Windows IT Pro Storage UPDATE--Better Backup for Mobile Users--July 18, 2005

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Protecting Your Company by Managing Your Users' Internet Access
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Testing Your Security Configuration
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1. Commentary
- FASTORA Appliances Streamline Backup for Mobile Users

2. From the Community
- IT Pro Seeks Bare-Metal Backup and Recovery Solution

3. New and Improved
- HP Offers Lower-Price Enterprise-Class Disk Array
- New Infortrend RAID Performs Twice as Fast Using New SCSI Technology
- Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!

4. Windows IT Pro Resources

==== Sponsor: Protecting Your Company by Managing Your Users' Internet Access ====

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==== 1. Commentary: FASTORA Appliances Streamline Backup for Mobile Users ====
by David Chernicoff, [email protected]

One consistent backup nightmare that IT professionals face is the casually connected or mobile user. Many companies have a field force of professionals who do their work on notebook computers and obviously need to maintain a current backup of their data. The difficulties involved in doing so, however, mean that in most organizations, backing up mobile users is a haphazard process. Typically, this process involves attempting to catch a backup of a user's notebook computer when he or she makes a stop at the main or remote office locations, using an enterprise backup solution optimized for low-bandwidth connections.

Such is the problem that FASTORA ( http://www.fastora.com ) believes it has solved with its ExBoot EXB-0111 and EXB-0121 backup appliances. These USB 2.0-connected drive enclosures (the 0111 for 1.8" drives, the 0121 for 2.5" drives) offer up to 80GB of data protection in a very small package that's easily carried in a notebook case along with other standard notebook accessories.

By simply pressing the button on the EXB's case, you launch the included ExBoot automated backup software ( http://www.exboot.com ), which backs up the entire system, doing a complete backup the first time it's run and incremental backups after the complete backup has been done. This means that in most cases, a mobile user need only connect the EXB device for a few minutes to back up his or her day's work over the 480Mbps USB 2.0 connection.

With its single-button backup, the included ExBoot backup application is designed for simplicity, but you can also set it up to do scheduled backups (if the computer remains connected). ExBoot lets you recover single files, including previous versions of existing files. So, for example, if you decide that you need an earlier revision of a document or spreadsheet, you can easily recover that version from the EXB drive.

In the event of a complete hard disk failure, you can use the EXB as an external boot device (most current system BIOSs support booting from USB devices). This means that mobile users have no downtime while they await a replacement hard drive. When the new hard drive or replacement notebook arrives, you connect the EXB device to it, and the EXB does a complete restore of the system to the new drive or notebook. You lose little or no time dealing with the crashed hard drive (presuming that a replacement notebook is the same model as the original).

This also gives mobile users the benefits of what is basically a complete system restore point. If a new application is installed that causes system problems, or a new patch or application upgrade causes problems, you can restore the system from the backup device. Conversely, patches and applications could first be installed to the backup unit (after booting from the EXB) to determine whether they're likely to cause any problems.

FASTORA also offers a desktop version of the ExBoot, the EXB-0131, which uses a normal 3.5" drive enclosure and supports up to 400GB of backup storage. This device could be useful if you support telecommuting users who need their remote desktop systems backed up, but it isn't a replacement for an enterprise backup solution for internal users.

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==== 2. From the Community ====

IT Pro Seeks Bare-Metal Backup and Recovery Solution

Storage/Backup/Recovery forum participant "twillwerth" is looking for a backup and recovery solution that will perform a bare-metal restore on Windows systems at sites that have no IT staff. If you can help, join the discussion by going to http://forums.windowsitpro.com , scrolling down to the Other Computing section, and clicking Storage/Backup/Recovery.

==== 3. New and Improved ====
by Dustin Ewing, [email protected]

HP Offers Lower-Price Enterprise-Class Disk Array

HP introduced a high-end disk array at an entry-level price for computing environments that need complete continuity with zero downtime. The HP StorageWorks XP10000 Disk Array offers continuity and advanced virtualization technology to businesses of all sizes. When used in conjunction with the new HP StorageWorks software for Windows XP, streamlining of storage management becomes very affordable. HP's virtualization technology lets users implement tiered storage applications using internal and external storage capacity and flexible partitioning in order to simplify provisioning. In addition, the disk array offers support for multiple OSs, including HP-UX, Windows, Linux, OpenVMS, NonStop, Mainframe, Tru64, AIX, and Solaris. For more information, contact HP on the Web:
http://www.hp.com/go/storageworks/xp

New Infortrend RAID Performs Twice as Fast Using New SCSI Technology

Infortrend has begun shipping two new RAID subsystems, the EonStor (ES) U12U-G4020 and ES U16U-G4020. Using SCSI-320 host and drive channels, the subsystems double the performance of the earlier SCSI-160 subsystems by offering transfer rates as high as 320MBps for each channel. Featuring two dual-stacked VHDCI SCSI connectors, these enterprise-class subsystems can connect to dual hosts for path redundancy and also provide for easy storage expansion by daisy-chaining additional U12U-G4020 or U16U-G4020 subsystems. The products are backward compatible with SCSI-160 for cost-effective integration with existing systems. These improved RAID subsystems are designed for use with server-attached and clustering data storage in industries such as medical imaging, security/CCTV, and digital media. For more information, contact Infortrend on the Web:
http://www.infortrend.com

Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!

Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Tell us about the product, and we'll send you a T-shirt if we write about the product in a future Windows IT Pro What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions with information about how the product has helped you to [email protected].

==== 4. Windows IT Pro Resources ====

Check out these links to a wealth of Windows IT Pro resources: white papers, eBooks, Web seminars, conferences, and other events.

==== Resources and Events ====
(brought to you by Windows IT Pro)

Sort Through Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPPA, and More Legislation Quicker and Easier!

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All High-Availability Solutions Are Not Created Equal--How Does Yours Measure Up?

In this free Web seminar, you'll get the tools you need to ensure your systems aren't going down. You'll discover the various categories of high-availability and disaster-recovery solutions available and the pros and cons of each. You'll learn what solutions help you take preemptive, corrective action without resorting to a full system failover, or in extreme cases, that perform a non-disruptive, automatic switchover to a secondary server.
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Antispam product not working?

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Integrate Fax Services with Business Applications for Big ROI

In this free eBook, you'll discover all you need to know about fax technology! You'll learn how to improve business processes by minimizing manual faxing and integrating faxing into your business workflow for improved ROI. The eBook will also look at the how-to of the desktop fax client, fax automation, faxing hardware and software technologies, and the future of faxing. Let this important guide help you stay on top of fax server technology within your business environment.
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Ensure High Availability with Microsoft Exchange Server

Taking into account all of its capabilities, Exchange is more than just a mail server. And for many businesses, when Exchange is down, the business is down. In this free eBook, learn new ways to improve Exchange recoverability and availability by exploring Exchange Server clusters, Exchange data management, Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), and Exchange availability tips and tricks. Get your copy now!
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==== Featured White Paper ====

Ensuring Protection and Availability for Microsoft Exchange

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