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Asigra introduces agentless VM backup
No CPU overhead.
By Chris Mellor, Techworld | Techworld
Published: 14:16 GMT, 31 July 07
Televaulting supplier Asigra has a new way of backing up virtual servers without the need for agent software on each server. Entire sets of virtual machines (VMs) - individual ones, or files - can be restored.
Asigra's Televaulting v7.0 software now supports VMware virtual servers. Its DS Client product runs in a commodity server at the target site and transfers backup data across a network, using compression and WAN acceleration techniques, to Asigra's DS System backup repository in a datacentre. Only changes are sent, block level changes of the VMDK files rather than the entire virtual machine, after the initial full backup.
Asigra's product offers encryption, de-duplication and continuous data protection with bare metal restore, virtual bare metal for virtual servers of course. Virtual machine restore can be to different hardware if the original physical server is not available. The product's Live VM backup allows administrators to back up VMs in the midst of production operations without disruption to production windows.
According to Asigra, disk-based backup products or services such as Symantec's PureDisk, Signiant's Mobilize for Remote Data Protection, Evault's InfoStage and EMC's Avamar Axion Replicator do not support VMware virtual server backup. Iron Mountain has televaulting services which do support VMware but requires agent software in the target servers and doesn't have a bare metal restore capability.
In a physical server, backup software runs in the machine and backs up individual files and folders or the entire disk data set to a locally connected tape system or disk-to-disk backup box. Televaulting suppliers backup the data over a network to a remote vaulting site by using software agents in each target server or by using a local site appliance, like the Asigra product, which sucks files and folders off the target machines and send them over the network.
Virtual servers can cause backup problems. Typically backup software or agent software running in the server backs up the entire set of virtual machines and taking up CPU resources to do so. Alternatively it runs in individual virtual machines (VM) and backs them up, again using local server CPU resources and also increasing software license costs.
According to IDC, by 2010, 1.7 million physical servers will be shipped to run virtual machines, a threefold increase over 2005. This substantial increase will increase demand for backup products to backup physical servers that may have up to 128 virtual machines running inside them, all with data protection needs.
Pricing uses a capacity-based scheme. The software is now 64-bit and offers orders of magnitude more performance than 32-bit software. A single DS-Client can backup many virtual servers in parallel.
It also means Exchange 2007, which is a 64-bit product, can be backed up and restored.
Tom Dugan, co-founder of the VMware User Group in Philadelphia, said: “Asigra provides the most comprehensive backup offering for VMware."
Lauren Whitehouse, an analyst for the Enterprise Strategy Group, said: “Virtual server environments bring an added layer of complexity when it comes to backup. Asigra’s agentless backup solution is definitely well equipped for this space, bringing a feature set that is positioning Asigra as a standout in VM backup."
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Add your commentComments
Observer Chris | Published: 09:45 GMT, 15 August 2007
That is what the writer says - unless it is a quote from Asigra, this claim is unfounded. Asigra didn't necessarily make that statement.
Snoopy Jr the Second | Published: 00:14 GMT, 15 August 2007
Not sure how one can misread this sentence: "According to Asigra, disk-based backup products or services such as Symantec's PureDisk, Signiant's Mobilize for Remote Data Protection, Evault's InfoStage and EMC's Avamar Axion Replicator do not support VMware virtual server backup."
Snoopy Jr. | Published: 12:17 GMT, 14 August 2007
I agree with Snooper James. We both misread that. We didn't focus on the ---agentless--- part. Sorry.
Snooper James | Published: 12:15 GMT, 14 August 2007
I read Asigra's (with one 's') comment and they are not claiming to be the only 64 bit backup product (they know better). I think they are claiming to be the only *agentless* 64 bit backup product. Yes Evault and Avamar both support VMware, amongst others, but not in an agentless manner, they do it via VCB, or with an agent on the VM. Secondly, Asigra doesn't sell appliances, only software. Some MSPs selling services based on Asigra do deploy a dedicated appliance, but this is not always required in smaller sites. The software can be installed on an existing machine and runs as a 'service' in the background. Further, the 64 bit code base, presumably refers to being able to not only process faster, but more threads/streams of data concurrently. I think the journalist DID get his facts right. For some reason (perhaps jealousy), Mr. Snooper can't do two things: 1) spell; and 2) examine the details on Asigra. Shame really.
Snoopy Jr. | Published: 04:04 GMT, 07 August 2007
FYI, a quick Google shows that the Tom Dugan quoted is a long time partner of Asigra and provides services based on their technology. I'd say he has a vested interest in touting their "virtual" offering....
Chris | Published: 08:15 GMT, 06 August 2007
Re Snooper James, I'm real; I just pinched myself and felt it. Assigra said its box is ten times faster than a 32-bit box. It says that the box can handle multiple backup streams, not do individual streams faster. There is an Assigra appliance saitting in the target data centre which sucks data off the systems in it. Assigra says that, because this appliance is 64-bit, it is faster than the previous 32-bit version. You're right about Avamar support for VMware too. Assigra (and me) got that wrong. Thanks for pointing it out. Snoop around some more :-)
Chris | Published: 08:10 GMT, 06 August 2007
Correction: EVault does support VMware.Assigra got that wrong. There is an EVault VMware Plug-in for customers of the EVault Protect Software as a Service and EVault InfoStage licensed software, and service providers offering data protection services powered by EVault technology. It provides comprehensive disaster recovery protection of VMware virtual machine environments, including all major operating systems, applications and files.
Snooper James | Published: 05:18 GMT, 02 August 2007
Mr. Mellor - are you a real reporter, do you check anything before plastering your name on an article? Seems odd that asigra (or you for that matter) would not know that both avamar and vmware are owned by emc and that avamar has a backup product for vmware for a while now. Do they know the meaning of "order of magnitude"? Either their previous version was dead-slow or someone is using "inexact language" to say the least. Why otherwise would a 64-bit box be 10-times faster - even MS does not claim that? Can anyone explain why would they need to have a 64-bit anything to backup exchange 2007 - aren't they claiming to be "agentless"?