Online Backup Frequently Asked Questions

Transcription

1 Online Backup Frequently Asked Questions

2 1 INSTALLATION 1.1 Who installs the Redstor Online Backup service? 1.2 How does the installed client connect to Redstor s Cloud Platform? 1.3 On which machines is Redstor s Online Backup software installed? 1.4 Can Redstor s Online Backup client be installed remotely? 1.5 Can I do a silent install of the software? 2 CONFIGURATION OF BACKUPS & SCHEDULES 2.1 What access permissions are required to configure the backup client? 2.2 Whose responsibility is it to configure the backup sets and schedules? 2.3 Which user(s) will have access to configure backup sets and schedules? 2.4 Can users be responsible for their own backups? 2.5 What options are available for setting the frequency of backups? 2.6 What options are available for setting the granularity of the backup sets? 2.7 In what order will backup sets be backed up? Can a machine or folder be prioritised? 2.8 Is it possible for multiple machines to be backed up simultaneously? 2.9 Can limits be placed upon the backup window timeframe? 3 DATA BACKUP AND THE REDSTOR ONLINE BACKUP CLIENT 3.1 How is the initial backup completed? 3.2 How are subsequent backups completed? 3.3 Is it necessary to create a separate user on all devices on which the service backs up data? 3.4 What is data de-duplication? 3.5 How does binary patching work? 3.6 Hoe does delta blocking work? 3.7 How does streamlining work? 3.8 If a backup is interrupted due to a crash or lost connection, how is this handled? 3.9 Does Online Backup maintain a constant connection to Redstor s platform? 3.10 How many versions of my files will be held on Redstor s platform 3.11 Are permissions retained when files are backed up by Redstor Online Backup? 3.12 Is Redstor Online Backup able to back up open files? 3.13 How is Online Backup affected by hard drive defragmentation? 3.14 What happens if the machine on which Online Backup is installed, fails permanently? 3.15 Once the initial backup set has been configured, is it possible to change this later on? 4 DATA TRANSMISSION 4.1 How does Redstor ensure the secure transmission of data off-site? 4.2 What happens if the secure connection is disrupted or lost? 4.3 What data is transferred each time a backup takes place? 4.4 Is it possible to monitor bandwidth usage during and after a backup? 4.5 Is it possible to restrict / limit bandwidth utilisation?

3 5 OFF-SITE STORAGE AT REDSTOR 5.1 How is data stored off-site on Redstor s platform? 5.2 Who has access to my data while it is stored on Redstor s platform? 5.3 What physical security measures are in place at Redstor s data centres? 5.4 Is my data held in more than one location whilst off-site? 6 RESTORATION OF DATA 6.1 At what point is my data protected and available for restore in the event of a disaster? 6.2 Does data have to be restored to the machine from which it came? 6.3 Can I restore individual files rather than a whole backup set? 6.4 How does Online Backup handle Exchange restores including individual s? 6.5 How does Online Backup handle SQL restores? 6.6 How does Online Backup handle Sharepoint restores? 6.7 Can I restore an entire backup set to a previous point in time? 7 COMPRESSION, ENCRYPTION & SECURITY 7.1 Why does Redstor encrypt data? 7.2 What encryption standards are used? 7.3 Why is data compressed and what does this mean? 7.4 What level of compression can be expected? 8 MONITORING 8.1 How does Redstor monitor the service? 8.2 How is the Online Backup service administered on an on-going basis? 8.3 What functionality is available on Redstor s web portal? 9 DISASTER RECOVERY 9.1 In the event of a disaster, can I prioritise the restoration of my most critical data first? 9.2 Can I request a test restore to ensure the system is working as expected? 9.3 In the event of a fire or flood where my whole site is lost, how can I restore my data? 10 LOCAL STORAGE 10.1 Does Redstor s Online Backup solution include a local copy of my data? 10.2 What are the advantages of having a local copy of data? 11 ENDPOINT PROTECTION 11.1 I want to protect data residing on laptops and PCs as well as servers. Can Online Backup do this? 12 VIRTUALISATION 12.1 Is it possible for Redstor s Online Backup client to run from a virtual machine?

4 1 INSTALLATION 1.1 Who installs the Redstor Online Backup service? Typically the end user or their service provider will install the backup software having received sufficient training from Redstor. However, it is possible to request Redstor to help with the installation(s). This is something that can be discussed with your account manager. 1.2 How does the installed client connect to Redstor s Cloud Platform? The backup client communicated on port 443 on the following range of IP addresses All client to platform communications are secured with SSL and all communications come outbound from the client to the Redstor servers. 1.3 On which machines is Redstor s Online Backup software installed? The software is typically installed on the device where the data is held. However, if you intend to backup data from a device on which a backup client cannot be installed, for example a NAS device or an unsupported operating system, the UNC backup functionality can be used from another host to protect the data remotely. 1.4 Can Redstor s Online Backup client be installed remotely? Yes. The software can be installed remotely using conventional remote desktop tools (RDP & VNC, etc). 1.5 Can Redstor s Online Backup client be installed silently? Yes. You can create an installer that installs and pre-populates all fields silently. 2 CONFIGURATION OF BACKUPS & SCHEDULES 2.1 What access permissions are required to configure the backup client? The user installing / configuring the backup client needs to have sufficient permissions to install the software. This typically is a user with administrative privileges such as the local or domain administrator. 2.2 Whose responsibility is it to configure the backup sets and schedules? It is the responsibility of the end user to determine and configure the backup schedule. 2.3 Which user(s) will have access to configure backup sets and schedules? By default, a user with access to the client can configure the backup selections and schedules. Access to the software can be restricted using a password protection feature which can be enabled through the client GUI. 2.4 Can users be responsible for their own backups? Yes, depending on the agreement between the service provider and the end user 2.5 What options are available for setting the frequency of backups? Options range from manual backup to automatic daily backup or alternatively an advanced schedule can be setup whereby certain days/times are selected for backup. 2.6 What options are available for setting the granularity of the backup sets? Using the file/folder pane the abckup selection can be configured. The selection options range from the inclusion of specific files through to entire volumes. The client also supports the backup of specified file extensions and has a comprehensive set of plugins.

5 2.7 In what order will backup sets be backed up? Can a machine or folder be prioritised? Backup sets are backed up based upon the defined backup schedule. You can prioritise one backup set over another by scheduling it before the remaining backup set(s). 2.8 Is it possible for multiple machines to be backed up simultaneously? Yes. This assumes that multiple clients are installed with the environment. 2.9 Can limits be placed upon the backup window timeframe? Yes to an extent. The client can be set to throttle bandwidth at user specified times. This can be used in conjunction with the advanced backup schedule. 3 DATA BACKUP AND THE REDSTOR ONLINE BACKUP CLIENT 3.1 How is the initial backup completed? The initial backup is a full backup which can either be completed online (via the internet) or alternatively via a HDD USB drive (snapshot backup). Typically the size of the first backup and available bandwidth will determine the transfer method used. 3.2 How are subsequent backups completed? Subsequent backups will be incremental sending only the changes since the previous backup. This applies to existing data only. If new files are added to the backup selection they are sent in full. Then on the next subsequent backup they would be patched if any changes had taken place. 3.3 Is it necessary to create a separate user on all devices on which Online Backup Plus backs up data? No. The backup application runs as a service (Windows OS). By default it will be installed as the local system user but it is possible to specify an alternative user. E.g. Administrator. NOTE: This is typically only required when local system permissions are not sufficient to backup data. 3.4 What is data de-duplication? Data de-duplication is a technology applied during the backup/storage process that enables the software to identify duplicate copies of data. The client-side benefit is that only one copy of the duplicate file needs to be sent to the storage platform (cloud storage) and the remaining copies are referenced. In the event of a restore the index is rebuilt and the multiple copies of the file can be restored from the one instance of the file. 3.5 How does binary patching work? Binary patching works by scanning the file structure/data in a bit by bit approach examining each bit one by one looking for changes to the data. E.g. 1I1I0I1I0I1I0 In the event that data has changed (the file amended) the changes will be sent to the storage platform. 0I1. The benefit of this approach is that it is extremely efficient at identifying changes to the data protected from one backup to the next. This in turn means bandwidth savings. 3.6 How does delta blocking work? Like binary patching, delta blocking scans the file structure/data but rather than scan in a bit by bit approact delta blocking will examine the data in blocks. E.g. 110I101I0. In the event that data has changed within a block he whole block will be sent to the storage platform 110I101. In these examples it can be seen that the use of delta blocking has resulted in a greater number of changes being sent to the storage platform. The benefit of this approach is local resource savings (CPU, Disk Space and Memory). 3.7 How does streaming work? Streaming sends data changes directly to the Storage Platform without the need to temporarily stage them to local disk. This means that no additional disk storage is used by the client and backups are much faster.

6 3.8 If a backup is interrupted due to a lost connection, how is this handled? In the event that the backup is interrupted it will try to reconnect several times within the space of a few minutes. The number of retries before cancelling is customisable which can be useful if the network connection is unreliable. In the event that a connection is not restored by the last retry attempt the backup will be aborted and marked as failed. If the user then attempts a manual backup the option to resume will be present (assuming the client had reached the transmission stage of the backup process). If the backup client is left to run to schedule post failed backup it will run from the beginning again. 3.9 Does Online Backup maintain a constant connection to Redstor s platform? No. The client only initiates connections when performing one of the following tasks: Administrative tasks Backup operation Restore operation 3.10 How many versions of my files will be held on Redstor s platform? By default the Redstor Online Backup service stores up to 60 days worth of backups and 1 month end. A month end is the data appeared atthe end of the oldest retainable month. Should you require it, Redstor also offer long term retention periods and can archive data for as long as is necessary Are permissions retained when files are backed up by Redstor Online Backup? Yes. The backup client allows the restoring of file and folder permissions when conducting restores Is Redstor Online Backup able to back up open files? Yes. The backup client supports the backup of open files through VSS (Windows OS). With some files when open it may not be possible to back them up How is Online Backup affected by hard drive defragmentation? Disk defragmentation may cause an increased load on your system which may have knock on effect on the backup performance. Where possible these should be scheduled to run at differant times of day. Defragmentation will have no impact on the volume of data sent by the client What happens if the machine on which Online Backup is installed, fails permanently? If the server requires replacement, it is possible to reinstall the client software on the new server and perform a reconnection to the existing account. It will be necessary to have the access to the account name, password and user defined encryption key during this automated process Once the initial backup set has been configured, is it possible to change this later on? Yes. The backup set(s) can be modified post initial configuration. 4 DATA TRANSMISSION 4.1 How does Redstor Online Backup ensure the secure transmission of data off-site? Our Online Backup software utilises 128Bit SSL encryption on TCP port 443 during data transmission from client to platform. At rest, the data is stored at 256bit AES encryption. 4.2 What happens if the connection is disrupted or lost? If the secure connection is lost the backup client will try to re-establish the connection with retry attempts. If a connection cannot be obtained the backup is aborted and logged as failed.

7 4.3 What data is transferred each time a backup takes place? First Backup = All data selected Subsequent Backups = All incremental changes to existing data and any new files added since the last backup. 4.4 Is it possible to monitor bandwidth usage during and after backup? The client has a progress monitor that shows data to be sent to the platform and estimated time remaining. There is also a post backup log which details average transmission rate. Further statistics are available via console reporting. 4.5 Is it possible to restrict / limit bandwidth utilisation? Yes. The client can be set to throttle bandwidth at user specified times through the options menu (Tools > Options > Backup Throttle) 5 OFF-SITE STORAGE AT REDSTOR 5.1 How is my data stored off-site on Redstor s platform? Data is stored at two geographically separate data centre locations. The primary being in Slough, UK and the mirror site being in Reading, UK. The data is stored at rest using 256Bit AES encryption. Mirroring of data between the primary and secondary platform ensures data availability from each site. How is data stored off-site on Redstor s Platform?How is my data stored off-site on Redstor s platform? 5.2 Who has access to my data while it is stored on Redstor s platform? Data on the Redstor platform is encrypted at all times, so even though the data is accessible to Redstor s administrators, it is not in a usable format. Data can only be accesed in its original format using the backup client and encryption details specified by the user of the service. 5.3 What physical security measures are in place at Redstor s data centres? Redstor data centres are highly secure with CCTV surveillance, 24/7 security and state of the are physical security. 5.4 Is my data held in more than one location whilst off-site? Yes. Data is held in two locations (primary and mirror) both of which are within the United Kingdom. 6 RESTORATION OF DATA 6.1 At what point is my data protected and available for restore in the event of a disaster? Your data is available online 24/7/365 days a year with the exception of any scheduled or unscheduled downtime. 6.2 Does data have to be restored to the machine from which it came? No. Data can be restored to a location of choice. 6.3 Can I restore individual files rather than a whole backup set? Yes. 6.4 How does Online Backup handle Exchange restores including individual s? Depending on the method of backup, Exchange data can either be restored in full or at mailbox level. The restoration options will depend on the version of Exchange and the combination of plugins used. For more information relating to the recovery of Exchange data, please refer to the plugins manual. 6.5 How does Online Backup handle SQL restores? Depending on the method of backup, SQL restores can be conducted either from local copies of the SQL dump or alternatively can be recovered from the online copy of the data. For more information relating to the recovery of SQL data, please refer to the plugins manual.

8 6.6 Can I restore an entire backup set to a previous point in time? Yes. It is possible to select an entire drive(s) for restore. System state is restored separately. Please refer to the manual for further information. 7 COMPRESSION, ENCRYPTION & SECURITY 7.1 Why does Redstor encrypt data? Data is encrypted to keep it secure and is only visible in its decrypted state to the customer. 7.2 What encryption standards are used? 128Bit SSL (During transmissions from the Client to the Cloud and vice versa) 256Bit AES (Whilst at rest on the Cloud Platform) 7.3 Why is data compressed and what does this mean? Data is compressed to save disk space and bandwidth. Compression is a method of reduicng the space requirement for the storing of data. 7.4 What level of compression can be expected? It depends. Whilst text and word processor documents compress very well (>50%) pictures and video may not benefit greatly from compression. 8 MONITORING 8.1 How does Redstor monitor the service? Redstor monitors the service at multiple levels by including the application and infrastructure levels. Monitoring is conducted both by technicians and automated availability/performance monitoring tools. 8.2 How is the Online Backup service administered on an on-going basis? Although the service can be setup and then left to run automatically, as best practise, we recommend configuring daily backup reports and actively checking the completion status of backups using the management console to ensure no errors ooccur. 8.3 What functionality is available on Redstor s web portal? In addition to being able to restore from the client and management console we offer a web interface known as Web Access where it is possible to recover files on an ad-hoc basis. Please note that Web Access is designed for individual file restores and not disaster recoveries. Web Access supports the restore of files up to 1GB. 9 DISASTER RECOVERY 9.1 In the event of a disaster, can I prioritise the restoration of my most critical data first? Yes. It is possible to choose the order in which files are recovered. 9.2 Can I request a test restore to ensure the system is working as expected? Yes you can perform test restores via the internet at your convenience. Should you wish to perform a test HDD snapshot restore via courier, charges may apply.

9 9.3 In the event of a fire or flood where my whole site is lost, how can I restore my data? You would be able to restore the data to an alternative location or multiple locations. Simply install the backup client, reconnect to the account and then select the data to be restored. 10 LOCAL STORAGE 10.1 Does Redstor s Online Backup solution include a local backup of my data? Depending on the patching method used, cache retention policy and the combination of plugins installed yes. Fore more information please consult support@redstor.com or alternatively see the manual What are the advantages of having a local copy of my data? Speed of restore is improved where the internet connection is slow or unreliable. 11 DATA PROTECTION 11.1 I want to protect data residing on laptops and PCs as well as servers. Can Online Backup do this? Yes we have a Desktop and Laptop version of the software which supports the following operating systems: Desktop and Laptop Edition Windows XP (SP3 +) Windows Vista Windows 7 Windows MAC OS X ( ) 12 VIRTUALISATION 12.1 Is it possible for Redstor s Online Backup client to run inside a virtual machine? Yes. Backups of Virtual Machines using a client natively installed are fully supported.