Hi Guys.

I want to start a discussion on Server-Free Backup.

Server-Free backup is to bee the holy grail in SAN backup. Server free
backup is just when you tell something on the san backup these files, and it
will copy disk to disk or disk to tape or what ever you want. This will make
use of the SCSI 3´rd party command (XCOPY), and it´s real easy to write code
that can recive that command and do the read and write because all the work
is done, because it all comes down to "i want this track and block copyed to
this device". Whats hard to do is to build that command in the fist place.
File space has to bee written such that they will accept a request for a
3´rd party copy command and they haft to have a API so that the applications
know that it´s possible or the application has to go around the file system
and write directly to the SCSI adapter and then it got to figure out where
all those files are. So the kind of Server Free Backup going on today is
realy full volume backup where it´s jst block 0, block 1, blcok 2 and its
more of a Server Free dump than a Server Free Backup.

So my point is that when you use software to do a block level backup on the
SAN. I belive that hardware, where you have firmware microcode will always
be better than software. kinda like hardware raid vs software raid.

I dont see any true benefits from using Server Free backup because today
you´ll alwayes bee bound to full volume backup, and there are usualy mutch
beter deviceses out on the san that can do that. The only scenario i see
where Server Free backup would be acceptable is when you can start doing a
file level backup. but that just isn´t possible today.

I belive Server Free backup is just a sales hype, Server Free isn´t ready
and wont be for many years to come.


Please share your thoughts on my statement.
Kvedja/Regards
Petur Eythorsson
Taeknimadur/Technician
IBM Certified Specialist - AIX
Tivoli Storage Manager Certified Professional
Microsoft Certified System Engineer

peddi AT itn DOT is

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