Introducing InSync

Druva InSync is not a general-purpose enterprise backup application, though it is targeted at the business market. Instead of going head-to-head with successful enterprise backup applications like Symantec backup exec and net backup, EMC legato, IBM TSM, CommVault, and the like, Druva wisely found a different niche.

Everyone hates their remote backup application, and this is where Druva decided to focus. End-user laptop and desktop backup clients have a reputation for slamming performance and failing to protect data for machines on the go. A few years back, my work laptop at one of the leading remote backup solutions installed by corporate IT. I hated every time a backup kicked off, since I couldn’t get any work done until it was finished. So I secretly enjoyed the fact that it regularly failed to start. I guess like most end-users, I would rather get my work done than protect my data.

Druva InSync tackles these problems by focusing on simple installation and low resource requirements. The client install is only about 20 MB, and is configured to leverage the duplication and WAN acceleration technologies for quick backups. It also throttles CPU utilization and doesn’t rely on a fixed schedule like many solutions. The client can be remotely administered an updated once it is installed, keeping everything running smoothly, but users have some flexibility to add additional backups according to system policy.

The InSync server is remarkably tiny, weighing in at under 50 MB and installing in just a few minutes. While most backup applications require installing additional software, including Microsoft’s heavy-duty SQL Server, Druva InSync is completely self-contained. But it includes many advanced features, including SSD support and memory caching to improve de-duplication performance.

Druva InSync Installation and Configuration

I recently worked with Druva to produce a series of videos documenting the installation and configuration of InSync. As part of this process, I went through the entire roll out myself using virtual machines and real data. The result was eye-opening: InSync really does install in under 10 minutes!

My demonstration deployment included a Windows Server 2008 machine  and a Windows 7 client. Both ran under VMware Fusion but were configured with realistic CPU and memory footprints to approximate a real world environment. In my first video, I download and install the Druva InSync server and client software, and get everything up and running.

My next video includes some more advanced configuration topics. I create separate users for administration of accounts and profiles, discuss remote access and adding WAN network ports, and do some advanced storage configuration. I also discuss some of the best practice recommendations that the Druva folks told me about.

Finally, my third video includes a discussion of reporting features as well as some troubleshooting ideas.

Stephen’s Stance

Installation and configuration of Druva InSync is impressive, but what it does once it’s installed is what really matters. In my tests, I was impressed by the performance of the de-duplicated in accelerated data transfer from the client to the server. According to the Druva InSync dashboard, I was getting almost 2 to one reduction in data transfer on the very first use, and this looks to get much better over time. Druva’s internal videos show massive data reduction for clients that have been running for a while.

This got me thinking about the possibilities of using a product like InSync to back up web servers at remote hosting providers, and application I’m eager to try out. Druva recently introduced Phoenix, a server backup product to do just this. The company also has recently introduced a data loss prevention component for InSync called SafePoint. It looks like I will get a chance to try this product out very soon!

Disclaimer: My company, Foskett Services, was hired by Druva to produce these videos, and Druva sponsored Tech Field Day, an event I organize.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | You Really Can Have a Complete Backup System Up and Running in 10 Minutes!
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Everything, Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Apple is readying the next major release of their Mac OS X operating system. Dubbed “Lion”, Mac OS X 10.7 is widely expected to hit Apple stores in the Summer of 2011, and brings many exciting new features along for the ride. This series of articles introduces the storage and data protection features of Lion as they are revealed.

Time Machine in Mac OS X "Lion" includes local snapshots as well as storage of backups on external disks

Many operating systems include a backup client, but not many are as widely-used as Time Machine in Apple’s Mac OS X. Time Machine presents an extremely simple interface for data protection, making backups literally a one click task. Until the release of Lion, Time Machine required the use of the second hard disk drive, often an external USB or Apple network attached unit. In 10.7, Time Machine gains the ability to use the local primary hard disk drive to store snapshots of files. Is this really a good idea?

What are you protecting against?

One reason so many people are dissatisfied with their backup solution is that they use it for too many conflicting purposes. They expect the same application to provide short-term file recovery, bare metal restore in the event of a hard disk crash, long-term retention of data, and even off-site disaster recovery.

Most back of applications, including Time Machine, are very good when it comes to short-term file recovery but fall short in answering these other demands. A “best-of-breed” solution requires a number of different applications for end users or a pile of money for their enterprise counterparts.

The real innovation of Time Machine was it ease-of-use: When a user attached and external hard drive, Mac OS X asked for permission to use it as a backup target and automatically configured all other aspects of the system. File recovery is done in a very user-friendly way, with a Cover Flow like interface to move forward and backward through different versions of the folder.

But Time Machine requires a second hard disk drive, and very few Macs ship from Apple in this configuration. Although paired storage is becoming more common, the majority of MacBooks and iMacs ship with a single internal hard disk drive. Until the end user purchases and connects their own external drive, these systems would be unprotected.

Introducing Time Machine local snapshots

Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” introduces a number of storage enhancements, including the ability to track versions of files in Finder. Time Machine gets a similar function, storing local versions of files in addition to standard backups on an extra drive.

It is not at all clear if Time Machine’s local snapshots capability leverages the “Versions” feature or simply stores files locally the same way it does on an external drive. But the end result is the same: Users will be able to protect their data even when no external drive is attached.

There are serious drawbacks to this approach, however. Storing backup data on the same hard disk drive does not protect from the loss or failure of that device, and hard disk crashes are fairly common, especially in portable devices. This could also present security concerns, since a laptop using Time Machine local snapshots would store confidential data locally long after it is deleted.

Clearly, Apple realizes the limitations of this strategy, and will still recommend using an external drive for Time Machine backups. But it is better to have a local copy of data than none at all, and Time Machine local snapshots will likely be a boon to the average MacBook user.

Stephen’s stance

Although it is not a full-featured backup application, I heartily endorse Time Machine since its ease-of-use encourages average users to backup their data and enables them to recover lost files in a user-friendly environment. Time Machine local snapshots add another layer of protection for Apple users on the go. As long as they do not rely on local snapshots exclusively for data protection, I call that a win.

I wonder whether end-users that have experienced Time Machine are more or less likely to deploy a real backup application or an off-site backup service like Mozy or Crashplan. Perhaps Time Machine piques their interest in data protection, causing them to go out and purchase such a service. A multilayered approach with Time Machine local snapshots and external storage plus an online backup service is light years beyond the data protection enjoyed by average users.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | Local Snapshots in Mac OS X Lion Time Machine: Is It A Good Idea?
This post was categorized as Apple, Everything, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

W. Curtis Preston launched his own series of Backup Central Live! seminars for 2011

My friend W. Curtis Preston kicked off his Backup Central Live! event series earlier this year, and I was pleased to be able to attend in Santa Clara. Curtis has spent years educating IT pros about data protection, and let me tell you, although I’ve seen him present dozens of times, Curtis was really in his element here. He held the packed room enthralled, and the vendor sponsors I talked to were very pleased about the event!

Introducing Backup Central Live!

The Backup Central Live! series are day-long seminars across the USA in 2011. Each event includes over 3 hours of content from “Mr. Backup”, W. Curtis Preston, as well as presentations from Jacob Farmer and the sponsoring vendors. The seminars are free for qualified end-users, which includes most of the readers of this blog!

Curtis and company will cover the challenges of backing up and recovering data in a variety of settings:

• Virtualized servers (e.g. VMware, Hyper-V, Xen)
• Very large servers and data centers
• Remote offices and laptops
• Data retained for multiple years

The session also includes technical detail about key products and technologies:

• Cloud Backup Services
• Deduplication
• Continuous data protection (CDP) and near-CDP
• Archive software
• Tape and its proper role

Attendees even get free breakfast and lunch, which was of a good hotel caterer quality in my opinion.

Stephen’s Stance

The Backup Central Live! crew does a great job putting together a professional event

I knew Curtis could put together quality backup content, but the crew deserves credit for such a professional and successful event. They attracted some great sponsors, too, and Jacob Farmer’s involvement was a pleasant surprise: I’ve always enjoyed the deep technical conversations I’ve had with him!

If you enjoyed my own backup, archiving, and storage seminars in the past, I know you’ll love this event. The next Backup Central Live! cities are as follows. If you’ll be around, you really ought to attend!

• Raleigh, NC, Apr 26, Register Now!
• Boston, MA, Apr 28, Register Now!
• Philadelphia, PA, May 17, Register Now!
• Dallas, TX, May 19, Register Now!
• Minneapolis, MN, May 24, Register Now!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | W. Curtis Preston Announces More Backup Central Live!
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Personal, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Now I have been asked to write an article for TechTarget on the very same subject: How to select a virtual server backup product. I’d like to request input for this piece, and hope we can work together to produce a useful list of recommendations. Note that this isn’t a buyer’s guide like the DCIG effort: There will be no exhaustive lists of functions and features here. Instead, I’m writing about the options available in a more general sense.

I came away from the Tech Field Day presentations by Veeam, Symantec, and others impressed by the creativity of virtual server backup approaches. Clearly, these aren’t the same old backup products! W. Curtis Preston quipped that a hypervisor sometimes seems like a little datacenter in a box, and that changes everything. Every action taken impacts the operation of the whole system, but the virtualization layer also adds new flexibility.

Virtual Server Backup Features

What would you look for in a virtual server backup product? Here’s my initial concept:

• Supported environments - What dependencies do the products have?
  • Do they require integration features like VCP or VADP? We should definitely talk more about the integration features offered by the hypervisor!
  • Some products support only virtual environments, while others work on traditional machines as well. And what about non-VMware support?
• Advantages and disadvantages – Applications designed for virtual environments certainly offer many advantages, but what about the drawbacks?
  • How important is it to use a single unified product across both virtual and non-virtual environments, as many traditional backup vendors suggest?
  • Is the whole “full-machine vs. file-level” argument worth having?
• Application integration – To what extent to they extend above the OS and hypervisor?
  • I’d like to talk about integration with common virtualized applications, but which are most prevalent?
  • We should talk about crash-consistent backup, too, especially when it comes to virtual machines.
  • Then there’s management integration: What options are there for automated deployment and setup? And what metrics and reports are important?
• Advanced features – These new products have some pretty impressive features!
  • Is deduplication a critical need in the backup app?
  • We should also talk about non-scheduled approaches like continuous data protection (CDP)
  • There are also alternative backup targets, like snapshots, disk/VTL, and the cloud
  • I’m also curious about throttling/QoS features
• Other areas
  • What about supportability of virtual machine backups – are there issues with companies not allowing advanced backup features to be used?
  • Do the “new guard” of virtual server backup companies offer any unique support and integration options?

I’d like to identify a few key features to look for in particular. What are the most-important elements for a virtual server backup product, as opposed to a traditional offering?

Finally, what about non-VMware environments. I know a bit about Microsoft DPM, having been at the introduction of that product, but what offerings are there for Hyper-V or Xen environments? How do they differ from VMware-focused products?

Stephen’s Stance

I welcome the input of end-users, analysts and consultants, and the product vendors themselves. I want to come up with a good guide to selecting these products, and I think an open discussion is a good way to make that happen. Who knows, it might even be a worthwhile companion to the information in the DCIG guide!

I’m not sure how the final article will be released, but I believe it will be offered as a free download on BitPipe.com. Regardless, the discussion and commentary here will remain free, open, and available. Thank you!

Updates

I’ve already had some excellent feedback from Twitter. Thanks!

• @Stu suggested I read What’s Next in VMware Backup
• @ChrisDearden says “what about talking about how to get the data out of the backup system – ie to offsite / archive etc” and “I’m not sure if trap is the word I would use. no more than all the tape based providers use the same format (“
• @WGoderis says “what about scalability , what if you need to back up hundreds or thousands of vms”

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | How To Select a Virtual Server Backup Product?
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Personal. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

W. Curtis Preston launched his own series of Backup Central Live! seminars for 2011

Last week, after the Exec Event in Palo Alto, I joined my friend W. Curtis Preston for his first Backup Central Live! event. Curtis has spent years educating IT pros about data protection, this was the first week of a new series of self-produced events. And let me tell you, although I’ve seen him present dozens of times, Curtis was really in his element here. He held the packed room enthralled, and the vendor sponsors I talked to were very pleased about the event!

Introducing Backup Central Live!

The Backup Central Live! series are day-long seminars across the USA in 2011. Each event includes over 3 hours of content from “Mr. Backup”, W. Curtis Preston, as well as presentations from Jacob Farmer and the sponsoring vendors. The seminars are free for qualified end-users, which includes most of the readers of this blog!

Curtis and company will cover the challenges of backing up and recovering data in a variety of settings:

• Virtualized servers (e.g. VMware, Hyper-V, Xen)
• Very large servers and data centers
• Remote offices and laptops
• Data retained for multiple years

The session also includes technical detail about key products and technologies:

• Cloud Backup Services
• Deduplication
• Continuous data protection (CDP) and near-CDP
• Archive software
• Tape and its proper role

Attendees even get free breakfast and lunch, which was of a good hotel caterer quality in my opinion.

Stephen’s Stance

The Backup Central Live! crew does a great job putting together a professional event

I knew Curtis could put together quality backup content, but the crew deserves credit for such a professional and successful event. They attracted some great sponsors, too, including AppAsure, Aptare, FalconStor, NEC, Quantum, Spectra Logic, and Cirtas. And Jacob Farmer’s involvement was a pleasant surprise, too: I’ve always enjoyed the deep technical conversations I’ve had with him!

If you enjoyed my own backup, archiving, and storage seminars in the past, I know you’ll love this event. The next Backup Central Live! cities are as follows. If you’ll be around, you really ought to attend!

• Orlando, FL Feb 1 Register here
• Houston, TX Feb 8 Register here
• Chicago, IL Feb 22 Register here

My only suggestion for the crew is that they get a bigger room next time!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | See W. Curtis Preston’s Backup Central Live!
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Gestalt IT, Personal, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

CommVault introduces an updated version of their all-encompassing Simpana suite

CommVault is one of those enterprise IT companies that likes to go their own way. A spin-out of AT&T’s famed Bell Labs, CommVault’s Simpana software integrates many aspects of data management, from backup to e-discovery, under one umbrella. Last year, the company impressed me by adding cloud storage as a backup target equal in status to disk and traditional tape. Now the company is doing the same for storage-based snapshots, accelerating data protection for virtual machines.

Simpana 9: A Broad Update

Nearly every aspect of CommVault’s Simpana 9 is refreshed, though development and unveiling has been an ongoing process throughout the year. Following Simpana 8 by two years, the new software integrates work done integrating cloud storage and virtual machine backup over the last year or so. The “data management” portion of the product (including backup, archiving, and replication) was detailed this week, and one expects more information about the other half (“information management”) to be forthcoming.

Simpana 9 is available as of October 5 from OEMs, resellers, also direct from CommVault. Pricing is simplified this time around with CommVault using a capacity licensing model. Cost is based on the largest backup or archiving job, though the old licensing model still still available. A “circuit breaker reset” allows the system to go over the licensed level temporarily in a pinch.

Pick Your Target: Tape, Disk, Cloud, or Snapshot

There has been a long-standing back-and-forth discussion in the enterprise backup community regarding snapshots as backups. My stance has been that, while snapshots are certainly a more-effective mechanism for copying data than dump-to-tape, it takes more than data to have a useful backup. Any system worth using must schedule, manage, organize, and recover data. Therefore, although snapshot-based backup is a good idea, it wasn’t ready for prime time until it was integrated with a solid backup management system.

Elevating snapshots as a first-class backup target is exactly what CommVault is doing. Just as their earlier releases added cloud as a backup target, Simpana 9 makes snapshots just another option. Commvault recognizes that needs change over the lifecycle of a backup, and the location of data should change, too. A snapshot makes an excellent “operational recovery” target, allowing frequent copying and quick restore, but is sub-optimal for long-term archiving. Conversely, tape is a poor frequent target due to its linear nature but has proven itself for long-term offline archive.

Simpana 8 supported HDS and Dell for snapshots, now Simpana 9 adds volume leaders EMC and NetApp, along with HP, IBM, LSI, and Sun. Data is indexed and cataloged, and these are stored with the data on disk, tape, or cloud for later access. Speaking of cloud, Simpana 9 supports Amazon, Azure, Nirvanix, Rackspace, Iron Mountain, EMC Atmos, Dell DX, and HDS HCP.

You might also want to read CommVault Gives Cloud Storage A Seat At The Adult Table

VM Backup Acceleration

CommVault was demonstrating their abilities to back up machines using VMware VADP at VMworld. There, they took just 17 minutes to back up 500 machines using snapshots on an IBM XIV storage array. I imagine most of the supported platforms could do just as well.

Simpana 9 automatically discovers running guests using VMware vCenter. This allows for daily movement of machines since they are located each time and the backups are coordinated for universal, consistent coverage. No machines will be missed, either. In fact, given that many snapshots work on a block level, it would be impossible to not backup up clients sharing the same LUN.

On the back side, Simpana uses an ESXi proxy to grab snap content and catalog the virtual machines contained there. It then moves the data off to disk, tape, or cloud just like any other backup content.

CommVault is also working on Hyper-V support, using VSS rather than VADP.

Universal Dedupe

The third element of Simpana 9 is integrated source and target deduplication. Simpana’s client software deduplicates local data on its own before sending it to the server. These deduped blocks are then checked against the universal set on the server before being stored, potentially bringing a “best of both worlds” solution to the source-versus-target argument.

Migration to Simpana 9 From NetBackup and TSM

One of the long-standing criticisms of Simpana is that it was just too far-reaching for easy testing, migration, and uptake. It has been seen as an all-or-nothing proposition, requiring a commitment that is hard to win and harder to back away from in the event of trouble.

Simpana 9 addresses part of this concern with a so-called “Fast Pass” migration system that allows configuration to be pulled in from more-traditional backup products for a seamless transition. The Simpana data connector talks to NBU 6.0, 6.5, 7.0 and TSM 6.1 master server, discovers backup policies, and imports these (clients, schedule, history, etc) into the new configuration. Then automatic install software pushes CommVault agents into place and takes over operations, leaving the old system running for historical recoveries only.

Stephen’s Stance

I love the idea of promoting data from operational snapshots to tape or cloud for archiving. And I love the idea that end-users can choose the combination that fits their needs within a unified package. I’ve long been a fan of CommVault’s products, and this upgrade makes them that much more compelling. I’ll leave it to wiser minds to debate their implementation and effectiveness, but it sure looks good for me. The simplified licensing and purchasing model is welcome, too – backup is a thorny combination of pricing models.

The idea of migrating seamlessly from old to new is interesting, but I wonder how well it will work in practice. My time as a backup consultant taught me that these environments tend to be complicated, finicky, and outdated. It’s nice that CommVault can read in a TSM 6.1 configuration, but what about older versions? The same goes for NetBackup. And will it correctly handle the weird rule sets found there? But a greater issue is whether it should import the old settings at all: Perhaps migrating to a new backup system is a good time to revisit the assumptions behind your configuration!

All in all, Simpana 9 looks like a compelling update for CommVault lovers or those disaffected by their current platform. Organizations having difficulty meeting backup windows should also give it a look, since the snapshot technology should be a big help there. And anyone looking at cloud storage as a backup and archiving target should start with CommVault. Others will certainly be intrigued, but I am not sure that they will be compelled to upgrade by these features alone.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | CommVault Simpana 9 Takes Backup To A New Level
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Gestalt IT, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

You’re Holding It Wrong

How can I make this fantastic offer without knowing anything about your environment and without including any asterisks? Simply because when it comes to data storage, in the immortal words of Steve Jobs, you’re holding it wrong. In 15 years of enterprise storage consulting, I have never seen a single environment using anything close to their total usable capacity. In fact, I’ve never seen an environment that was using even half of its usable capacity.

This makes my job easy. If you have a half dozen storage arrays with a total of 500 TB of raw storage, about 60% of that capacity will be usable (once you take RAID, spares, and other overhead into account). Of the remaining 300 TB of capacity, you’re probably only storing 70 TB of data if you’re like the average enterprise shop. So I can just hand you a report that says “write 35 TB more” and walk out. My job will be done.

But let’s say you’re better than average. Let’s say you run a really tight ship and don’t waste expensive capacity like most people. I bet you’ve still got slack capacity you don’t know about. Maybe a project manager demanded a 30 TB LUN for his new database and won’t let you run your monitoring tools to see what he’s really using. Or perhaps another project never got off the ground but they won’t share the disk space “they paid for.” Then there is that other system that was turned off without you knowing, so the storage is still allocated. There’s always plenty of perfectly-good free usable primary storage capacity.

Wringing Out the Slack

See my post, Use Process Solutions For Process Problems, Technical Solutions For Technical Ones

Despite what the warring vendors might say, the issue isn’t the equipment or software you’re using, the issue is the way you’re using it. Storage isn’t bought as an integrated piece of a compute environment these days, and it isn’t managed that way, either. Enterprise storage arrays are purchased in fits and starts, a little here and a lot there, according to the whims of the budget and project planning process. It’s not at all unusual to see tight storage constraints delaying projects even as a new and totally unused array sits idle in the corner.

The root cause lies with how capacity is purchased, configured, allocated, and charged to projects, not with the technical capabilities of the platform. Nearly every modern array can be shared by many servers, and nearly every environment has ample storage networking potential. Are Fibre Channel directors and HBAs to expensive? Switch to iSCSI or NAS! Every server has a spare gigabit Ethernet port or two, and I bet your networking guys have a decent switch you could use.

All this applies mainly to primary storage, but backups are an equal opportunity. Most daily incremental backup tapes are left half-empty due to job scheduling, connectivity, and inappropriate manual media assignments. And those jam-packed weekly full tapes are probably a waste of time and capacity, too. How about re-thinking your backup process with fewer fulls, virtual tape, elimination of useless data, or even snapshots? I bet my friend W. Curtis Preston could offer some great advice there!

Stephen’s Stance

You don’t need to get crazy to wring out a bit more storage capacity. Deduplication and data optimization sound great, but what’s the point if you’ve got ample unused capacity already? Aren’t all these guarantees just an attempt to grab more business, more money, and sell more gear?

The leading cause of poor storage capacity utilization is failure to use storage capacity!

I’m serious about the offer. I’ve done exactly this kind of work before and have the resources to do it for you, too. Bring me in and I’ll give you a plan to write 50% more primary data. Guaranteed success or you don’t pay. But I bet you could do the same thing without me!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | Stephen Foskett’s 50% Free Capacity Guarantee!
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

CommVault is bringing a new dish to dinner: Cloud storage!

If your family was like mine, Thanksgiving was a two-tiered affair: The adults sat at the fancy dining room table while the kids had to sit in the kitchen, some even using a card table and folding chairs. You knew you were grown up when you moved up to the adult table. I guess this American coming-of-age ritual is pretty common with other rituals, too. There’s no formal ceremony, but everyone knows when little Johnny becomes just-plain John.

We see similar things happen in IT. New technologies and ideas are often given a pat on the head, a pinch on the cheek, but then sent to the kids table in the kitchen. Only mature technologies are taken seriously and granted equal status when enterprise architectures are defined!

One sure-fire way of determining when a technology is ready for prime time is when it is integrated with a major enterprise product. Sure, lots of products will support this or that, but thoroughly integrating a new technology requires serious effort. Not just any technology gets this kind of focus!

That’s why I’m pleased to see today’s announcement that CommVault has completely integrated API-driven public cloud storage with Simpana, their impressive data protection and archiving suite. It reminds me of that point when the backup products of yore finally adopted disk-based technology. Now there are three equal backup targets: Tape, disk, and cloud.

CommVault calls their new integrated cloud storage "Farline" - as opposed to "Nearline", get it?

CommVault’s reputation in the storage industry is like BMW’s in cars: They’re an engineering-driven company and focus on offering the best technology. There’s no way CommVault would cut corners when it came to a fundamental technology. So they applied considerable engineering resources and delivered a really advanced product.

I’ve previously noted that cloud storage is not backup, but that the combination of cloud storage with a solid backup platform makes a killer data protection value proposition. This is exactly what CommVault is delivering. Plus, Simpana’s integrated encryption and data deduplication technology work to reduce cloud-related angst. And CommVault will be supporting just about every public cloud provider, beginning with Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, and Nirvanix (where I spend my days), and I hear Iron Mountain and EMC Atmos are on the way, too.

Read more over at Network World, DGIC, or check out my Nirvanix blog about CommVault’s cloud integration.

Note: Yeah, that’s a Tofurkey-brand vegetarian turkey in the photo above. Yum!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | CommVault Gives Cloud Storage A Seat At The Adult Table
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Enterprise Storage

• HDS’ HAM-Fisted Announcement did not impress, with many wondering (So Long And Thanks For All The Fish) what exactly the company had announced. But by week’s end (USP-V and Hitachi High Availability Manager) we had figured out How It Works and even had some time for jokes.
• What should be in the cloud? How about some profiling questions nobody’s asking re: cloud applications
• Want your own iSCSI array? StarWind has responded to your comments, 2TB at no cost!
• What Is a Backup? Some great discussion (Backup to the Future) and a solution: When Is A Copy A Backup?
• Howard Marks is also doing a great job with backup and archiving: See Of Backups and Archives, Storing Archival Data – Part Deux, and All Archive Data is Not Alike
• I joined Chris Evans, Marc Farley, and Greg Knierieman for Infosmack Episode #6 – HDS USP-V announcement, EMC non-competes and changes at VMworld
• ‘Nuff said: And people wonder why I hate HP, Google Could Learn a Thing or Two from EMC, Virtualization: Why Microsoft cares

Misc

• Tim O’Reilly took a look at a technology I just didn’t get, but changed my mind with Google Wave: What Might Email Look Like If It Were Invented Today?
• Want a crazy car to get your mind off of GM and Chrysler? How about the 500-hp Ariel Atom 500 V8
• A wonderfully long and detailed article: Lessons from the Vaccine–Autism Wars
• Finally, take a look at this amazing video: Louis CK “Everything’s amazing, nobody’s happy”

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2009. | Back From The Pile: May 30, 2009
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Personal, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Enterprise IT

• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Your Reliance On Backup Tapes – What’s wrong with backup tapes? They’re inaccessible, making them unsuitable for most applications. My latest post for my Enterprise Storage Strategies blog.
• Is Licensing Turning vSphere Into Vista? – A group post for Gestalt IT suggesting that VMware’s tiered licensing strategy for the vSphere 4 family might cause anguish for customers
• Infosmack Episode 2 – EMC, David Donatelli and Non-Compete Agreements – I joined the StorageMonkeys Infosmack podcast to discuss EMC, Dave Donatelli, and con-compete agreements with Greg Knieriemen, Marc Farley of 3Par and StorageRap, and Tony Asaro of the INI Group
• IT utilities, the biggest game in town – Chris Mellor of The Register suggests that the biggest IT vendors are positioning to lock up the IT market.
• The Non-Compete Clause Debate….. - Steve Duplessie muses on the pros and cons of non-compete agreements and what they mean for the IT industry
• Who’s the pot & who’s the kettle? - W. Curtis Preston reacts to the skirmishes between Tony Asaro and the EMC bloggers
• The Only VMware-certified NAS in its Category: Why the Iomega StorCenter ix4-200r Will Resonate with Small Businesses - Jerome Wendt expands on the Iomega StorCenter Pro ix4-200r
• Don’t focus too much on costs, cloud computing is about business agility - CapGemini reminds us that cloud computing isn’t just about reducing costs
• What we talk about when we talk about cloud computing - The Google Enterprise blog lays down some of the hard facts about building a cloud on your own
• Review: Sun Storage 7000 Unified Storage System - Chris Evans provides one of the best reviews yet of Sun’s Amber Road open source-based storage systems
• Brocade Pokes Cisco in the Eye, Switches for IBM - A great headline and solid reporting by Om Malik on one of the first reactions to Cisco UCS
• TheInfoPro: Analysis or Marketing? - StorageMonkeys continues their probing of the storage analyst community
• A “Tweeterview” with Stephen Foskett, Nirvanix Consulting Director - Sunshine interviews me about Nirvanix, storage, and my new role

Apple

• Achieving Email Bliss with IMAP, Gmail, and Apple Mail – A deep, long post on GMail, IMAP, Mac OS X Mail, and how to get all three to play nicely together.
• Monitor Your Mac Remotely With iStat for iPhone - I love iStat for Mac OS X and the iPhone and had been meaning to write a review. This AppleBlog post is just about what I might have written!

Life

• There Goes Chrysler – NPR’s awesome Planet Money blog reported the breaking news of Chrysler’s bankruptcy
• The Venture Capital Math Problem and The Venture Capital Math Problem (continued) – Fred Wilson points out that there can be no such thing as unlimited venture capital
• Is it time to cut the Ethernet access cable? – Has pervasive wireless Ethernet made wired ports unnecessary?
• Interview with Micah Baldwin, Father of FollowFriday – Micah calls me out as someone who is doing interesting things on Twitter!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2009. | Back From the Pile: Interesting Content From the Week of May 2, 2009
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