CA BrightStor Makes Backup A Breeze

The single installation point also provides better scalability and transition between backup hardware technologies and operating environments, making the product accessible for customers that have Windows-powered NAS or that require high-scale EMC NAS. BrightStor&'s enterprise module supports multistreaming and multiplexing, device sharing between SAN and NAS servers and multistriping for Microsoft SQL Server. The enterprise module also supports more environments and backup devices, including IBM 3494 libraries, StorageTek ACSLS libraries, SQL Server hardware snapshots for HP-XP and HDS arrays, SAP R/3 and Open VMS in the AS/400. In addition to SQL Server functionality, BrightStor arrives with management agents for Microsoft Exchange, Informix, Lotus Domino, Oracle and Sybase. These agents provide automated backup procedures at both the database and brick level.

After going through some of the procedures, CRN Test Center engineers found that the agents were easy to install and simple to manage. The software&'s ability to multiplex Exchange servers allows administrators to quickly back up across multiple servers to a single piece of media. This feature avoids lag time in tape devices between each source, simplifies configuration procedures and provides faster tape backups because all data sources become essentially a single stream flowing to the tape.

For large data centers, BrightStor provides multistreaming between multiple devices. Multistream is useful when performing large backup jobs, since it is more efficient to divide multiple jobs between multiple backup devices.

Although tape libraries are still widely supported, BrightStor also supports disk-based backups. In the past few years, disk-based backup has become increasingly popular with many storage media vendors because of disks&' higher control over variable speeds, and their higher reliability and accuracy.

Primary media support for disk-based backup is used in BrightStor&'s laptop and desktop backup utility. Because BrightStor uses file-level backup that works at the operating system level, file contentions might create problems for administrators that need to back up laptops and desktops. If backup schedules conflict with active usage or if programs remain active when BrightStor is running, locked files could be omitted from the backup process.

Even though BrightStor provides command line scripts for all supported native platforms, in highly used and time-sensitive environments, the mobile version of the software could create inaccurate backups. This limitation is due to the way BrightStor controls the data copy process when an operating system is controlling files in use.

Depending on the backup speed required by users, BrightStor can support both incremental and differential backups. Incremental backups are used in dynamic environments when changes need to be constantly captured and monitored. Differential backups aggregate saved data to a base using longer periods between backups. This technique has a slower restoration time in case a system restore is needed, but it is not as intrusive to day-to-day operations as incremental backups can be.

Out of the box, BrightStor arrives with CA&'s integrated antivirus protection software. While virus scanning can be performed during a backup or a restore, Test Center engineers recommend scanning only during restores because of the dynamic nature of virus clones. Because virus signatures can change while files are being backed up, this feature is useful in identifying missed viruses.

BrightStor now supports volume shadow copy service (VSS) hardware snapshots on Windows 2003 and VSS-aware disk arrays. VSS applications like Oracle, Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server are fully supported. With VSS, BrightStor can capture logical file snapshots without interfering with a server&'s operations and without degrading speed. This is the fastest method of failure recovery that can be attained by any backup method. This backup process can perform at close-to-realtime speeds even when copying large applications.

BrightStor&'s report generator is extensive and extremely useful, especially when planning for capacity. The Report Manager also allows users to design new report templates in both CSV and XML formats. Reports provide administrators with an accurate way to calculate how much backup media is required based on the amount of data and software compression rates of software or hardware backup devices. Reports can also flag exceptions to data.

Restore Manager&'s query tool is one of the most useful features in BrightStor. The query tool provides administrators with a way to perform quick file searches across an entire catalog. Search results provide users with a file&'s location regardless of where it resides on any media device and also identifies differing versions stored in the media.

BrightStor is primarily sold through CA&'s tier-two distributors. CA&'s channel program offers average reseller margins of 12 percent. The company also provides a 15 percent product rebate to partners. CA provides technical support via phone between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. EST as well as phone-based sales support. Pricing for BrightStor begins at $775 for the Windows, NetWare and Linux modules.