A LAN-based backup solution best fits a business or department that runs continual business processes and has several servers and workstations connected to a LAN that need to be backed up. If your business has some or all of these characteristics you may benefit from a LAN solution:
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Operates a continuous, business-critical operation |
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Has unpredictable data growth |
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Requires hourly or daily backup |
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Has more than 5 networked servers |
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Supports multiple operating systems |
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Has a legacy infrastructure |
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Has already deployed a backup system |
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Is looking for a scalable, cost-effective solution |
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Needs to automate the backup process |
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Is focused on storage capacity, performance, reliability, durability, and availability |
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In a LAN-based backup scenario, the backup management server can be connected to either the main LAN or a dedicated backup LAN. A dedicated backup LAN is recommended in situations where performance degradation in the main LAN because of backup volume is not acceptable. On a dedicated backup LAN, disk agents placed on servers and workstations push data over the LAN to the backup server, which then writes the data to tape.
A LAN-based backup solution is perfect if you want to automate your backup process and schedule backups on certain servers at certain times without manual intervention. For a smaller network, you could use an autoloader containing a single tape drive. On a larger network with a greater capacity requirement, you might choose a tape library. Compared with standalone tape drives, these LAN-connected drives bring significant resource savings and reliability improvements to the backup process.
Capacity and performance planning are the keys to selecting the appropriate LAN-based backup device. The first step is to calculate the daily backup volume for each server and workstation. When you consider performance, keep in mind that a dedicated gigabit backup LAN will transfer data at about 80 MB/second as long as the media server has sufficient processing power to support the transfer.
Considerations |
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As you consider LAN-based backup as a solution for your business, keep the following in mind:
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A LAN-based data protection solution is limited to a maximum, practical data rate of 288 GB/hr. |
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A dedicated backup LAN will give you the best overall performance and have the least impact on your main LAN. |
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If you require a higher capacity and/or faster backup, a tape library with multiple drives may be the best solution. (Learn more about tape libraries.) |
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An HP LAN solution |
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An HP LAN solution includes a combination of these technologies (exact products may differ within product families):
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HP workstations and servers on a LAN |
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HP Workstations |
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HP ProLiant servers |
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HP 9000 servers |
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HP Alpha servers |
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HP Integrity servers |
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NAS storage plus print services |
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HP StorageWorks NAS 1200s |
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HP StorageWorks autoloaders and tape libraries |
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DAT 6-slot Autoloader |
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1/8 Autoloader |
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MSL Series Tape Libraries |
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Note: HP StorageWorks NAS devices are servers that connect the systems that you need to back up with a tape solution, taking the place of a direct connection between a tape drive and a single system. |
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» Next: Backing up remote offices and mobile users
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