Archive for December, 2008
This post is in reference to the forums discussion - http://forums.druvaa.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16
Based on the feedback received, I am compiling the list of features planned for version 3.0 (code name “Apollo 11″). The public beta is due on Jan 7, 2009.
Major Features -
- Full PC Backup - Backup OS, application, data and settings. The PC installations within the organization have more or less same OS and applications, but minor differences in drivers and apps make the job of system cloning very difficult and storage exhaustive. Version 3.0 will use data de-duplication to provide a bandwidth and storage efficient way for the same.
- Bare-metal Restore - Restore OS/application/aata from scratch using a bootable “Druvaa Bare-metal Restore” disk.
- “Search” file by name in restore - very helpful for large no. of files.
- Performance Boost for Large File Backup - Changes in deduplication algorithm to boost incremental backup performance for large files (1GB+) by 300%. Very useful for Outlook PST backups.
- Better control over sync frequency - Admin can control sync frequency and whether a user can pause backup.
- Sync profile automatically every 5 minutes - Currently the profile is synced just before the backup request. This is confusing for the admin, from 3.0 the client would poll and check profile changes every 5 minutes.
- MSI Installable - Helpful for automated AD-integrated installations for large organizations.
Minor Features -
- Server diagnostics Option - A single button to collect all the information relevant for troubleshooting and email it to support _at_ druvaa
- Admin configurable relative folders -Admin should be able to configure folders relative to user’s home directory.
- Import Users from CSV file - this is to cater to the case when direct AD access is not possible.
- Take company name and logo for personalization -Use the company information for server configuration panel and web-restore.
- Server health notifications- Add “uptime” and “last error” information to server health status tab. Send the same in reports.
- Personalize authentication email - Let the admin add more information to the email carrying user’s auth key.
- Advance settings for PostgreSQL installation-Let the admin configure data / archive log directories for each SIS creation.
Please use this post or the forum thread to voice your opinion on what changes/features would you like to see in your favorite backup software.
To enroll for the beta program and get a free evaluation copy, please send an email to beta@druvaa.com.
[update]
The public beta would be released by Jan 7, 2009.
* Added 2 suggestions to feature list.
December 22nd, 2008
In this post I walk through the nuances of running the Linux version of Druvaa inSync client as well as server.
The Linux release is finally here and is aimed at most Linux platforms that use the Debian or Redhat package managers. We provide generic .deb and .rpm packages. This, being the first release for Linux, should be considered beta. The packages we release should work on most Linux distributions that came out in the last 2-2.5 years. A 64-bit port of the server as well as the client for both Linux and Windows is already in the pipeline.
So far, Linux has been lacking a good backup mechanism. Especially one aimed at client desktop machines. Many shops are now multi-platform with Windows, Mac and Linux desktops as well as laptops. Most backup systems are either too complicated to use or don’t provide multi-platform support. With support for Linux, we hope to help organizations make the transition to an enterprise-class backup mechanism that works for Windows as well as Linux.
The linux client works exactly as the Windows counterpart. So I suggest, please [watch the installation demo] first. This post will discuss only the parts of the configuration/management process different from the windows counterpart.
So let’s look at the server first. I ‘m using a Ubuntu 8.10 box.
Install inSync Linux Server
root@snowflake:i386# dpkg -i druvaa-insync-server-ver-2.2.1-beta2.deb
Selecting previously deselected package druvaa-insync-server
(Reading database … 160747 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking druvaa-insync-server (from druvaa-insync-server-ver-2.2.1-beta2.deb) …
Setting up druvaa-insync-server (2.2.1-1079) …
Starting Druvaa inSync Server: Daemonizing …
Run and Configure inSync
root@snowflake:~# inSyncSrvCfg
This will open the server configuration GUI just like windows -
Storage Configuration
With Linux version, the PostgreSQL 8.3 needs to be manually installed. Before creating the first encrypted SIS, install the postgres package and run the following command -
root@snowflake:i386# /usr/sbin/insync-pgsetup.sh
No insyncserver user found in postgresql. Creating a new account
with the username ‘insyncserver’
Please enter a password for this account.
Enter a password:
Re-enter the password:
CREATE ROLE
Created a postgres user for inSync Server.
********************************************************************************
When configuring a SIS storage, please use ‘insyncserver’ as the username and use the password you just entered here as the password.
********************************************************************************
Using [/etc/postgresql/8.3/main/pg_hba.conf] as the postgres host-based-authentication configuration file. Is this correct ? (Y/n) y
.. <snip> ..
PostgreSQL configured. Now you can go ahead and configure SIS storages as needed
Now, attempt to create the new store -
Once the storage is configured, please configure profile and add backup users.
Druvaa inSync Client
The client is no different from the windows version. Install the RPM or the DEB package, and the client would get loaded in the system tray -
Click on the icon to launch the management screen -
Start the configuration by loading the authentication key, configure folders and start your first backup.
Differences with Windows version
The only major difference being the shadow-copy on Windows which is needed to backup locked files. On Linux, as long as you have permissions to read a file, you can back it up.
One thing you need to watch out for is if you sync up your entire home directory, you might need to set file permissions specifically for certain files when you restore, as inSync currently doesn’t store file modes. Files are restored using the current “umask“.
December 11th, 2008
Druvaa today announced Christmas sale with flat 20% discount on all online purchases. This extends to all licenses models and support/annual-maintenance contract renewals.
Druvaa also announced significant changes to the license models and pricing structure for the flagship Druvaa inSync product -
- New “Quarterly” subscription model at $10/PC
- From now onwards upgrades would be Free of cost for both Annual and Quarterly subscriptions
- Pricing for platinum support contract has been slashed to 30%
Please check the new pricing at - http://www.druvaa.com/products/insync_buy.html
Download 30 day evaluation copy - http://www.druvaa.com/download/insync.html
For further information and sales queries please contact sales@druvaa.com
About Druvaa inSync
Druvaa inSync offers upto 10 times faster enterprise notebook backup compared to traditional methods with 90% reduction in bandwidth and storage utilization. The solution uses advanced data de-duplication technology to backup data duplicate between users only once. On restore the user sees a timeline view of data and can restore from any point in the past.
More information about the product - http://www.druvaa.com/products/insync.html
About Druvaa
Formed in 2007, Druvaa Software is a leading provider of Continuous Data Protection and Disaster Recovery solutions. Since inception Druvaa has released two products - Druvaa Replicator (Continuous Data Protection and Disaster Recovery) and Druvaa inSync (Enterprise Laptop Backup). Druvaa is angel funded by Indian Angel Network (IAN) and Accord International (HK).
About Druvaa - http://www.druvaa.com/about/
About Products - http://www.druvaa.com/products/
December 5th, 2008
Druvaa today announced the general availability of long awaited Druvaa inSync v2 on Linux platform.
The Linux release although still a beta, has all the features available in the Windows version. Key features include -
- Data Deduplication -10X Faster backup with 90% reduction in bandwidth and storage.
- Continuous Data Protection -Timeline based, from the past restore
- WAN Optimization - Network prioritization and bandwidth/packet scheduling
- Security - 256 byte SSL and 256 bit AES encryption
- On-demand Restore - GUI and browser based restores from any point in the past
- Advanced Reporting - Six different reporting options for flexible and detailed reporting
- Configuration API - Configuration API to enable integration with third party software
The first beta is launched as 32 bit RPM and DEB packages and supports following distributions -
- Fedore Core 8+
- Ubuntu 7.04+
- openSuse 10+
A detailed list can be found in Release Notes.
Download 30 day evaluation copy - http://www.druvaa.com/download/insync.html
Startups and OpenSource projects can get a FREE copy. Please write to opensource@druvaa.com.
For further information and sales queries please contact sales@druvaa.com
About Druvaa inSync
Druvaa inSync offers upto 10 times faster enterprise notebook backup compared to traditional methods with 90% reduction in bandwidth and storage utilization. The solution uses advanced data de-duplication technology to backup data duplicate between users only once. On restore the user sees a timeline view of data and can restore from any point in the past.
More information about the product - http://www.druvaa.com/products/insync.html
About Druvaa
Formed in 2007, Druvaa Software is a leading provider of Continuous Data Protection and Disaster Recovery solutions. Since inception Druvaa has released two products - Druvaa Replicator (Continuous Data Protection and Disaster Recovery) and Druvaa inSync (Enterprise Laptop Backup). Druvaa is angel funded by Indian Angel Network (IAN) and Accord International (HK).
About Druvaa - http://www.druvaa.com/about/
About Products - http://www.druvaa.com/products/
December 4th, 2008
Some vitals stats I could gather from google/IDG/Gartner around-
- Almost 200M employees work remotely (off their desk)
- Close to 637K laptops are lost on US airports annually
- 65% of users do not do a backup before they start the travel
- 90% of users do not backup while on the move
In the last 6 weeks I (personally) have heard same statement from at least 8 VPs or CXOs - “I lost my data/notebook during last travel at …” and none of them had a backup 
If I have to summarize, the top three reasons I heard from these guys are -
- My backup software dose not work over WAN
- I had limited bandwidth connectivity
- I hate backups - they slow down my PC and work
So, the main problem looks like availability of bandwidth and inability of the backup softwares to work well over WAN/Internet.
The Bandwidth Problem
One very vital aspect missed by administrators is the extent of data duplicate between corporate users. Not very surprisingly, over 80% of data across corporate PCs (emails/docs etc.) is duplicate. And its not the data, but these duplicates which actually choke the bandwidth and the storage.
One of the most disruptive technology in storage today is “data deduplication” - ability to save single copy of duplicate content. This feature in particular can be very very useful for corporate PC backups as it can cut down on duplicates and shrink the backup size. This can potentially save up to 80% of backup time, bandwidth and storage !!
Server Accessibility
Thanks to the tape-backup legacy, most existing softwares have server triggered backup mechanism which creates a problem for the travelling user connected to company’s infrastructure using WAN. Since the PC does not have a fixed IP address the server can’t reach it and hence the backup fails. This particular problem has been addressed by new generation PC backup softwares which use client triggered backup mechanism as opposed to server triggered.
Summary
Summarizing the above, the following features is what (IMO) you should look for before choosing 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 Deduplication - Saving single copy of duplicate data.
So, next time you plan to purchase a PC backup solution for your company, keep these points in mind.
December 3rd, 2008
