Computer Troubleshooters

How It Works (BDR)

Configuration

The NAS device can be configured to backup multiple Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 Servers and their volumes or logical drives. There are no file or folder level exclusions because a snapshot of the entire volume is taken at the block level or the actual 1's and 0's on the hard drive. In order to take advantage of the virtualization services the operating system drive must be selected. Additionally, the data backup can be scheduled to run during selected times and days of the week.

Incremental Forever Methodology

The Incremental Forever Methodology is similar to Incremental Backups where each Incremental performs a backup of all changes since the last backup. Where this technology differs is that only one full backup or base image is required. This greatly reduces the time it takes to perform backups as each Incremental takes only seconds to complete. As the Incrementals are taken they are collapsed into what we call Synthetic Incrementals. For example, imagine two Incremental backups with the first backup taken at 10:15am and a second taken at 10:30am. When the collapsing process occurs the 10:15am backup is collapsed into the 10:30am backup leaving a single backup as of 10:30am. This is what we call Synthetic Incremental.

Please bear in mind that the frequency of off-site back ups is limited by the amount of available bandwidth at the client site. Limited bandwidth will result in longer transmission periods which means back ups may only be done hourly or daily depending on the available internet bandwidth.

Base Image

The base image is the first backup that occurs on the server, which is a complete image of the volumes intended for backup. The base image serves as a starting point for all incremental backups. The incrementals collapse into the base image when a restoration is performed providing you with a complete image of the server from the selected point in time.

Incrementals

The Incremental Backupsare the changes on the hard drive since the last backup. For example, the first Incremental will be all of the changes since the Base Image and the second Incremental will be all of the changes since the first Incremental. There are nearly 100 incrementals in a 24 hour period if the backup frequency is set to every 15 minutes.

 

Synthetic Incrementals

Synthetic Incrementals (SI) are the result of collapsing multiple Incremental snapshots into single file or Incremental. The Daily Synthetic Incrementals are created at the end of the day or 24 hour period when all of the 15 minute Incrementals are collapsed leaving you with a single recovery point for that day.

The Synthetic Incrementals result in a complete archiving solution as each Daily SI is collapsed to create a Weekly SI, each Weekly SI is collapsed into a Monthly SI and finally each Monthly SI is collapsed into a Yearly SI. When recovery from a specific month or a year is needed we simply join together the necessary incrementals in a chain with the base image to create the desired point in time image. The entire joining process takes a few seconds to complete.

Recovery Options

Recovering files and folders is a simple process where the entire server is mounted as a volume on the NAS device. The files can then be copied to the destination server over the network. We also provide utilities to our Partners so that they can restore files, folders, and Exchange mailbox or message.

Virtualization (Physical to Virtual)

The NAS device is capable of virtualizing failed servers while keeping the exact system state previous to the failure. This means there are no configurations necessary as the server retains the same IP address and application state. Once virtualized, the server will resume the same backup schedule previous to the failure.

 

Bare Metal Restore (Virtual to Physical Recovery)

When it comes time to restore the Virtualized Server back to physical hardware our Bare Metal Restore process allows restorations to dissimilar hardware. Once the server image is loaded on the new server we can manipulate the Hardware Abstraction Layer by inserting new drivers for the new hardware.  Please refer to diagram on the next page.

Monitoring and Management

Computer Troubleshooter's total BDR Solution is monitored and managed 24x7 by our NOC Team.  If an issue occurs during any backup or with the hardware we are immediately notified and take corrective action. Not only do we monitor the entire solution-Servers, NAS and Remote Storage facilities, but we also manage it by performing restorations and virtualization of servers as needed. Computer Troubleshooters performs daily verification tests to verify the integrity of base image and incrementals. Should an incremental have a corruption, Computer Troubleshooter's engineers copy the corrupt incremental from the offsite colocation facility to the NAS and run the verification again. If this does not solve the problem then corrective action is taken by creating a different image to get the backup to a consistent state.
 

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