Backup software

Backup software is software which is designed to automate the process of backing up, making it easier and ensuring that people back up their files routinely. Several companies produce free backup software with basic functionality, and it is also possible to purchase backup suites which have an array of settings and options which can be used to customize the backup process. For people who have trouble remembering to back up, or people who deal with important material, backup software can be extremely useful.

AMANDA 1. 2. BackupPC 3. 4. Create Synchronicity

AMANDA(Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver)

Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver is an open source archiving tool that is able to back up data residing on multiple on a network. It uses a client–server model and includes:

• the backup server and client itself • a tape server • an index server

All three servers do not necessarily need to run on the same machine.

Amanda was initially developed at the University of Maryland and is released under a BSD-style license. Amanda is available both as a free community edition and fully supported enterprise edition. Amanda runs on almost any or -based systems. Amanda supports Windows systems using or . A native Win32 client (with support for open files) is also now available.

Amanda supports both tape-based and disk-based backup, and provides some useful functionality not available in other backup products. Amanda supports tape-spanning - i.e. if a backup set does not fit in one tape, it will be split into multiple tapes.

Among its key features is an intelligent scheduler which optimizes use of computing resources across backup runs. Areca Backup

Areca Backup is a personal file backup software developed in Java. It is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) 2.

Features

Areca Backup includes a backup engine, as well as a graphical user interface and a command-line interface.

The application includes the following features:

• ZIP/ZIP64 compression • AES 128 & AES 256 encryption • Backup filters (by extension, subdirectory, regular expression, size, date, status, usage) • Incremental backup, differential and full backup support • Delta backup (only the modified parts of the files will be stored, not the whole files) • Archives merges • As of date recovery • Transaction mechanism (with commit/rollback management) for all critical processes (such as or merges) to guarantee your backups' integrity • Unix file permissions backup/recovery • E-Mail reports • Backup simulation • FTP and FTPS support (SSL/TLS in both implicit and explicit modes)

Areca also provides all tools needed to handle your archives:

• Backup • Archive recovery (with or without deleted files); entire archives or single files can be easily recovered • Archive merge: contiguous incremental archives can be merged into a single archive to save storage space • Archive deletion • History explorer: different versions of a given file can be browsed and restored • Archive explorer: files can be searched among your archives

Storage modes Areca can handle multiple storage modes:

• Standard: It is the default mode, which is recommended for most users: If you choose this storage mode, a new archive will be created for each backup. All new or modified files since the last backup will be stored in this archive. • Delta: This mode is recommended for advanced users only: If you choose this storage mode, a new archive will be created for each backup. All modified *parts* of files since the last backup will be stored in this archive. This mode is particularly useful if you are handling large files. • Image: If you choose this storage mode, a unique archive will be created and updated at each backup.

Backup types Areca can handle the following types of backups:

• Full Backup: When a full backup is performed, ALL files are stored in your archive (whether they have been modified or not). • Incremental backup: When an incremental backup is performed, only the files which have been modified since the last backup are stored in your archive. • Differential backup: When a differential backup is performed, only the files which have been modified since the last FULL backup are stored in your archive.

Areca uses the file's size and last modification time to detect modified files. If one of these attributes is modified (whatever its value is), the file is flagged as modified. This allows a fast detection of modified files.

Areca is downloadable pre-packaged for Linux and /Windows XP and . But it also runs on any other , provided that a Java Runtime Environment has been installed (version 1.4.2 or later). It has been translated to: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. Latest stable version 7.1.6 released on 2009-12-07.

BackupPC

BackupPC is a free Disk-to-disk backup software suite with a web-based frontend. The cross-platform server will run on any Linux, Solaris, or UNIX based server. No client is necessary, as the server is itself a client for several protocols that are handled by other services native to the client OS. BackupPC is mentioned as one of the three most well known open-source backup software [1]. Data deduplication reduces the disk space needed to store the backups in the disk pool. It is possible to use it as D2D2T solution, if the archive function of BackupPC is used to backup the disk pool to tape.

For instance, BackupPC incorporates a Server Message Block (SMB) client that can be used to back up network shares of computers running Windows. Paradoxically, under such a setup the BackupPC server can be located behind a NAT'd firewall while the Windows machine operates over a public IP address. While this may not be advisable for SMB traffic, it is more useful for web servers running SSH with GNU and rsync available, as it allows the BackupPC server to be stored in a subnet separate from the web server's DMZ. It is published under the GNU General Public License.

Features

Protocol choice

Only minimal configuration on client machines is required when backing up systems that have SSH available natively. On Windows, third party implementations of tar, rsync, and SSH (such as Cygwin) are required to utilize those protocols. The choice between tar and rsync is dictated by the hardware and bandwidth available to the client. Clients backed up by rsync use considerably more CPU time than client machines using tar or SMB. Clients using SMB or tar use considerably more bandwidth than clients using rsync. These trade- offs are inherent in the differences between the protocols. Using tar or SMB transfers each file in its entirety, using little CPU but maximum bandwidth. The rsync method calculates checksums for each file on both the client and server machines in a way that enables a transfer of just the differences between the two files; this uses more CPU resources, but minimizes bandwidth.

Data Storage

BackupPC uses a combination of hard links to reduce the total disk space used for files. At the first full backup, all files are transferred to the backend, optionally compressed, and then compared. Files that are identical are hard linked, which uses only one additional directory entry. The upshot is that an astute system administrator could potentially back up ten Windows XP laptops with 10 GB of data each, and if 8 GB is repeated on each machine (Office and Windows binary files) would look like 100 GB is needed, but only 28 GB (10x 2GB + 8GB) would be used. Compression of the data on the back-end will further reduce that requirement.

When browsing the backups, incrementals are automatically filled back to the previous full backup. So every backup appears to be a full and complete dump of data. Performance

When backing up a remote SMB share, speeds of 3-4 Mbit are normal. A local disk used as a backup destination returns speeds of 10+ Mbit depending on CPU performance. A faster CPU will naturally help with compression and md5sum generation. Speeds of over 13 MB/s are attainable on a gigabit LAN when backing up a Linux client using rsync over SSH, even when the backup destination is non-local. Bacula

Bacula is an open source, enterprise level computer backup system for heterogeneous networks. It is designed to automate backup tasks that had often required intervention from a systems administrator or computer operator.

Bacula supports Linux, UNIX and Windows backup clients, and a range of professional backup devices including tape libraries. Administrators and operators can configure the system via a command line console, GUI or web interface; its back-end is a catalog of information stored by MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite.

Introduction

Bacula is a set of computer programs for managing backup, recovery, and verification of computer data across a network. These programs work together to provide a robust, easily managed, and complete backup solution for mixed operating system environments.

Bacula is the collective work of many developers, including Kern Sibbald, and its current release has been built upon ten years of development. It is open source and available without fees for both commercial and non-commercial application, with respect to the GPL2 license with exceptions to permit linking with OpenSSL and distributing Windows binaries. Bacula is a registered trademark of Kern Sibbald.

According to project information published on Source Forge, since April 2002, Bacula has over 1 million downloads, which is four times more than any other Open Source backup program during the same period. By download statistics, this makes it the most popular Open Source backup program.

Features

Bacula supports many features used by large scale, production networks, including:

Network options

• TCP/IP - client–server communication uses standard ports and services instead of RPC for NFS, CIFS, etc.; this eases firewall administration and network security • CRAM-MD5 - configurable client–server authentication • GZIP - client-side compression to reduce network bandwidth consumption; this runs separate from hardware compression done by the backup device • TLS - network communication encryption • MD5/SHA - verify file integrity • CRC - verify data block integrity • PKI - backup data encryption

Client-options

• POSIX ACL - needed to restore Windows NT ACE's and Samba servers • Unicode/UTF-8 - cross-platform filenames • VSS - calls Microsoft's snapshot service • LVM - pre-script setup for Linux/UNIX snapshot • LFS - backup files larger than 2GiB • raw - backup devices without a filesystem

Backup devices

• pooling - allocates backup volumes according to job needs and retention configuration • spooling - writes backup data to spool until target backup medium is allocated so jobs can continue uninterrupted • media-spanning - such as spanning tapes • multi-streaming - write multiple, simultaneous data streams to the same medium • ANSI & EBCDIC - IBM compatibility • Barcodes - reading tape barcodes in libraries • autoloaders - virtually every tape autoloader available (called autochangers in Bacula) • most tape drives, including DDS, DLT, SDLT, LTO-1,2,3,4

Client OS

The client software, executed by a "file daemon" running on a Bacula client, on many operating systems [2], including:

• Linux - most major distributions, including: CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, Mandriva, OpenSUSE, Red Hat and Ubuntu. • Solaris • FreeBSD - all released versions • NetBSD • Windows (File daemon supported on all 32 and 64 bit Windows OSes) • Mac OS X • OpenBSD • HP-UX • Tru64 • IRIX Structure

Bacula is designed to be modular so that it can scale to the needs of its operator(s). Any installation contains three kinds of daemons to execute backup and restore functionality:

Director Daemon manages other daemons, queries and updates catalog, interfaces with operator front-ends, automates backup schedules Storage Daemon makes system calls to drive backup media, responds to read/write requests from Director, and receives backup/restore data from file daemon File Daemon negotiates client-side communication, encryption and compression, opens file handles to access a client's data Bacula Console the control interface from which the user can enter commands to operate Bacula tasks. the console is a command line interface. Bat (Bacula Administrative Tool) Console a GUI interface from which the user can enter commands to operate Bacula tasks. Tray Monitor is a GUI that can be installed on any desktop to monitor the Bacula operations. Bweb a web interface that allows systems management views of all the Bacula backups. It also permits most all operations that can be done with the console.

These daemons can run on independent hosts but typical installations consist of three kinds of Bacula hosts:

Client machines the machines that contain the files to be backed up Storage machines machines that contain the media used to store the backups Backup Servers that orchestrate the backup processes

The Director manages everything so its host will always be called a "backup server"; the client and storage daemons run as its subordinates and have no direct control of the back up process. While this structure suggests that the three daemons run on three different machines, an equally valid setup is to run all three daemons on the machine that controls the backup process and backup additional machines that have just a file daemon installed. It is also possible mount any remote files and storage resources into its filesystem over SMB or NFS, however, the Bacula developers discourage this in favor of having a File daemon installed on each machine to be backed up. In practice, however, the Director and Storage Daemon are often run on one machine (often referred to as the Bacula Server). The File Daemon is then run on each machine to be backed up (including the Bacula server—because its catalog is dumped as SQL). Backup data can be stored on various media, including tape, optical media, and disk.

Create Synchronicity

Development

Create Synchronicity was created with the aim of delivering a lightweight backup application for Windows systems. Its development started in June 2009, and has been active since then.

Features

Create Synchronicity has a graphical user interface, and supports command-line use.

The following features are available:

• Customizable backup, including scheduling • Full preview display before backing up • Creation of several different profiles • Use of regular expressions to include or exclude files • DST correction, loose timing (allows file times between source and destination to differ by a few seconds) • Precise folder selection (eg. synchronize the contents of a folder, but not its subfolders) • Native support for UNC and relative paths, as well as implicit paths (such as "MyUsb"\MyFolder")

Create Synchronicity can be downloaded as a zip file or as an installer for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. It is hosted by Sourceforge, and ranked #35 on May 15, 2010. Latest stable version, 3.5, was released on 2010-04-20.

Utility software

Utility software is a kind of system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize and maintain the computer. A single piece of utility software is usually called a utility or tool. Utility software should be contrasted with application software, which allows users to do things like creating text documents, playing games, listening to music or surfing the web. Rather than providing these kinds of user-oriented or output-oriented functionality, utility software usually focuses on how the computer infrastructure (including the computer hardware, operating system, application software and data storage) operates. Due to this focus, utilities are often rather technical and targeted at people with an advanced level of computer knowledge.

Most utilities are highly specialized and designed to perform only a single task or a small range of tasks. However, there are also some utility suites that combine several features in one software.

Utility software categories

• Disk storage • Disk defragmenters • Disk checkers • Disk cleaners • Disk space analyzers Disk storage

Disk storage or disc storage is a general category of storage mechanisms, in which data are digitally recorded by various electronic, magnetic, optical, or mechanical methods on a surface layer deposited of one or more planar, round and rotating platters. A disk drive is a device implementing such a storage mechanism with fixed or removable media; with removable media the device is usually distinguished from the media as in compact disc drive and the compact disc. Notable types are the hard disk drive (which is today almost always use fixed media), the floppy disk drive and its floppy disk, and various optical disc drives and associated media.

Defragmentation

In the context of administering computer systems, defragmentation is a process that reduces the amount of fragmentation in file systems. It does this by physically organizing the contents of the disk to store the pieces of each file close together and contiguously. It also attempts to create larger regions of free space using compaction to impede the return of fragmentation. Some defragmenters also try to keep smaller files within a single directory together, as they are often accessed in sequence. The movement of the hard drive's read/write heads over different areas of the disk when accessing fragmented files is slower, compared to accessing a non fragmented file in sequence, without moving the read/write heads. CHKDSK

CHKDSK is a command on computers running DOS, OS/2 and operating systems that displays the file system integrity status of hard disks and floppy disk and can fix logical file system errors. It is similar to the fsck command in Unix.

On computers running NT-based versions of Windows, CHKDSK can also check the disk surface for physical errors or bad sectors, a task previously done by SCANDISK. This version of CHKDSK can also handle some physical errors and recover data that is still readable. Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) is a computer maintenance utility included in Microsoft Windows designed to free up disk space on a computer's hard drive. The utility first searches and analyzes the hard drive for files that are no longer of any use, and then removes the unnecessary files. There are a number of different file categories that Disk Cleanup targets when performing the initial disk analysis:

• Compression of old files • Temporary Internet files • Temporary Windows file • Downloaded Program files • Recycle Bin • Removal of unused applications or optional Windows components • Setup Log files • Offline files

The above list, however, is not exhaustive. For instance, 'Temporary Remote Desktop files' and 'Temporary Sync Files' may appear only under certain computer configurations, differences such as Windows Operating System and use of additional programs such as Remote Desktop. The option of removal hibernation data may not be ideal for some users as this may remove the hibernate option.

Aside from removing unnecessary files, users also have the option of compressing files that have not been accessed over a set period of time. This option provides a systematic compression scheme. Infrequently accessed files are compressed to free up disk space while leaving the frequently used files uncompressed for faster read/write access times. If after file compression, a user wishes to access a compressed file, the access times may be increased and vary from system to system. In addition to the categories that appear on the Disk Cleanup tab, the More Options tab offers additional options for freeing up hard drive space through removal of optional Windows components, installed programs, and all but the most recent System Restore point or Shadow Copy data in some versions of Microsoft Windows. Disk space analyzer

A disk space analyzer (or disk usage analysis software) is a software utility for the visualization of disk space usage by getting the size for each folder (including sub- folders) and files in a folder or drive. Most of these applications analyze this information to generate a graphical chart showing disk usage distribution according to folders or other user defined criteria.

Main features

Features commonly present in this type of software:

• May scan files, folders, drives size • Presents graphical utilization information chart • Lists files/folders according to configurable criteria

Extra features

Other common features of this category of programs:

• May export result to a HTML, XML, Excel • Can use to find duplicated files and folders • Can calculate file checksums • May integrate with system shell • May use treemaps • Can cleanup files • May perform scheduled filesystem scans • Can include and exclude certain files and folders in scan • May present disk health indicators using S.M.A.R.T.

Antivirus software

Antivirus (or anti-virus) software is used to prevent, detect, and remove , including computer viruses, worms, and trojan horses. Such programs may also prevent and remove adware, , and other forms of malware.

A variety of strategies are typically employed. Signature-based detection involves searching for known malicious patterns in executable code. However, it is possible for a user to be infected with new malware for which no signature exists yet. To counter such so-called zero-day threats, heuristics can be used. One type of heuristic approach, generic signatures, can identify new viruses or variants of existing viruses by looking for known malicious code (or slight variations of such code) in files. Some can also predict what a file will do if opened/run by emulating it in a sandbox and analyzing what it does to see if it performs any malicious actions. If it does, this could mean the file is malicious.

However, no matter how useful antivirus software is, it can sometimes have drawbacks. Antivirus software can degrade computer performance. Inexperienced users may have trouble understanding the prompts and decisions that antivirus software presents them with. An incorrect decision may lead to a security breach. If the antivirus software employs heuristic detection (of any kind), success depends on achieving the right balance between false positives and false negatives. False positives can be as destructive as false negatives. Finally, antivirus software generally runs at the highly trusted kernel level of the operating system, creating a potential avenue of attack.

In addition to the drawbacks mentioned above, the effectiveness of antivirus software has also been researched and debated. One study found that the detection success of major antivirus software dropped over a one-year period.

Ad-Aware Pro Antivirus+Antispyware

AhnLab V3 AntiVirus

AOL Active Virus Shield (discontinued)

Avast! Free Antivirus

Avast! Pro Antivirus and Internet Security

Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus

Ad-Aware

In computing, Ad-Aware, an anti-spyware and anti-virus program developed by Lavasoft, detects and removes malware, spyware and adware on a user's computer. According to Lavasoft, Ad-Aware detects spyware, computer viruses, dialers, Trojans, bots, rootkits, data miners, aggressive advertising, parasites, browser hijackers, and tracking components. As of 2010 Lavasoft makes Ad-Aware version 8.3 available in three core versions[6]:

1. Ad-Aware Free Internet Security 2. Ad-Aware Pro Internet Security 3. Ad-Aware Total Security AhnLab Inc

AhnLab, Inc. (KRX: 053800, BAWSAQ), founded in 1995, is a security solution provider in South Korea. AhnLab sells computer software such as antivirus software, online security solution, network security appliances such as firewalls, IPS, UTM, and security software for online game and Mobile Web.

Products

AhnLab has many security solutions for PC, Network and Moblie, including:

• AhnLab V3 Internet Security 8.0 (Total Internet Security) • AhnLab V3 Internet Security IS 7.0 Platinum (anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti- malware) • AhnLab V3 365 Clinic (anti-virus, anti-spyware, pc medic) • AhnLab TrusGuard (Firewall, VPN, IPS, against DDoS) • AhnLab Absolute IPS (block worms and DDoS attack) • AhnLab Online Security (anti-malware, anti-keylogger, firewall) • AhnLab HackShield For Online Game (real-time shielding)[19] • AhnLab Mobile Security (windows mobile, symbian, Wifi OS) • AhnLab MortarGuard for Offline Security (Used in Afghanistan office, real life solution) • AhnLab VagGuard for STDs

AOL Active Virus Shield

AOL Active Virus Shield (commonly referred to as AVS) was a free antivirus utility made available by AOL. Its engine was based on the one used by Kaspersky Anti-Virus. The program is no longer available.

Features

Active Virus Shield includes numerous features found in Kaspersky Anti-Virus. The software's main feature is malware scanning, which uses Kaspersky's underlying engine and detects a variety of malware such as virus, spyware, and even joke programs. It also offers real-time file and e-mail scanning and protection.

The latest version of Active Virus Shield (version 6.0.2.621) supports Windows Vista. Avast!

Avast! Antivirus is an antivirus program developed by AVAST Software a.s. (former ALWIL Software a.s.), a company based in Prague, Czech Republic. It was first released in 1988. Avast! is based on a central scanning engine that is certified by ICSA Labs[1] and West Coast Lab's Checkmark process[2] and incorporates anti-spyware technology, also certified by West Coast Lab's Checkmark process,[3] as well as anti-rootkit and self- protection capabilities. It is a multiple recipient of the Virus Bulletin VB100 Award, for detection of 100% of "in-the-wild" viruses,[4] and is a past winner of the Secure Computing Readers' Trust Award.[5] The name Avast comes from "Anti-Virus-Advanced- Set".[6]

Avast! Free Antivirus is the freeware version of Avast! antivirus software available to Microsoft Windows and Linux users, while Avast! Pro Antivirus is offered to businesses and users that want additional features. Priority updates are delivered automatically using PUSH update technology in Avast! Pro Antivirus. Avast! Pro Antivirus also has a command line scanner and a script blocker.[7]

Avast! Antivirus is a widely used antivirus program, with 100 million users worldwide as of December 2009.

Features

• Antivirus kernel based on certified antivirus engine. • Resident protection comprising individual modules or "shields", each of which can be individually configured or disabled: o File System Shield — Real-time protection against viruses and other malware threats. Scans files as they run on your computer to keep viruses from being able to execute. o Mail Shield — Scans messages and attachments in E-mail/Microsoft Outlook/Exchange for viruses. o Web Shield — HTTP protection (local transparent proxy). Version 4.8 also allows the blocking of URLs. Scans URLs and incoming data for viruses, and aborts connections to the site if one is found. o P2P shield — Scans P2Pfiles from file share programs. o IM shield — Instant Messaging protection. (Scanning of files transferred through instant messaging applications) o Script blocker — Professional version only; scans webpages for malicious scripts, and disables them from infecting your computer, though they can still be used. (for example, a clickable button) o Network Shield — Basic protection against well-known network worms. Acts as an Intrusion Detection System. o Behavior Shield - Reports suspicious behavior by analyzing the behavior of programs Avira

Avira GmbH is a German antivirus software company. When founded, the company was called "H+BEDV Datentechnik GmbH". Its antivirus applications are based on the AntiVir scan engine also known as "Luke Filewalker" (referring to Luke Skywalker), first launched in 1988. For aesthetic reasons, the name was changed to Avira. Avira's engine has been licensed to Ashampoo antivirus, Ad-Aware, and Webroot WebWasher. [citation needed] Avira is one of the most widely used antivirus programs in the world, with 100 million users worldwide as of September 2009.[1] The company supports the Auerbach Stiftung, a foundation created by the company's founder and CEO, Tjark Auerbach. It supports charitable, social, cultural, and science projects.

Product feature AntiVir AntiDialer AntiRootkit AntiPhishing AntiSpyware AntiAdware (from version 9) WebGuard AntiDrive-by RescueSystem Email Protection Fast Premium update server AntiSpam FireWall GameMode Backup-System AntiBot Parental Control

Firewall

• Firewall (construction) , a physical barrier inside a building or vehicle, designed to limit the spread of fire, heat and structural collapse • Firewall (computing) , a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts AccessMaster NetWall (Evidian)

BorderManager (Novell)

BorderWare Firewall Server (BorderWare Technologies)

BorderWare Mail Gateway (BorderWare Technologies)

Cisco Secure Integrated Software (Cisco Systems)

AccessMaster NetWall (Evidian)

Providing high-end security with complete multi-level control, NetWall provides a powerful solution to easy, centralized network security management, whether the deployment involves tens or hundreds of sites. Advanced security features include stateful IP filtering, application proxies, NAT, IPSEC VPN, ITSEC E3 certification, a broad range of authentication schemes, integration with anti-virus and content checking, load balancing and 24x7 availability, LDAP support and centralized management, alerts, audit and reporting.

BorderManager (Novell)

Helps businesses protect systems and strengthen network borders.

BorderWare Firewall Server (BorderWare Technologies)

A comprehensive integrated solution for securing your internet connection. Built on a hardened operating system, it eliminates vulnerabilities and costs associated with a separate firewall and operating system. Running on standard Intel platforms, BorderWare can install on easily available hardware, which can be upgraded to grow as your internet requirements expand.

BorderWare Mail Gateway (BorderWare Technologies)

An advanced web-enabled file server that delivers a secure platform for storing, sharing and publishing files and documents over the Internet.

Cisco Secure Integrated Software (Cisco Systems)

Provides robust, integrated firewall and intrusion detection functionality for every perimeter of the network. Available for a wide range of Cisco IOS software-based routers, the Cisco Secure Integrated Software offers sophisticated security and policy enforcement for connections within an organization (intranet) and between partner networks (extranets), as well as for securing Internet connectivity for remote and branch offices.