sample
screen shot
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- Flexible control of
all media. A powerful integrated media manager organizes
media into pools, automatically labels storage volumes,
tracks expiration dates, and provides complete information
on the location, status, and contents of all storage volumes.
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- Simple user restore.
Authorized general users can restore their own data through
the clearly designed GUI. They can browse backed-up files,
select data, and click to restore.
Sample
screen shot
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- Shared administration.
Selected departments can schedule backups and restores
and control their own media, while the system administrator
retains ultimate control.
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Disaster Recovery
Protecting against disaster such as floods, earthquakes
and fire is critical for maintaining business continuity. Data is
a vital asset to every organization and Backup Express is an excellent
insurance policy. The product automates and tracks the entire process
of producing tapes for offsite vaulting.
Backup Express provides the following disaster recovery
features:
- Twinning. This option
gives you the ability to make two tape copies instead of one during
any backup procedure, saving you the time otherwise needed for
an additional disaster recovery backup.
- Tape Duplication.
This feature enables duplication of tapes after backups are executed.
One tape can then be kept onsite and the other sent offsite.
- Catalog Backup. Backups
of the Backup Express catalog can be scheduled nightly to minimize
downtime. Execute a simple restore of the latest catalog and you're
ready to recover the entire enterprise. No need to rebuild the
database by scanning in hundreds of tapes; Backup Express provides
a simple, fast procedure to put your business back on track. Data
restoration can begin within 15 minutes of having a UNIX or Windows
NT/2000 server available.
- Extensive Media Reports. Our
powerful, custom reporting facility allows you to track the status
and location of all onsite and offsite tapes. Backup Express provides
detailed reports, allowing an administrator to easily develop
a rotation scheme to send tapes offsite and return expired ones
onsite.
- Tape Scan. This
feature enables you to recover data from tape without the Backup
Express catalog, providing ultimate protection - guaranteeing
that data can always be restored.
Secure
Several features of Backup Express insure that your
data is secure during backup and restore operations:
- Direct Connection. Backup
Express lets you connect backup devices to servers containing
highly sensitive data. Because the data travels directly to the
device, instead of over the network, it is protected from unauthorized
tampering.
- Encryption. Backup commands
and messages are always encrypted to secure the backup itself.
Data can also be encrypted, if necessary.
- Verification. Backup Express
is designed with multiple levels of verification to insure that
data is processed accurately.
- Tape Safeguards. Tapes
are protected from overwriting by automated safeguards that track
expiration dates and purge expired tape records from the Backup
Express catalog.
- Compliance. Backup Express
maintains the security standards that are already in place at
a site. It is compliant with Novell SMS. In addition, Backup Express
backs up NT registries, including active registries, Windows 2000
System State, NetWare NDS trees, UNIX special files and ACLs.
Database Backup
Backup Express is designed for high performance online database
backups, including:
- Oracle 7, 8 and 9
- Microsoft Exchange 5.x and Exchange
2000
- SQL Server 6.x, 7.x and 2000
- SAP R/3
- Sybase and Informix
- Lotus Notes
Features of Backup Express allow
you to:
- Back up offline databases using
file and partition splitting to write to any number of drives
in parallel. File splitting can reduce backup time for massive
tables by at least 50%. And restores are equally fast.
- Back up databases at the logical
(File System) or physical (Raw Partition) level depending on your
business requirements.
- Automate cold database backup
using the Pre- and Post-Script facilities within Backup Express.
A typical strategy would be:
- Use a Pre-Script to shut the
database down
- Based on a successful return
code, execute the backup
- Return the database online
via a Post-Script
| Backup
Express Online Database/Application Support
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| Database/Application |
Platforms Supported |
| Oracle 7.x via
EBU |
Solaris, AIX,
HP-UX, Irix, Tru-64, Windows NT/2000 |
| Oracle 8.x via
RMAN |
Solaris, AIX,
HP-UX, Irix, Tru-64, Windows NT/2000 |
| Oracle 9.x |
Solaris, AIX,
HP-UX, Irix, Tru-64, Windows NT/2000 |
| SAP/R3 via BR
Backup |
Solaris, AIX,
HP-UX, Irix, Tru-64, Windows NT/2000 |
| Microsoft Exchange
API |
Windows NT/2000 |
| Microsoft SQL
Server API |
Windows NT/2000 |
| Lotus Notes Domino
4 & 5 |
Windows NT/2000 |
| Novell Groupwise |
NetWare |
| Informix via SQL
Backtrack |
Solaris, AIX,
HP-UX, Irix, Tru-64 |
| Sybase via SQL
Backtrack |
Solaris, AIX,
HP-UX, Irix, Tru-64 |
All other open files and applications
on Windows and NetWare platforms can be backed up online via the
Backup Express Open File Manager.
SANs, NDMP/NAS,
Windows 2000 Support
Backup Express provides full support
for SAN (Storage Area Network) technology, Windows 2000, and NDMP
protocol NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices.
System Interfaces
Interfaces integrate Backup Express with your enterprise system:
- The Operator Console interface displays real-time,
text-based Backup Express operational information.
- The SNMP interface integrates Backup Express
with network management software such as HP OpenView.
- The Command Line interface allows backup and
restore jobs to be defined and run from UNIX shell scripts.
Articles and White Papers
Download and read one or more of the following Syncsort
White Papers and Articles:
Top Rated Support
Backup Express is a product of Syncsort Inc., one
of the most respected vendors of high-performance software. As documented
in industry surveys, customers rank Syncsort highest in technical
support. Expert technical support is available 24 hours a day, 7
days a week. While competing backup products typically respond to
calls within 3 - 5 business days, at Syncsort, if calls are not
taken immediately, a response will occur usually within 15 - 30
minutes.
Experienced engineers who have intimate knowledge
of Backup Express and UNIX, Windows and NetWare staff the Backup
Express service team. There is no concept of level-1 service at
Syncsort. Syncsort recognizes that support is a critical component
to any backup and restore solution.
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