Frequently
asked questions about remote backups
How secure is my data?
Our service encrypts the information not only during the transfer of
data, but the storage of the data as well.
What about Open Files?
Your open files (Win XP and 2003 Server) backup using an exclusive
'Shadow Copy' feature. Whereas, traditionally open files have been a
challenge for tape, CD and other backup solutions, we solve the problem.
Where does my data 'go' when I back it up?
Your data goes to your own designated on-line data storage facility
located in Smithtown, NY. There is a separate location which contains a
mirror of the data.
I already have a tape drive and do all my backups. Why would I need a
Remote Backup System?
Most small businesses do not conduct proper backups and few take their
tapes off-site.
Won't you have access to my company records?
No, your files are very securely encrypted before they leave your office.
Only you have the password. No one else can access your files.
What about upgrades?
Upgrades are provided free of charge for the life of your subscription.
What do I have to do, how much trouble will this system be for me?
You do not have to do anything. Our remote backup system is completely
automatic. After it is installed on your computer it requires no
maintenance. You just forget it's there.
What about backups requiring specialized formatting like databases?
The service we use has special plug-ins for all major database formats.
What data does
Televaulting protect?
Televaulting protects data on all selected servers, desktops and laptops.
Televaulting has extensive OS support for Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003; Novell
NetWare, VMware, Mac OS X, IBM AIX, SUN Solaris, HP-UX, HP-Tru64 UNIX, IBM
iSeries OS-400, Red Hat Linux, and Novell Suse Linux.
Televaulting provides extensive database support for Microsoft SQL Server,
Microsoft Exchange Server & Outlook 2000/2003, Oracle 8 and above, IBM DB2, and
MySQL, PostgreSQL.
To what level does support SharePoint?
SharePoint support enables enterprises to protect servers across
distributed sites and gives MSPs a more comprehensive backup and storage
solution. extends object-level restore capabilities of whole sites,
databases, individual documents, calendars and more across distributed computing
environments.
How can I estimate how much data I have to backup and vault?
The LAN Storage Discovery Tool helps administrators collect and evaluate file
data according to a number of pre-selected parameters and display each ROBO site
in an Excel graphical format. This tool helps administrators define different
tiers of data and how many versions of that data should be kept online in the
DS-System. Some of the report templates include: Share Usage, Largest Files,
Largest Duplicates, Ownership, File Type Distribution, Partition Size, Access
Report, Dormant Files, Growth and Modified Files, SQL Server Size, and Exchange
Server Size.
How is the first backup done, given that there will be a lot of data?
For large data volumes, the initial backup may be done to a portable unit,
backing up at LAN speeds to a large array of disks. When the full backup of your
data is complete, the disks are transported back to the Data Center. Future
backups, which are purely incremental, will be transmitted online and
synchronized with your initial backup data at the Data Center.
What level of granularity is possible in setting up the backup, i.e. file
level/individual database?
A backup set can include a whole server, share/volume, directory or even a
single file. The backup set could even include just a registry, should you
desire.
Can one machine be prioritized over another?
There are literally hundreds of different priority levels that can be assigned,
ensuring maximum flexibility when organizing your backup schedules.
Can the software be set to stop backing up after a certain time has elapsed?
Yes, the software is designed to fit specific backup windows. Policies can be
set to designate what time to stop at, for example at 8:00am when employees are
starting to arrive, or maybe by 5:00am if there is an important batch process to
run.
How does Televaulting access data without agents?
The Televaulting software eliminates the requirement for locally installed
agents because it leverages the protocols, APIs, methods and functionality that
platform, operating system, database, and other application vendors utilize for
remotely accessing and managing their own systems. While other backup/restore
solutions require a unique backup agent (installed on every target server,
workstation, and laptop) for each type of system and application, the
Televaulting architecture integrates support for all major platforms and
applications into a single, optimized software system comprised of just two
major components: the DS-Client (just one installed at each remote site) and the
DS-System (installed at the vaulting location).
What is de-duplication?
De-duplication is one of the sophisticated ways that the Televaulting
reduces the raw data from your network servers across all remote offices to a
size that can be transmitted over the WAN. It ensures that the same data is
never transmitted offsite more than twice, thereby saving the bandwidth to
transmit only new, unique data. It achieves this simple elimination by
generating a digital signature of each file as it is backed up and comparing it
against the known details of all previous files. If the digital signature
matches a previously backed up file, it must be a duplicate and only a shortcut
need be transmitted up the line. Due to the way this technique is applied, it
does not matter if the files are on different servers, at different offices or
even have different filenames.
What is delta blocking? How does it work?
Delta blocking is an advanced logic that divides all files into blocks. When the
file is detected to have changed, the digital signature of each block is
compared against the last known digital signature for the same block of the same
file (stored in the database on the DS-Client. Any blocks that are different are
pulled out to be re-transmitted. These delta blocks will also be compressed and
encrypted before transmission.
What happens if a server stops or crashes during backup or if the backup is
interrupted for some other reason?
If the backup is stopped, for whatever reason, it will simply continue onto the
next backup in its schedule. It will not revisit the failed backup set until the
next time it is set to run, e.g. the following night, at which point it will
pick up where it left off. If however the problem has been rectified, and backup
window allows, the backup can be restarted manually, immediately.
How many versions of my backed up files are held offsite?
The number of versions is a parameter that the sytems administrator sets during
installation. Unlike a tape backup, where the routine is to rotate tapes in a
cycle, Televaulting will only back up a new version of a file when it has
changed, guaranteeing that the customer is not wasting space backing up exactly
the same version more than once. For example, if a file only changes once a
month, there will be 7 months worth of that file. The number of versions stored
can be configured on an individual backup set basis. Each backup set can be
configured down to include just one file if desired, giving you the ability to
maximize the efficiency of the storage.
How does Autonomic Healing ensure successful backups and restores?
Autonomic Healing serves as a network immune system, constantly scanning all
backup data for corrupted or otherwise problematic files. This can include files
with data corruption or logical inconsistencies caused by third-party
technologies (such as faulty RAID controllers, file systems, operating systems,
disk subsystems, network packet loss, etc.). As Autonomic Healing checks backup
files, it automatically corrects file and directory ID duplications, without the
need of human intervention. When Autonomic Healing finds a problematic file that
it can’t fix at the offsite location, it automatically triggers the system’s
software at the primary site to re-synchronize and resend any corrupted files
during the next scheduled backup. Autonomic Healing runs in the background,
analyzing, repairing and replacing files as required – if there are any
additional needs that it can’t handle, the software quickly notifies the IT
backup administrators to take manual action.
What backup benefits does 64-bit native processing deliver?
supports single or multi-core x64 processors for maximum performance and
scalability. Televaulting multi-threaded backup software processes several
orders of magnitude more data and allows larger data block reduction for near
real-time distributed data protection. A single DS-System vault central site
can support tens of thousands of concurrent backup/restore activities. 64-bit
Televaulting can process block-level incremental backup and deduplication for
files up to 4TB in size.
I have a virtual server environment, what are the advantages to using
for backup?
's agentless architecture enables users to restore individual VMs in a
virtualized server set without having to restore the entire set of servers in
the event of single-server data loss or corruption. The agentless design saves
time in implementing the backup and recovery process, and provides much faster
and more granular recovery in the event of a failure. File-level recovery at the
VM and guest OS level extends mainstream backup abilities to virtual server
environments. Live VM backup allows administrators to back up VMs in the midst
of production operations without disruption to production windows. ’s pre/post
processors allow a smooth backup of a quiescent VM environment.
How and to what standard is the data encrypted?
The small files and delta blocks of data are first compressed and then encrypted
up to AES 256, which is set by the customer during the installation of the
DS-Client. Data remains encrypted in-flight and at-rest. The backup data is only
unencrypted by the DS-Client at your site when it has retrieved the encrypted
data from your Data Center for a restore.
What do you mean by compression? What happens?
Compression can be likened to letting the air out of a balloon. Although the air
has gone, the structure still exists and it can be re-inflated easily. The
advantage is that it takes less room. Files, especially databases, are often
full of empty space, which can be removed to make the file smaller for transit,
whilst making it very easy to recreate. A conservative compression to expect
with Televaulting is 4:1.
Does all of the remote office/branch office data get transferred every day?
Only new and unique data will get backed up. Duplicate or unchanged files will
not be transmitted.
What format is the data held in, i.e. on disk or tape?
The data is held on disk for rapid access times.
At what point is the data available for restore?
The data is available for restore immediately after it has been backed up and is
held offsite.
Can an individual file or registry be restored?
Yes, you can restore an individual file or registry and also specify which
version you want to restore.
Can Televaulting perform bare-metal restores?
Assuming that the machine in question has had a full backup of all files and
registry, then a full disaster recovery of that machine is very simple.
Can data be restored to a different machine on our network?
Yes, the restore data can be redirected as desired. You are able to browse the
network and provide connection credentials for the redirected restore, just as
you do for creating the initial backup set.
How does handle message level restores for emails?
The agentless Message Level Restore (MLR) module allows users to selectively
back up and restore individual mailboxes and email messages for one user or for
an entire network, depending on needs. Using selective filtering, administrators
can save time, money and resources by restoring only selected mailboxes or
emails, instead of having to restore the entire Exchange, Domino or GroupWise
databases.
Can we prioritize which data is restored in the event of a disaster?
Yes, you can select easily which files/directories/servers you wish to restore.
There is no need to restore non-essential data until a later time if desired.
How do I recover an entire ROBO site if all data is lost during a disaster?
The restore method depends upon the recovery time objectives (RTO), the amount
of data to transmit and the bandwidth of line installed. Often there is too much
data to restore via the WAN if the latest backup copy on local storage has been
destroyed. If the actual ROBO has been destroyed then the data will be restored
to an alternate DR location.
There are three methods in which data can be restored.
- Data is restored across the WAN link
- Restore data is delivered via a portable disk
- A portable DS-System can be delivered to the customer's site or alternative disaster recovery location or hot-site in the event of a major DR effort.