Frequently Asked Questions

How do we control and monitor the DS Client?

The DS Client acts as your administrator console and enables the Customer to configure all backups and restores. Back to Top

Is software installed on any other machines?

The Razor Data Vaulting backup software is totally agent-less, requiring no additional software to be installed on any machines. The only exception is when the optional E-mail Message Level Restore (MLR) module is chosen, which requires a software component on E-mail server. Back to Top

If DS Client is agent-less, how does it access our data?

The agentless DS-Client fully integrates with NT domains, Trusts and Novell NDS trees, and otherwise adopts the remote site's existing LAN security settings. Using standard APIs, the DS-Client can remotely log in to target backup systems, capture requested data, and securely manage transmissions to the central site. Back to Top

Do we need to create a user for DS Client on all our servers?

No but a dedicated domain user, with correct access rights, is recommended. Back to Top

Who installs the service?

Razor Data Vaulting Service includes training for your backup administrator. Back to Top

How is the first backup done, given that there will be a lot of data?

The initial backup is copied to a portable storage unit that is transported back to Razor's Data Center. Future backups, which are purely incremental, will be transmitted via the Internet connection and synchronized with your initial backup. (Note that all data is encrypted. Should the disk should be lost or accessed during transportation, the data will remain secure.) Back to Top

What platforms are supported?

Razor Data Vaulting has full agent-less support for a range of platforms.

OS support: Mac OS X, VMware, Windows Novell NetWare, IBM AIX, SUN Solaris, HP-UX, HP-Tru64 UNIX, IBM iSeries OS-400, Red Hat Linux, Novell and Suse Linux.

eMail systems and databases: Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint, IBM Lotus Notes, GroupWise, Oracle, IBM DB2, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Novell, and SAP. Back to Top

Who does Initial Backup Schedule setup?

Your backup administrator would be responsible setting up the initial backup schedules. Razor Data Vaulting Service includes phone support to provide assistance if needed. Back to Top

Who is authorized to use the administration software console?

Only users you authorize. Back to Top

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, and can even backup up just streams or permissions. Back to Top

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. Back to Top

Can the software be set to backup after a certain time has elapsed?

Yes, the software is designed to fit specific backup windows. DS Client can be told what time to stop, for example at 8:00am when employees are starting to arrive or perhaps by 5:00am if there is an important batch process to run. Back to Top

Is data held on the Razor Appliance or does it pass straight through?

Typically the most current versions of your backed up data is kept locally on Razor's appliance for LAN speed recovery. Back to Top

What happens if a server halts or crashes during backup or if the backup is interrupted for some other reason?

Razor has a dedicated team who monitor the progress of backup events 24 hours a day. If a problem occurs, it will be escalated through the appropriate channels. Simple breaks in communications will not necessary stop a backup since the DS Client System can be set to retry X number of times at Y intervals during the backup window. You may also set the number of errors that are acceptable without halting the backup. Note that manual backups will halt on an error. Back to Top

Does the DS Client system hold a connection open to a server all the time?

No, the DS Client system will only connect to your servers during the specified backup schedule. You may also set a no activity timeout limit. Back to Top

How many versions of my backed up files are held off-site?

This depends entirely on your data retention policies. Back to Top

How are databases, such as Oracle, Sybase and others, handled?

Databases have special backup requirements. To properly backup a database, you must be able to take a "snapshot in time" of the database. Traditional database backups are done in one of two ways, online backups via special API functions provided by the database vendor and full database exports to disk. A third alternative is to use special device driver software that allows you to bypass locking issues.

Database APIs (Online Backup)

Some database vendors provide special APIs that support the backup of their databases. For example, the Oracle and Sybase database products can do an online backup if the backup software properly interfaces with their backup APIs. Any update transactions that are applied during the backup process are handled specially to avoid inconsistencies in the backup.

Database Export (Offline Backup)

For those database vendors that do not provide online backup capabilities, the database must be shut down. Once the database is offline, the data is copied or exported to a temporary file(s). For databases that are not active all the time, it is common for the database to be shut down and exported to disk and then use a secondary backup program to backup the dump file.

Note that the dump file is normally significantly smaller than the database because all the empty space is removed and the work areas / temp areas / rollback areas are not backed up. For instance, a 20-30GB database often produces just a 6GB-dump file.

Driver Software (Online Backup)

Optionally, DS Client supports Open File Manager (OFM) from St. Bernard Software and Open Transaction Manager (OTM) by Columbia Data Products, both of which permits all database systems to be backed up. It also allows DS Client to backup email, Intranet applications and all other open files, even if the files are changing during the backup. All database products are protected by becoming synchronized at the start of the backup and allowing active changes to occur while the backup is going on. As a result, open databases are neither skipped nor corrupted during backups. This puts an end to corrupted database backups. Back to Top

Can DS Client run pre and post commands on servers?

Yes it is still capable of running commands on remote servers. For example, shutting down a database or application running on a server to allow for a successful backup and restarting it when the backup is complete, or perhaps interact with some overnight batch processing. Back to Top

How does DS Client handle message level restores for emails?

The agent-less Message Level Restore (MLR) module allows users to selectively backup 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. Back to Top

How does DS Client handle open files?

To help counteract these issues, DS Client has a range of options which attempt to handle open files. These options, combined with use of the Pre and Post commands, enable the backup of almost any file. Back to Top

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 System. Any blocks that are different are pulled out to be re-transmitted. These delta blocks will also be compressed and encrypted before being transmitted to Razor Data Center. Back to Top

How and to what standard is the data encrypted?

The delta blocks of data are first compressed and then encrypted up to the AES 256 level. The level of encryption is set by the customer during the installation. Data remains encrypted in-flight and at-rest. The backup data is only unencrypted by the DS Client System at your site. Back to Top

What happens if I lose my encryption password?

For your protection, lost passwords cannot be recovered and there are no "back doors" to decrypt data. It is highly encouraged that a copy of all credentials are stored in a secure off-site location. Back to Top

How quickly will the data be transmitted over the data line?

A T1 circuit will handle approximately 300K/sec worth of data. Since the backup data is compressed before transmission, the effective backup speeds are nearer 600K/sec. In real terms, this equates to a transfer rate of approximately 25 GB per day of compressed data (50 GB per day uncompressed). Back to Top

Is my data encrypted as it travels over the network?

Yes, you can optionally select to encrypt your data on the fly before it is transmitted to Razor's Data Center. We support multiple levels up to AES. You select the level of encryption and determine the encryption keys. Back to Top

Does all of our data get transferred every day?

Only new and unique data will get backed up. Duplicate or unchanged files will not be transmitted. Back to Top

Is it secure and separate from other customers' data?

All customers have separate logical system units. Authentication is performed between the relevant DS Client system and logical system units each time they connect to re-verify the authenticity of the DS Client system. Additionally, the backup data is held encrypted, using the customers' unique keys, so anyone else would be unable to read it. Back to Top

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. Back to Top

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. Back to Top

Can DS Client perform bare-metal restores?

Assuming that the machine in question has had a full backup of all files, registry, system state, and driver database, and the data is being restored to a machine of similar hardware, then a full disaster recovery of that machine is very simple.

After installing the operating system, there is no need to apply service packs, configure domain security or install additional software to the new machine, as all this information will be included in the restore. Back to Top

Can you restore a whole backup set to a point in time, e.g. last Monday?

Yes, the DS Client will display all the files that were backed up on any given day. Providing the backed up files have not been deleted by an administrator, then it is possible to restore from any given date. Back to Top

What happens if the file or group of files to be restored is too large, i.e. it will take too long to transfer back to the DS Client system?

Razor will copy the encrypted data to a portable storage device and transport to your location where you will be able to restore at LAN speeds. This service is included in the monthly fees. Back to Top

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. Back to Top

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. Back to Top

What happens if the DS Client system and/or the whole site are lost?

Razor can interact closely with your disaster recovery plan, providing a portable unit of disks, holding your data and a new DS Client system to any required site. This site may even be the site of your disaster recovery company. This combination of the portable unit and new DS Client system can enable LAN speed restores to reconstruct servers and workstations. Back to Top

What happens to my data if I choose not renew my contract?

Razor will copy your encrypted data to a portable storage device and transport to your location. You will then be able to copy your data to your storage devices. You will retain the DS Client enabling you to perform recovery functions indefinitely – backup functions will longer be available. Back to Top