The Latest Lowdown On BackUp Software

CA's BrightStor ARCserve Release 11 for Windows and Veritas' Backup Exec for Windows Server v9.1 are full-featured products that go way beyond the fundamentals of data backup and management. Each embraces new technologies that are just now making their way into production environments. Each can also boast vastly improved integration with advanced technologies while providing intelligence for remote-systems management. However, despite similarities in features and functionality, they do differ on a few levels, which we will go over.

Installation And Setup
CA's and Veritas' tools both offer administrators a first-time wizard for setup and to start backups within minutes. ARCserve takes a three-paned approach that is similar to Microsoft's Outlook 2003 product, with a clean and easy-to-navigate interface. Backup Exec gives the user an interface that is straightforward and equally easy to navigate. Each product requires setup of an administrative account for the backup process to function. Backup Exec leverages existing user-account information from Active Directory for its administrator access. ARCserve requires the administrator to set up an administrator account used only by the product.

Performance
Performance among the products is similar for most users, though ARCserve now offers the ability for multiple simultaneous streams (up to four) to a single backup device. Streaming allows multiple jobs to service a single device at the same time. For devices able to handle large streams of data, this is a performance increase over the standard serial processing of backup jobs. As an added performance perk, both products can define which network interface is used for backup jobs. In the case of ARCserve, the administrator assigns that at a server level for all backup jobs. Backup Exec gives the administrator more granularity by defining network interfaces on a per-job level.

What's New?
Each product offers more options for sophisticated applications, such as Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange. Administrators are able to leverage SQL's VDI interface for streaming of database backups and will find the Exchange options extremely useful.

Administrators can back up and restore individual objects, such as mailboxes, rather than the entire Exchange message store. For those using Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service, both products offer support for the new technology in Windows Server 2003. The combination of enhanced backup agents allows administrators to intelligently integrate the management of backups and data around best-of-breed functionality without the need to build scripts or confusing data-management processes. Also new to both products is the ability to perform a test run of backup jobs, which allows an administrator to proactively identify problems.

Administrators will find differences in the products' approaches to antivirus software. ARCserve includes the ability to check backups, leveraging built-in antivirus technology. Backup Exec has taken a departure from its past by removing antivirus checking of backups. Removal of the antivirus technology allows administrators to leverage existing virus-protection infrastructure and products.

Desktop/Laptop Feature
Probably the single biggest feature new to both products is support for intelligent remote desktop and laptop backups. Remote backups of clients, of course, are not new. What is new is the added intelligence to address how and when remote systems are backed up. Backup jobs are run locally on the system, whether connected or disconnected from the network. Intelligence is built into both products, which is considerate of bandwidth between remote system and central server. Administrators have the ability to configure a multitude of options in terms of what is backed up, and when and what is transferred over the wire when the system reconnects to the network.

The management interface is different for both products. ARCserve uses a separate management application installed outside of the main product and is launched separately from the core product. Backup Exec also uses a module outside the core application, but it is installed just like another agent during the initial installation. Backup Exec also allows access to the module integrated within the core product. The upside is that Backup Exec manages the module from the core interface. ARCserve is a different application. Once configured, however, the ARCserve core product treats the desktop and laptop options as objects within the interface.

Reporting
Reporting is always an interesting feature for any backup product. These products are no different. Again, two different approaches are taken. Backup Exec provides a straightforward way to compile data and run reports. Out of the box, Backup Exec contains 14 built-in reports with an additional 24 included in the Admin Pack Option. Custom reports can be created for Backup Exec using Crystal Reports from Business Objects. Navigation through Backup Exec's reports is nonintuitive. Reports are listed alphabetically, and categories are managed through sorting a column in the list. Unless the administrator knows exactly which report is needed, the only way to view samples is by actually running the report.

ARCserve includes 32 reports out of the box, but does not stop there. Using ARCserve's three-paned interface, reports are categorized for easy viewing, and example formats are displayed in the far-right pane. This approach makes finding the right report much easier to navigate. ARCserve also includes a custom report writer in the product, giving the administrator the ability to create custom reports ad-hoc.

Small Business Server
For those using Microsoft's Small Business Server, both products support core server functions and the underlying technologies. The installation of the product integrates support for the operating system, Exchange and SQL Server.

Business Opportunities
For resellers looking for business opportunities, both products will assist in managing multiple servers. In the case of Backup Exec, Veritas includes a simple, Web-based application called ExecView to provide a top-level overview of multiple servers from a single interface. Both Backup Exec and ARCserve allow administrators to choose between multiple backup servers in the core product. VARs can leverage these tools to provide value-added backup and recovery service offerings to customers.

Tim M. Crawford ([email protected]) has managed IT infrastructure and operations for the past 15 years for large multinational organizations.

Product: CA's BrightStor ARCserve
Base price: $775
Contact: [email protected]; (800) 225-5224

Product: Veritas' Backup Exec
Base price: $795; licensing model available
Contact: [email protected]; (800) 527-8050