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Open File Manager White Paper Preventing Data Loss During Backups Due to Open Files A White Paper For IT Managers, CTOs, and Security Administrators Concerned About Corrupt Files and the Loss Of Data During Backup St. Bernard Software - 16882 W. Bernardo Drive - San Diego CA 92127 - Toll Free: 1-800-782-3762 www.stbernard.com Table of Contents Executive Summary....................................................................................................................... 1 The Explosion in Data = Increased Potential for Data Loss...................................................... 2 The Open File Problem: Skipped, Corrupt, or Unsynchronized Files ..................................... 2 Conventional Solutions to the Open File Dilemma .................................................................... 3 Application Agents ........................................................................................................................... 3 Generic Open File Tools .................................................................................................................. 4 Weighing the Alternatives: Compatibility Issues ...................................................................... 4 Weighing the Alternatives: Synchronization Methods ............................................................. 5 The Importance of System-Wide Synchronization in Ensuring Transactional Integrity................... 5 Partial Synchronization Methods ..................................................................................................... 5 Limitations of File-by-File Synchronization.............................................................................. 6 Limitations of Volume-by-Volume Synchronization................................................................. 6 Limitations of Manually Grouping Files ................................................................................... 7 St. Bernard Software and Open File Manager: Bringing Closure to the Open File Problem ........................................................................................................... 7 Open File Manager Works with All Applications and Backup Software........................................... 8 Open File Manager Provides Transactional Integrity Via System-Wide Synchronization............... 8 How Open File Manager and the Backup Application Work Together ............................................ 8 Backup Verify Pass ................................................................................................................. 9 Write Inactivity Period............................................................................................................ 10 Open File Manager’s Copy Feature............................................................................................... 10 Summary of Open File Manager’s Advantages ........................................................................ 10 i 16882 W. Bernardo Drive - San Diego CA 92127 - Toll Free: 1-800-782-3762 www.stbernard.com Benefits of Using Open File Manager ........................................................................................ 12 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................... 13 Appendix: Backup Software Supported by Open File Manager ............................................ 14 NT/2000/XP.................................................................................................................................... 14 NetWare......................................................................................................................................... 14 ii 16882 W. Bernardo Drive - San Diego CA 92127 - Toll Free: 1-800-782-3762 www.stbernard.com Executive Summary Data integrity and redundancy have always been vital to the success of a business. But, against the backdrop of the events of 2001 and today’s 24x7x365 business environment, IT decision makers are looking at backup strategies and disaster recovery plans with an even keener eye. With global networks, huge storage systems that maintain ever-increasing amounts of data, and a universal time zone of “now,” IT administrators can no longer schedule backup after hours, when the system is not in use. Nor can they afford to adopt backup strategies that are not trustworthy. In short, enterprises today require backup and recovery solutions that offer maximum reliability while also supporting full productivity and efficiency. But, in order to achieve both of these goals, companies must look for tools that address an age-old dilemma – preventing data loss during backup due to open files. Disaster recovery plans are only as good as the backup strategies that underlie them. Without an open file backup solution, organizations are at risk of losing significant amounts of data. In the end, companies must identify software that can reliably back up data while files are in use and while internal and external transactions are still in progress. When selecting an open file solution, there are three main issues to consider: • Application support • Backup software compatibility • Synchronization methods, which will determine the level of transactional integrity 1 16882 W. Bernardo Drive - San Diego CA 92127 - Toll Free: 1-800-782-3762 www.stbernard.com Open File Manager White Paper The Explosion in Data = Increased Potential for Data Loss The quantity of mission-critical information that organizations are storing, managing, and maintaining on computers is growing at an exponential rate. According to the Hurwitz Group, by the year 2003, the average large company will store over 150 terabytes of data – which is equivalent to the storage capacity of approximately 240,000 compact discs. With the explosion in data comes an increased potential for data loss. Because an organization’s data must be available around the clock, and its applications – its email, Web servers and transaction servers – must be up and running regardless of the time of day, a solid backup and recovery plan is more critical than ever. Companies must ensure that data is backed up in a reliable manner, yet many backup strategies are missing one fundamental piece: The ability to ensure a full system backup without skipped, corrupt or unsynchronized files. In fact, file corruption and data loss are becoming much more common than in the past (7th Annual ICSA Lab’s Virus Prevalence Survey, March 2002). The impact of this problem is enormous, with annual costs due to lost data estimated at more than $12 billion (The Cost of Lost Data, September 1999, Pepperdine University). The bottom line: Most organizations have a costly backup infrastructure in place to protect their critical data, but all too often these backup strategies ultimately fail. What is needed is an open file solution that consistently captures open and in-use files without interrupting applications or continuous system operation. The Open File Problem: Skipped, Corrupt, or Unsynchronized Files Open files have historically been a backup administrator’s biggest challenge, as they are often skipped or corrupted during the backup process. The alternative – forcing open files closed or asking users to log out so applications can be shut down – is no longer viable. When high availability demands 24x7 uptime on a global basis, the “backup window” – the amount of time when a system can be shut down to back it up, not only shrinks – it disappears. For most companies, there is no such thing as a clear backup window. Backups must be done when systems are up and running. But this leads to several problems – problems that result in incomplete backups and corrupted files that compromise an organization’s most vital processes. During a backup, files that are open or in use get skipped. Some backup programs will try to access them again at the end of backup, but if the files are still open, they will be ignored, and critical data will not be backed up. 2 16882 W. Bernardo Drive - San Diego CA 92127 - Toll Free: 1-800-782-3762 www.stbernard.com Open File Manager White Paper And, even if the backup software backs up previously open files during a later attempt, synchronization problems can occur. In particular, groups of open files that contain related data at the beginning of a backup will lose relational integrity if they are changed after backup has commenced. For example, consider a company whose customer relationship management (CRM) system is linked to the enterprise’s accounting database. As transactions occur within the CRM database – such as new customer information being added – modifications are automatically written to the accounting database. In this way, data from one system is always present and current in the other. If these integrated databases are backed up while files are open and transactions are still going on, the backup may capture a transaction that occurred in the CRM database but, because of timing issues, it may be forced to skip the related open or locked file on the accounting database side. If there is a subsequent system failure and the files need to be restored, they will no longer match up. Alternatively, backup software may lock users out of applications or force a backup of open files, creating a corrupt image on tape. Each of these scenarios can have staggering financial, legal, and productivity ramifications on an organization. Conventional Solutions to the Open File Dilemma There are two conventional ways to deal with the open file dilemma.
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