Testing PC Backup Software: The Chicken Gun Theory

Testing products is never easy. But in the case of data protection software, it becomes even more difficult. This is because backups are too dispersed and diverse, coming from a thousand different sources over different networks.So when one of the leading brands in the PC Backup business said they were using ‘The Chicken Gun Theory’ to test their software, I knew this would be interesting.Their inspiration was apparently a recent Discovery Network program on the Airbus A380, where the aircraft was tested for impact analysis. About 75% of air collisions happen because of mid-air bird impacts. In the past, the simplest solution was to make the aluminum sheet thicker (about 0.8mm). Because of the new A380′s weight, they decided to try a new approach and design a new lighter material. As a base, they took a thinner 0.6mm aluminum sheet. But this time, rather than trying the usual impact analysis, they created a real life scenario. They created a Chicken Gun – a gun capable of firing a 1 kg skinned chicken at 260 mph towards an aluminum target.The results of this testing were completely unexpected. The chicken actually tore the aluminum foil apart - like paper. And so, the manufactures had to develop a new material that combined glass-fiber and aluminum. For the PC Backup business being discussed, this was an eye opener. They are now in the process of building three new test suites for:• Parallel Stress• Fatigue• Volume of Data• Different NetworksOver 200+ small servers have been leased for the next few months, to simulate multiple users and detect bottlenecks in parallel testing. This will also be used to test their storage engine’s scalability. For example they recently discovered that enabling native compression in the embedded database puts marginal load on CPU power, but reduces critical disk I/O by 30%.A small set of these servers will also be kept in constant “synchronizing” state for weeks. This fatigue testing should be able to check various corner cases causing memory leaks, open file handlers, de-fragmentation, etc. And to test the effect of different networks, different proxies will be used to induce latency and network drops. This particular test actually helped in resolving a recent case where backup was suffering because of VPN time-outs.The brand that’s using this Chicken Gun Theory is Druva. They are currently testing v4.0 of their flagship product inSync. Get a free trial today at www.druva.comTweetComputers blog

Posted on: 4 August 2010 | 5:05 am

PC Backup Software: The Need for Faster, Lighter Deduplication

Fact 1: Data has grown exponentially.Fact 2: The technology to protect it - PC Backup Software - has seen limited innovation.Consequently, over 80% of the data within any enterprise is duplicated across servers and end users. What will this result in? The Storage and bandwidth bottlenecks for backups – is the obvious answer which comes to your mind.What companies need is a ‘data deduplication’ solution, to reduce the amount of storage and bandwidth required for enterprise wide data backups. By saving only a single copy of duplicated content, this process ensures a reduction of up to 99% in backup time, storage and bandwidth.The best solutions for corporate data protection combine continuous data protection with source-based data deduplication. Among these, the popular options for office and remote users feature simple backup and point-in-time restores.The latest version of one of my favourite backup clients uses technology that ensures data is not duplicated making data backups up to 10 times faster. This version is driven by an all new Blackbird engine (name inspired by the SR71-Blackbird).The new storage engine introduces Invent Application Aware Data Deduplication (IAADD) and gets rid of any dependency on a SQL database – which means a shrinked core of only about 2 MB against the current 32MB. It also avoids some overhead TCP connects, making it blazingly fast and light weight. IAADD ensures data deduplication at the logical level, guaranteeing 100% accuracy. The software is Druva InSync 4.0. Get a free trial today at www.druva.com TweetComputers blog

Posted on: 12 July 2010 | 2:55 am

PC Backup Software and Data Deduplication (Part III)

Our discussion on data deduplication redefining the way PC backup software works continues.The third in a series, this article explains how various factors define the success of a PC backup. We have already explained the following:- Target Vs Source-based Deduplication.- Inline Vs Post-process Deduplication- File vs Sub-file Level DeduplicationHere’s the last of the four factors listed in the first article.Fixed-Length Blocks v/s Variable-Length Data SegmentsFixed-length block approach, as the name suggests, divides the files into fixed size length blocks and uses simple checksum (MD5/SHA etc.) based approach to find duplicates. Although it’s possible to look for repeated blocks, the approach provides very limited effectiveness. The reason is that the primary opportunity for data reduction is in finding duplicate blocks in two transmitted datasets that are made up mostly - but not completely - of the same data segments.For example, similar data blocks may be present at different offsets in two different datasets. In other words the block boundary of similar data may be different. This is very common when some bytes are inserted in a file, and when the changed file processes again and divides into fixed-length blocks, all blocks appear to have changed. Therefore, two datasets with a small amount of difference are likely to have very few identical fixed length blocks.Variable-Length Data Segment technology divides the data stream into variable length data segments using a methodology that can find the same block boundaries in different locations and contexts. This allows the boundaries to “float” within the data stream so that changes in one part of the dataset have little or no impact on the boundaries in other locations of the dataset.Among the better products PC backup software that use Variable-Length Data Segment technology is Druva inSync. Get a free trial today at - http://www.druva.com/insync/pc-backupTweetComputers blog

Posted on: 12 July 2010 | 2:53 am

PC Backup Software and Data Deduplication (Part II)

We continue the discussion on how data deduplication has revolutionized how PC backup software works. This article is the second in a series that attempts to explain how various factors define the success of a PC backup. We have already explained Target Vs Source-based Deduplication.Inline Vs Post-process DeduplicationIn target based deduplication, the deduplication engine can either process data for duplicates in real time (i.e. as and when its send to target) or after its been stored in the target storage. The former is called inline deduplication.The obvious advantages are:- Increase in overall efficiency as data is only passed and processed once- The processed data is instantaneously available for post storage processes like recovery and replication reducing the RPO and RTO window.The disadvantages are:- Decrease in write throughput- Extent of deduplication is less - Only fixed-length block deduplication approach can be use- The inline deduplication only processed incoming raw blocks and does not have any knowledge of the files or file-structure. This forces it to use the fixed-length block approach (discussed in details later).- The post-process deduplication asynchronously acts on the stored data. And has an exact opposite effect on advantages and disadvantages of the inline deduplication listed above.File vs Sub-file Level DeduplicationThe duplicate removal algorithm can be applied on full file or sub-file levels. Full file level duplicates can be easily eliminated by calculating single checksum of the complete file data and comparing it against existing checksums of already backed up files. It’s simple and fast, but the extent of deduplication is very less, as it does not address the problem of duplicate content found inside different files or data-sets (e.g. emails).The sub-file level deduplication technique breaks the file into smaller fixed or variable size blocks, and then uses standard hash based algorithm to find similar blocks.Among the better products PC backup software that use both post-process and sub-file level data deduplication is Druva inSync. Get a free trial today at http://www.druva.com/insync/pc-backupEnjoy Reading:-PC Backup Software and Data Deduplication (Part I)TweetComputers blog

Posted on: 8 July 2010 | 3:00 am

PC Backup Software and Data Deduplication (Part I)

The one thing that has definitely revolutionized how PC backup software works is Data deduplication. Gartner calls it “inarguably one of the most new important technologies in storage for the past decade.” So let’s take a detailed look at what it actually means.Data deduplication or Single Instancing essentially refers to the elimination of redundant data. In the deduplication process, duplicate data is deleted, leaving only one copy (single instance) of the data to be stored. However, indexing of all data is still retained should that data ever be required.For example, a typical email system might contain 100 instances of the same 1 MB file attachment. If the email platform is backed up or archived, all 100 instances are saved, requiring 100 MB storage space. With data deduplication, only one instance of the attachment is actually stored; each subsequent instance is just referenced back to the one saved copy reducing storage and bandwidth demand to only 1 MB.The practical benefits of this technology depend upon various factors like:- Point of Application: Source Vs Target- Time of Application: Inline vs Post-Process- Granularity: File vs Sub-File level- Algorithm: Fixed size blocks Vs Variable length data segmentsThis article is the first in a series that will attempt to explain how each of these factors defines the success of a PC backup.Target Vs Source-based DeduplicationTarget-based deduplication acts on the target data storage media. In this case the client is unmodified and not aware of any deduplication. The deduplication engine can embedded in the hardware array, which can be used as NAS/SAN device with deduplication capabilities. Alternatively it can also be offered as an independent software or hardware appliance which acts as intermediary between backup server and storage arrays. In both cases it improves only the storage utilization.On the contrary Source-based deduplication acts on the data at the source before it’s moved. A deduplication aware backup agent is installed on the client that backs up only unique data. The result is improved bandwidth and storage utilization. But, this imposes additional computational load on the backup client.Among the better products PC backup software that use source-based data deduplication is Druva inSync. Get a free trial today at http://www.druva.com/insync/pc-backupTweet

Posted on: 8 July 2010 | 2:57 am

PC Backup Software - Tool for Data Protection

The more the time we spend on computers these days, the more we create and store data. With increase in data creation the responsibility to backup the files increases.Traditionally, data backup has meant sacrificing a wide pool of data for the sake of essential data to be stored. A backup of an entire hard drive was unheard of; it took up too much time, space and resources to be a feasible habit. And you never know when your hard drive is infected by destructive virus.While innovations like file compression and data-mapping did the trick in some cases, full data backup was still a slow and resource intensive procedure. Files were duplicated, the storage requirements were huge and bandwidth was still a problem.But today the problem has increased manifold with increased data stored in our computers. This is fueled by increasing security concerns, user mobility and cross-geography office expansions. Therefore in this scenario the requirement for data security has also increased manifolds.A relief in this entire situation is an Online data backup Software. But the major problem lies in deciding for good PC backup Software. There are various factors which need to be considered while selecting one, like de- duplication is one of the important factors which needs to be considered as this feature save 90% - 95% of the bandwidth and 95% of the time it takes to backup your system. This is known as data de-duplication. Another feature we should put our fingers on is remote backup i.e. a backup program which allows everyone to back everything remotely. Last but not the least is, a program which is automatic and simple to use.While all the above expectations have increased from PC Backup software, the existing backup solutions haven’t. A rare example is Druva’s inSync software which uses a more advanced compression technology and distributed data de-duplication technology. The software has the ability to recognize files that are common across the network, and doesn’t backup the same files twice. Simply put, inSync uses less storage and less network resources to back up a PC. The software is 10 times faster than most other software and uses 90% less bandwidth.In short, it’s a perfect antidote to backup problems. More information of Druva’s PC backup software ... Visit:http://www.druva.com//TweetComputers blog

Posted on: 9 June 2010 | 4:23 am

Why and How to choose PC Backup Solution?

PC Backup Solution makes things Easy.Did you know that people lose over 600,000 laptops at US airports every year?This loss seems even more serious once you realise that most of them didn’t have a backup. Statistics?At least 65% of users do not backup before travel, while 90% do not backup while on the move.Why? Well, the top three reasons I have heard are:- My backup software does not work over WAN- I had limited bandwidth connectivity- I hate backups - they slow down my PC and workThe main problems seem to be availability of bandwidth and backup disruptions over WAN/Internet.Issues with bandwidth arise due to the huge amount of duplicate data between corporate users. Not very surprisingly, over 80% of data across corporate PCs (emails/docs etc) is duplicate. It is these duplicates that choke bandwidth and storage.Here’s where Data De-Duplication – henceforth referred to as DDD – comes in. This technology saves just a single copy of duplicate data, thus cutting down on duplicates and shrinking the backup size for corporate PCs. This potentially savings in backup time, bandwidth and storage are about 80%!Thanks to the tape-backup legacy, most existing software has a server-triggered backup mechanism, which creates problems for travelling users connected via WAN. Since the PC does not have a fixed IP address, the server can’t reach it and hence the backup fails. New generation PC backup software address the problem of server accessibility by using client-triggered backup.Cumulatively, this is what you should look for in any laptop backup product:- Smart bandwidth prioritization: Sets only a percentage of bandwidth for backup- Super Secure: SSL encryption over WAN/VPN for backup- WAN Optimization: Automatic Network sensing for choosing appropriate packet size and bandwidth- Data De-Duplication: Saving single copy of duplicate data.One of the popular options for office and remote users is Druva inSync, featuring simple backup and point-in-time restores. Get a free trial today at www.druva.comTweetComputers blog

Posted on: 9 June 2010 | 4:21 am

Must-Haves for Enterprise PC Backup Solutions?

For any enterprise, the definition and amount of “critical data” on laptops and desktops is increasing. This is fuelled by increasing security concerns, user mobility and cross-geography office expansions.While the expectations have increased, the existing backup solutions haven’t adapted well with these changes. Data has grown exponentially, but there has been no real innovation in the technology to protect it. They still continue to depend upon large computational resources and dedicated and trusted network/media for backups. The reason, I think, is that most of PC backup solutions have been moulded out of old server archival products.Here are six must-have features for any enterprise PC backup:Simple and Automated: Surprisingly most Notebook backup solutions still have calendar schedules –prehistoric. The setup should have a maximum of five steps and schedules should be as simple as “Run every 4 hours”.Non-Intrusive, Light weight and Power-Friendly: The primary reason employees hate backup is because of the system/network slowdowns caused by the backup, which ticks in as soon as the user logs in.Laptops are replacing desktops in most enterprises, and simple options like these can make a huge difference viz. Don’t backup when I am on battery, Consume max 10% of my CPU, etcWAN/Bandwidth Optimized: Every company has a reasonably good percentage of mobile workforce. And usually this includes the top-tier management (CXOs etc). With increasing laptop thefts and data risks, backups should be WAN/Internet ready. The user should be able to choose a bandwidth (options like Consume max 20% of my bandwidth, etc) and the backup solution should just do the job, even over the weakest internet links. This also greatly helps in cross-office backups and backup consolidation efforts.Secure and Internet-Friendly: Security is very important, especially when you are over WAN/VPN. Most backup solutions are server-triggered, making security policies for firewalls very difficult. Everyone is afraid, when they see data flowing out of their network. The backups should instead be client-triggered, so that the server side firewalls just allow and monitor inbound traffic. Also,the solution should be able to securely setup encrypted/authenticated channels to backup. SSL channels are best, when it comes to WAN/Internet.Incremental Sync Support for Large Files:With data increasing and WAN coming into the picture, it is very important that backups are incremental in nature and only the changed bits in large files - like like Outlook PSTs - are copied back to the server.On-Demand Restore Points: Sending an email to admin to get data back is pointless, especially when the user is off-site/travelling. The backup software should facilitate a smart, possibly browser-based, remote and secure data restore.One of the popular options in this genre for office and remote users is Druva inSync, featuring simple backup and point-in-time restores. Get a free trial today at www.druva.comAnd remember - backup more, backup often.Tweet

Posted on: 9 June 2010 | 4:14 am

Environment-Friendly Data Protection?

Fact 1: Over 80% of data across corporate PCs (emails/docs etc.) is duplicate.Fact 2: Removing just one-third of this duplicate data, could - on an average - save up to USD 1.6 billion on storage energy.Do the math. Removing it all would mean conservation of storage energy worth approximately USD 50 billion!Now that we have your attention, let’s talk Data De-Duplication – henceforth referred to as DDD – and how it can help your enterprise with ‘green’ data storage/protection.One million GigaBytes (GBs) make a PetaByte (PB). In 2008, the sale of disk-based storage systems crossed 2500 PBs, growing at almost 60% each year. These figures do not include direct attached storage i.e. hard drives that come pre-loaded with PCs or servers. The overall consumption doubles when this storage is backed up.On an average, the best solid-state storage consumes about 5 Watts per MegaByte (MB). This puts the total cost of maintaining (cooling + power) a 1 TB hard disk at about USD 2,500 per year.* The annual energy consumption by newly bought storage stands at USD 5 Billion – and there’s still the backing up to consider!Here’s where DDD comes in. This technology saves just a single copy of duplicate data. Most storage vendors using DDD provide block-level duplicate removal at target i.e. when the data reached the storage.And this brings us back to Fact 2 viz. an average 30% duplicate data removal can save USD 1.6 billion on storage energy and USD 2 billion on bandwidth costs and backups. Not to mention that duplication also chokes bandwidth and storage.Seriously considering DDD for your personal/business storage needs? Try Druva inSync today.TweetComputers blog

Posted on: 9 June 2010 | 4:10 am

Backing-Up Corporate Data: How ‘Deduplication’ Helps

While data has grown exponentially, there has been no real innovation in the technology to protect it. Over 80% of data within an enterprise is duplicated across production servers and end users – causing storage and bandwidth bottlenecks for backups.Information - or data - is the key asset for any organisation. But while data has grown exponentially, there has been no real innovation in the technology to protect it. This is why over 80% of data within an enterprise is duplicated across production servers and end users – causing storage and bandwidth bottlenecks for backups.To reduce the amount of storage and bandwidth required for data backups across an enterprise, companies need a ‘data deduplication’ solution. This process saves only a single copy of duplicate content – a reduction of up to 99% in backup time, bandwidth and storage.For example, a typical email system might contain 100 instances of the same 1 MB file attachment. If the email platform is backed up or archived, all 100 instances are saved, requiring 100 MB storage space.With data deduplication, only one instance of the attachment is actually stored; each subsequent instance is just referenced back to the one saved copy reducing storage and bandwidth demand to only 1 MB. However, indexing of all data is still retained should that data ever be required.Enterprise data today is more dispersed and diverse than ever. And with over 30% critical corporate data sitting on PCs, administrators can no longer hold the end user responsible for its protection.The best corporate data protection solutions combine source-based data deduplication and continuous data protection. One of the popular options for office and remote users is Druva inSync, featuring simple backup and point-in-time restores. Get a free trial today at http://www.druva.com/TweetComputers blog

Posted on: 9 June 2010 | 3:51 am

A Wish

A wish to fly,where sky is the limitand no boundaries to stop me..I wish to be a bird,humming all over the garden,free to fly all over the sky...I wish to be a flower,wishes, wishes and wishesMy Lord bless me for all my wishes..

Posted on: 7 June 2010 | 12:27 am