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As the need for system availability increases, especially in 24 hour operations, the backup “window” must decrease to prevent data from changing while being backed up.

Backing up “live” data can cause erroneous or partially updated files after such data is restored from a backup. This is particularly problematic with databases, which typically have relational data that must be kept in sync.

SBAdmin includes the ability to perform a snap shot, or point in time backup of any live data contained in Logical Volumes. Logical Volumes are software storage devices used exclusively on AIX systems and are quickly becoming a standard installation storage configuration on Linux systems.

Logical volumes are created by the Logical Volume Manager (LVM) package. SBAdmin performs snap shot backups by backing up an offline copy of all data in the logical volumes.

This allows users to continue to access and modify data in the online copy, while the backup includes all data as it was when the backup process started. This ensures the relational data, when restored, is all at the same point in time, no matter how long the backup takes.

SBAdmin uses a Split Mirror Backup process on AIX systems to capture data from an offline copy of a mirrored logical volume. All AIX systems use the Logical Volume Manager (LVM) for storing all data.

Logical volumes may be mirrored, keeping a separate up to date copy of all data as the data is changed. SBAdmin will allow you to configure split mirror backups, which will break off a copy of the live data, and use the offline copy to perform the backup.

This is especially useful for backing up live data such as Oracle, DB2, or MySQL databases. When the backup is complete, SBAdmin returns the mirror and syncs it up with the online copy. LVM also allows for 2 mirrors (3 copies) of a logical, so SBAdmin can break off one copy while data and system availability is still preserved using the remaining mirrored copies.

A backup job configured to use split mirrors, whether a specific file system, raw database, or the entire system, performs all the steps in splitting off copies, backing up, and re-syncing the copies making the process automatic and transparent to the user.

On Linux systems SBAdmin uses the Snapshot Logical Volumes. Most Linux systems now support the Logical Volume Manager (LVM) for storing all types of data, from file systems to raw database data. SBAdmin provides a simple user interface for performing LVM snapshot backups.

Now, when performing any SBAdmin backup of LVM data, a copy of the live changing data is automatically created, allowing the original data to be “frozen in time” at the point of the backup. At the same time, users can continue accessing and updating the changed data while the backup is running.

When this “hot backup” completes, the system is returned to normal operation, and the entire process is completely transparent to the users. The interface gives you several options such as which logical volume to create the snapshot, whether to create them all at once or sequentially and whether to continue or fail if there is a problem.

Since the snapshot backups are performed on any data residing in logical volumes, including raw databases and file system data, any and all data, even on a full system backup, may be captured.

For more information about live data backups, oracle backup and recovery linux,and AIX data recovery visit our site.

Linux provides numerous options for configuring storage, such as Logical Volume Management (LVM), Software RAID (metadisks), and many various filesystem types. After a full system failure, recovering a server to its previous configuration can be quite a daunting task.

Also the cost involved to have a hardware technician perform the work could be very expensive. Add a change in disk hardware to the mix, and you may experience days of downtime!

While SBAdmin for Linux is a tape and disk backup management solution with many advanced features for managing your user data backup and restore strategy, it is the full system backup and recovery features that set us apart. Storix SBAdmin for Linux is the leader in Adaptable System Recovery (ASR).

This is the process to be able to perform hardware migration of the entire system (operating system and user data) onto different system and disk configurations. SBAdmin understands your Linux system and can individually backup and restore files, directories, filesystems, raw partitions, volume groups, raw logical volumes, software RAID devices or the entire system in case of disaster recovery.

Another versatile advantage is that backups can be archived to local or remote tape or disk.
Most bare metal restore products for Linux create disk images that limit your ability to flexibly restore the system.

SBAdmin records your system and storage configuration with each system backup. This information can then be used to rebuild the system from the ground up. Since we are rebuilding the system and not copying the system, within our System Installation Menus, you can easily make changes to that configuration to restore onto completely different hardware.

SBAdmin for Linux can not only restore your user data, but also can easily rebuild and restore your entire system. Every detail, including the disk placement of partitions, logical volumes (LVM1 & LVM2) and RAID devices, file system types and attributes is retained.

You can then change the configuration when reinstalling from a system backup to install onto different hardware or migrate to a different software storage configuration to increase flexibility, performance and availability. When it comes to Linux backup and recovery SBAdmin offers the most flexibility and reliability.

SBAdmin is very versatile and supports virtually any Linux distribution including RedHat (RHEL and Fedora), SuSE (SLES and OpenSuse), Ubuntu, Debian, Mandriva and Slackware, on the following hardware platforms.

Intel 32-bit (x86) systems, AMD64, EM64T, and x86_64 64-bit systems, IBM System p (pSeries/RS6000) and System i (iSeries), IA64 Itanium II (HP Integrity).

For more information about Linux backup and recovery or to learn more about how to data backup visit our site.

Here are a few tips I found that could be useful:

Let’s get to the important part first - if you’ve just lost your data, skip past this introduction and go directly to our first tip, so you can start your rescue operation. If not, a few minutes spent now might help you a lot in the future. Pay special attention to our third tip.

I always thought of myself as a reliable guy with reliable data. I never deleted my files accidentally; I made regular backups and had a power supply for my computer to protect me against surges and outages. However last year I experienced two cases of data loss where I needed to use recovery software. The first was a dead hard drive that’d hardly served a year. Subsequently, I accidentally deleted a large project file that was too big for the Recycle Bin. Happily I’ve got all my data back, thanks to good advice and a little preparation.

These handy tips will help you stay confident in the face of data loss, no matter how it occurs.

Steps
Tip #1
Use your system as little as possible until you recover all of your lost files. The more activity taking place on your hard disk, the greater the chance that some of your lost data might be written over.

Don’t copy any files to the disk containing your lost data;
Avoid browsing the web, because your web browser saves cache files on the disk;
Don’t launch any unnecessary programs, because they can also use your disk;
Don’t restart your computer.

Tip #2
Before you go further, take steps to free up some space on the disk containing your lost files. The more free space your system has, the less chance of overwriting any lost files with new ones. You can do one or more of the following things.

Delete old files that you don’t need anymore (you can also move them to another source, like a USB flash drive, instead of deleting);
Empty your Recycle Bin - making sure that you haven’t put any important files in there by mistake;
Empty your browser cache. For Internet Explorer, click on the “Tools” menu, and then select “Internet Options”. Then, on the “General” tab, click the “Delete Files…” button.

Tip #3
To install any software after data damage increases the risk of your data being overwritten, so if you haven’t had any data problems yet, consider installing a data recovery program just in case. Prevention is always better than cure, and a recovery program is good insurance for your data. However, if you don’t yet have a recovery program, find one and - if possible - avoid installing it to the disk where your lost files are located.

Most recovery programs work fairly similarly. You need to select the disk where the lost files are located, let the program analyze the content of the disk - this can take a while - and then select the file you want to recover. Then, provide a location where you want to save that file. You should try to avoid recovering files to the same disk. You could use another hard drive, a network or removable media like a floppy disk or USB flash drive.

After you recover your files, check that they are correct. If you’ve recovered applications, check that they still run, or if you’ve recovered documents, check that your words are still there. Even the best recovery software can’t guarantee 100% results. If some parts of your files were overwritten - meaning that other data was saved to their location on your disk - after recovery they might contain invalid information. Depending on the type of file involved, partially recovered files like this can be mended by special utilities.

The author writes about Linux Tip and blogs at http://www.hackitlinux.com/.

The huge amount of data stored on computers at home and in businesses, combined with the need to protect the files from disaster, has resulted in the need for backup mass data storage. Often when backups are full of copies of a network with increments of file changes, the backup is even larger than the originals. Because the data needs vary greatly, so do the data storage devices that meet them.

All Shapes and Sizes

Large businesses often store backups on tape devices. Sometimes the entire network is copied at regular intervals and the tapes are stored and then reused. Sometimes the network is copied, and then supplemented with taped copies of only the changes made since the last copy was completed. The copies have to be made at times when the network is not being used, and the tapes have to be stored carefully and replaced before they become worn. Other backup mass data storage devices use discs such as CD’s or DVD’s. The procedure is similar to that used with tapes. Because tape reels can hold more data, the discs have to be changed manually as they become full. Compression is used to fit more data on each device. For individual files, or those on a home computer, a zip drive may be sufficient to compress the data for storage.

USB devices often serve as data storage devices. External hard drives can backup all of the programs on a computer hard drive with or without the data files. It acts as a mirror of the existing hard drive and can restore a damaged computer easily. Flash memory devices are good options for both permanent storage and portable storage. The USB Implementers Forum has come up with a standardized set of communications protocols for backup mass data storage using USB. This ensures that all devices whether for external storage, digital cameras or cell phones will work with the USB port on a computer regardless of the manufacturer. This includes the operating systems of most computers.

The need for backup data storage devices began with large businesses like banks and stock exchanges, and has now filtered down to small businesses and home computers. The important thing to keep in mind is to make sure that otherwise irreplaceable files are backed up for protection. Whether the files consist of credit card numbers for thousands of customers or the first photos of someone’s grandchild, backup mass data storage devices can be lifesavers.

Roland Jefferson is an online researcher based out of Los Angeles, Calfornia. For free tips and resources covering storage, please visit our backup mass data storage Resource.

When you have a Windows XP system and your system restore won’t work, don’t worry. It could be something small. Have you thought about how a system restore works? Do you understand what it does? How should you really protect your data? Computers work in funny ways and if we are not sure what they are doing how can we truly protect ourselves. It is evident that more and more people are using computers and digital media but are not giving much thought to how they will backup their systems.

System Restore is a Windows XP system function that restores critical Operating System Files and registry entries back to their original state. It takes a snap shot of key files and the registry for restoring after an application install or driver install. A system restore gives you the ability to do a system restore to an earlier time. The resotre is only specific to those critical operating system files and registry keys. It does not provide you data protection for your regular day to day files or your important files. It won’t backup your mp3’s or your photos of your last vacation. It is merely there for assistance if you install something that doesn’t work right or causes problems with your Windows installation.

Another problem is when you want to restore your system to an earlier time in its entirety. It makes it difficult if you are just relying on system restore to do the job. Like I said system restore is a just in case measure for your Operating System’s important files and key registry areas. It could care less about your personal files. You will need to perform regular backups and full backups of your system if you want to restore your system to an earlier time in its entirety. It takes a little effort to set up but will be worth it in the end. Once you learn what to do and how to do it the backup and restore process will be easy.

Imagine just a few years ago storage was hard to come by because of its cost. Now storage is so cheap it makes sense to start backing up your computer regularly to external hard drives. It makes sense to learn how to implement a home backup system or plan that is automated and that you can setup and forget it until you need. The biggest problem people face today is they never have the backup when they need it. They always think about backing up their systems after a loss of data has happened.

Digital Data is growning by the hour as we move forward with technology and innovation. We are digitizing books, music, and pictures every minute. We, as computer users, must learn to backup our data often and systematize it. You never know when the mechanical hard drive will go bad. You never know when your electronics may get zapped. We must protect our investments of data that we have spent time collecting. It should be like brushing your teeth, done every day.

Don’t wait or put off the ultimate in data protection. Do your backup today so that you can be sure you will have it when you need to restore to an earlier time or if system restore is not working. Be prepared.

Imagine having the ability to schedule a backup and walk away knowing your data is being protected nightly. Learn how to perform a restore to an earlier time, find out how to backup files, and find out how to protect your data. If your system restore won’t work then come check out how to fix it now.

In response to an explosion of major corporate benefits and accounting scandals in recent years, Congress passed two laws regulating the storage and reporting of internal data.

The first impact was felt in corporate America by the passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996. The Administrative Simplification (AS) provisions of HIPAA mandated national standards for electronic health care transactions and identifiers for providers, health insurance plans, and employers.

Under HIPAA, an IT audit most often is performed in conjunction with a financial statement audit or an internal audit. Evidence is collected and evaluated concerning an organization’s information systems, practices, and operations to determine whether those systems record and maintain accurate, reliable data. Given the sensitivity of patient data in a medical setting this is clearly an appropriate measure.

An IT audit doesn’t focus on internal controls in the way a financial audit does. Rather, it seeks to determine risks relevant to information assets, and to assess whatever controls are in place to eliminate or reduce those risks. The focus of an IT audit is on evaluating a system’s availability, confidentiality and integrity.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 created (among other oversight regulations) the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), which addresses the role IT plays in a company’s internal controls. The PCAOB’s “Auditing Standard 2″ states: “The nature and characteristics of a company’s use of information technology in its information system affect the company’s internal control over financial reporting,” and its provisions are targeted toward seeing that those controls and reporting are legitimate and accurate. Clearly recent high-profile corporate scandals reinforce the need for checks and balances.

Under this law, auditors audit key and general controls, with “key” controls being those that are key to ensuring that numbers shown on the company’s balance sheet are authentic. (For instance, there might be a trigger on a database table to ensure that adding any entry into the accounts receivable table automatically creates an entry into the general ledger.) The person held accountable for seeing that these regulations are met is the company’s Chief Information Officer (CIO).

Given the breadth and complexity of current federal law governing storage and maintenance of IT data, prudent business owners will take whatever steps necessary to assure their IT systems and controls meet or exceed regulations. Taking the time today to ascertain that your online offsite backup system complies with federal regulations will save you countless intrusive and costly auditing headaches, down the road.

You can never be too prepared when disaster strikes. Protect yourself from data loss with online backup from Global Data Vault. Avoid downtime, revenue loss and angry customers with remote backup services from Global Data Vault.
http://www.globaldatavault.com

Most business owners today would wind up in “rubber rooms” in a hurry were it not for their Information Technology (IT) people. How many CEOs out there actually speak or understand “Techie” or the reasons why they need what IT says they need?

No one’s challenging the importance or value of a good IT Department in today’s business world - but top management really should understand at least the basic reasons IT makes the choices and decisions it makes. So, in plain English, here’s why online, offsite data storage should be given serious thought.

Consider how crippling (and painful) would it be if your business suddenly lost all its files. Customer data … customer orders … your own business data…. Just imagining what it would be like is enough to send most business owners into a panic - and rightfully so. Yet many (if not most) businesses put their commercial lives at risk online every single day — and aren’t even aware of doing so.

In a business sense, if in no other, ignorance most definitely is not bliss. With the explosion of commerce on the internet, competition is fiercer than it has been ever before in history. In today’s business climate, it’s absolutely essential that your online business operate without fail day and night, every day of the year — because if error messages or downed servers or other glitches greet potential customers when they access your site, your many competitors are just a simple mouse-click away, ready and eager to snatch them out of your hands.

Your every day, online dealings with customers are conducted with the help of databases on your own servers, on your own premises, supplying relevant customer and business information. Any significant or recurring glitch in this service instantaneously translates to poor customer relations, loss of business and a sullied business reputation. Any way you look at it, loss or corruption of customer data is going to cost your business time and money - whether it’s in lost or inaccurate sales or in server downtime to find and fix the errors.

Remote, offsite backup essentially functions in the same way regular tape backups do - but with one major - and important - difference. Instead of sending backups to a tape or to another drive attached to your on-site server, data is sent to another computer safely off-site. No one has to remember to do it, either; it’s automatically done, each and every day.

Even if you already utilize a tape backup system, incorporating a remote backup system as well makes sound business sense. Critical files (such as customer contacts, billing data, client databases, etc.) can be kept on the remote backup system. Your tape system then can be used to create a full backup of the system just once a month or so. Doing this, your on-site tapes will last longer - and the drive will require less maintenance - while the remote backup gives you quick and easy retrieval of critical files and databases as needed.

With online backup, smooth functioning of online transactions supplying crucial customer and business information is assured. A good remote online backup service keeps your data safe and secure in remote locations and allows you to access, update, and recover important files and documents without your business suffering downtime or lost customers.

You can never be too prepared when disaster strikes. Protect yourself from data loss with online backup from Global Data Vault. Avoid downtime, revenue loss and angry customers with remote backup services from Global Data Vault.
http://www.globaldatavault.com

Once they understand how it works, many small to medium-sized business owners eagerly accept their IT manager’s suggestion to move their data storage system to the services of a web-based storage provider. The reason why is simple: compared to the costs of traditional backup systems (including hardware, various media and costly, constant human interaction) the savings and benefits of an online backup system are impressive, in terms of dollars, man-hours and reliability.

Large companies usually have the IT budget necessary to pay for on-site backup systems and a full-time, 24-hour staff to handle backups and restores. However - even though their data is just as critical to success - most small businesses usually don’t have the money to pour into that kind of data storage system. There’s hardly money for even a dedicated backup server - forget about a dedicated IT staff. The sad reality is that, most often, a small business’ IT staff is so overloaded with and overwhelmed by the many, vital tasks of managing the company’s data on a daily basis that they frequently shove running backups to a back burner, just hoping they’ll get to it before disaster strikes.

There’s no worry about security of data in the hands of a reliable online data storage company, either. When that concern is voiced, it’s almost always because the person worrying about it simply doesn’t fully understand either the technology or the process.

In fact, all stored data is encrypted before it’s moved to the internet, and the data stays encrypted until the customer him- or herself needs to access it. Even then, only the business has the encryption key needed to release the data to view. The level of encryption is extremely high, as well. Online data storage companies most frequently use the same types and levels of encryption utilized by large financial institutions and the federal government.

Another plus of online data storage is the time necessary to recall whatever data is required. Typically, recovery time for data stored online is much less than the time needed to recover from tapes, CDs or zip drives. And with online data storage, there’s no IT personnel involved in either accessing or restoring … no time spent picking up media from an off-site storage facility and bringing it back to the office … no time spent searching for the right tape and then downloading it to a server … no human error and no salaried time wasted on the mundane (but necessary) machinations of manual data retrieval.

Considering the time, personnel and budgetary savings of using an online data storage system instead of media-oriented in-house backups, it’s no surprise that so many small to medium-sized business owners are opting for this process in lieu of their old reliance upon media-based storage. The speed, reliability and cost-savings of online data storage so far outpace the budgetary, personnel and space requirements of media-based systems that online backup is poised to replace media backups as the system of choice in today’s business world.

You can never be too prepared when disaster strikes. Protect yourself from data loss with online backup from Global Data Vault. Avoid downtime, revenue loss and angry customers with remote backup services from Global Data Vault.
http://www.globaldatavault.com

There’s a certain appeal, granted, to having all your business data - customer files, order information, organizational data - right there on tape, disc or zip drive on your own servers in your own offices or stored nearby.

Media based technologies once were, in fact, the most popular means for backing up crucial business data. However, these solutions have an escalating total cost of ownership and simply don’t provide the most secure data protection available today. As the business’ data grows, additional tapes, zip disks and CDs must be purchased, driving up equipment and maintenance costs.

And consider this….

What if there’s a fire? What if the fire, itself, is put out before much damage is done, but the sprinkler systems have gone off, drenching your IT facility along with everything else? What if a Trojan invades your servers? What if any one of dozens of all-too-common disasters strike and obliterate your carefully backed up business files in an instant?

If your media-based backup systems are all you’re relying on and something happens to damage or destroy them, your business is instantly up the proverbial creek without a paddle. And beyond the physical risk of sole reliance upon that kind of backup, the fact is that it’s more expensive, as well.

At first glance, media backups may seem to be cheaper, but there are hidden costs and hassles in using them that aren’t present with - aren’t even a consideration in - a remote, online backup system.

With media-based backups, an employee (or two or three) must physically see to the backup, and as well as time spent doing so there is the very real fact that human beings make human errors. Beyond that, the media files have to be physically transported to and from an off-site storage area … the storage area, itself, must be leased … the recovery process is unreliable, as well as time- and labor-intensive … restoring down to a single-file level can be very challenging … and, finally, you have no way of knowing whether data was accurately backed up.

With an online data backup system, there’s no personnel (and therefore no human error or salaried time) involved … it gets your data safely stored offsite for you, without anyone having to carry it there … you can schedule automatic backups for the middle of the night … you can restore a single file or an entire entry with just a couple of mouse clicks … you have access to at least twice as many (often more) historical versions of your data files … and you are automatically notified if there is any kind of glitch in the backup process.

Many companies today are opting to use both a tape/zip/CD backup and a remote backup system, relegating their media-based systems to performing monthly backups and utilizing the remote system for daily data backups. This is proving to be a very cost-effective approach in terms of employee costs and wear and tear on tapes and server hardware, and one well worth considering in the ever-changing world of online commerce.

You can never be too prepared when disaster strikes. Protect yourself from data loss with online backup from Global Data Vault. Avoid downtime, revenue loss and angry customers with remote backup services from Global Data Vault.
http://www.globaldatavault.com

A couple of years ago, when a business acquaintance first told me about his company’s decision to switch from media-based data storage (tapes, CDs, zip drives) to utilizing the services of an online data backup company, the first thing that came to mind was a nightmare that had occurred in my business back in the mid- to late 80s. “Disaster” was definitely the word for it - and our protection against the fallout from it was practically non-existent.

Sometime after the end of business on a Friday, some pipes burst in the suite of offices right above ours. Throughout the weekend, untold gallons of water crashed through the ceiling unrestrained and uncontrolled, so that by Monday morning it looked as if a tidal wave had washed us. Unexpected, to say the least, on the 14th floor of a building in the middle of town.

As is the case with most executives it was my habit to be the early bird to the office, and the sight that greeted me when I unlocked the door is forever burned into my brain. Our carpet was soaked through with three to four inches of water. Our furniture was all but floating through our suites - and even the pieces that remained stationary were soaked through and ruined. All the phone lines were shorted out. And I didn’t dare flip any light switches….

Worst of all, though, was what I saw when I went to inspect our small, fledgling IT area. Absolutely everything in the room was thoroughly drenched and dripping water, from our server to the file cabinets housing tape backups to the PCs on the desks. We had, just several months prior, begun the arduous task of moving our client and other business data from hard copies onto an electronic storage system - and I can still hear the one word that echoed in my head as I surveyed the damage: Gone.

Our insurance policy covered the financial losses - but nothing could reimburse us for or replace the staggering amount of vital data lost to the flood. Because this was in the 80s and IT departments were just beginning to be considered in small businesses, the learning curve was steep and expensive when anything out of the ordinary happened. Online data storage services didn’t even exist in those days. Our entire repository of crucial data had been on those tapes and on that server - and we lost almost all of it.

The first lesson my company learned from our flood was that we needed physical, off-site storage for our organizational and customer data. That’s how we handled backup and storage for many years following that event - but while that was a great deal safer than storing our data on-site, there was nothing to guarantee our storage site wouldn’t ever experience such an unexpected disaster, as well.

I never once fully stopped worrying about it - until I learned about online data storage and backup services.

Today, my company utilizes both an on-site tape backup and the services of a remote, online backup system. Our in-house tapes are mostly used for monthly backups (thus saving wear and tear on the tapes and maintenance on the hardware) and we use an online data and storage service for daily data backups. We’re fully covered, now - and our data is as safe as it possibly can be.

You can never be too prepared when disaster strikes. Protect yourself from data loss with online backup from Global Data Vault. Avoid downtime, revenue loss and angry customers with remote backup services from Global Data Vault.
http://www.globaldatavault.com