Glossary of Terms Raid Array Technology

Array
Two or more hard disk drives grouped together to appear as a single device to the host computer.

Bootable Array Support
The ability to make the system boot from a RAID array instead of from a stand alone (single) disk.

Cache
A temporary, fast storage area that holds data from a slower storage device for quick access. Cache storage is normally transparent to the accessing device.

Co-processor
A processor that resides on an array that relieves the host CPU from executing processor-intensive operations such as RAID 5 parity calculations and secondary RAID 1 writes.

Duplexing
Mirroring across two RAID cards.

Dynamic Array Expansion
See “Online Capacity Expansion”

Fault Tolerance
The ability of a system to continue to perform its functions even when one or more hard disk drives have failed.

Hot Spare
A spare hard drive which will automatically be used to replace the failed member of a redundant disk array.

Hot Swap
The ability to remove a failed member of a redundant disk array and replace it with a good drive without bringing down the server or interrupting transactions that involve other devices.

Microprocessor
A processor on the RAID card which performs all RAID management functions (for example, the Intel i960). Microprocessors offer higher performance compared to co-processors.

Mirroring (RAID 1)
Provides data protection by duplicating all data from a primary drive on a secondary drive.

NOS
Network Operating System (i.e., NetWare, Windows NT server)

Online Capacity Expansion (O.C.E.)
A process for adding storage capacity to an existing RAID array without having to take the server offline. Also known as Dynamic Array Expansion.

Parity
A form of data protection used by RAID level 5 to recreate the data of a failed drive in a disk array.

RAID Levels
Numbered 0 through 5, RAID levels refer to different array architectures that offer various advantages in terms of data availability, cost and performance. RAID levels 0, 1, 0/1, and 5 are the most popular.

RAID 0
See “Striping”

RAID 0/1
Combines RAID 0 (data striping) and RAID 1 (disk mirroring).

RAID 1
See “Mirroring”

RAID 5
Combines data striping (for enhanced performance) with distributed parity (for data protection) to provide a recovery path in case of failure.

RAID Management Software
Software that makes installation, configuration, and management of RAID arrays easy. Often includes features such as pager notification and remote management.

SCSI
Stands for Small Computer System Interface. SCSI is the technology that allows you to connect various devices to your PC. This connection is made using a SCSI card that fits inside your computer.

Striping (RAID 0)
Spreads data evenly over multiple drives to enhance performance. Because there is no redundancy scheme, it does not provide data protection.

I found this at Amazon (AWS) Developer. Vembu StoreGrid is an Online Backup Software primarily created for Service Providers. Over 1000 Service Providers currently offer their SMB customers an online backup service – powered by Vembu StoreGrid. With our AmazonS3  Cloud support, you can now start an Online Backup Service with your backup server running on Amazon EC2 and using Amazon EBS/S3 for storage. Maybe a good source for creating a source of income. I found as sevice provider that the licensing structure was a bit difficult to grasp and resale. For one you sale a seat or multiple seat license for servers and then you have the cloud space and bandwidth charges. Seems a little pricey but definitely a good option for businesses, SMBs as an enterprise backup solution.

Vembu StoreGrid is is a comprehensive software for MSPs/VARs to provide their customers a powerful online backup service. The StoreGrid server that you run on Amazon EC2 provides one consolidated solution for managing your online backup business. The solution is easy to manage and administer and includes features like automatic administration & delivery of client licenses & software updates. It is also designed to scale with your requirements – as dictated by your client base and by the ’size’ of your Amazon cloud deployment. Powerful reporting & monitoring features ensure that you always know what’s going on and equally importantly, can convey the same to your customers – through our elaborate email reports.

StoreGrid’s Service Provider Edition currently powers the Online Backup Business of over 1000 Service Providers. The solution also has other service provider specific features like an integrated billing & invoicing module wherein you can configure your own invoicing plans.

On the client side, StoreGrid features an intuitive browser based user interface that facilitates easy backup and recovery. The solution works on Windows, Mac, Linux & FreeBSD and supports all common workstation and server backups – including Outlook, Exchange Server, SQL server & MySQL.

For a more detailed feature list, please visit Vembu StoreGrid is is a comprehensive software for MSPs/VARs to provide their customers a powerful online backup service. The StoreGrid server that you run on Amazon EC2 provides one consolidated solution for managing your online backup business. The solution is easy to manage and administer and includes features like automatic administration & delivery of client licenses & software updates. It is also designed to scale with your requirements – as dictated by your client base and by the ’size’ of your Amazon cloud deployment. Powerful reporting & monitoring features ensure that you always know what’s going on and equally importantly, can convey the same to your customers – through our elaborate email reports.

For a more detailed feature list, please visit http://www.vembu.com/storegrid/desktop-backup.html

I found this chart of online backup services with prices at NextAdvisor with some handy reviews, statistics and features; a pretty good start to our list of backup services mostly for the consumer. If you know of any other lists please comment and visit the links and articles at NextAdvisor. All credit goes them for this content.

Online Backup Reviews & Prices

Service Name / Rating:	Free Trial:	Paid Storage Fees:	Gigabytes (GB) of Storage Included:	File Access Options:	System Compatibility:	Support Available:	Bottom Line:
Go to Site Read Full Review	No	$54.95/year; $99.95 for 2 years; $129.95 for 3 years	Unlimited	No file access except for full system recovery	Windows Vista, XP, Mac OS X 10.4 or above	Email and phone	Best overall online backup service; cheapest way to store unlimited data plus 15% discount
Go to Site Read Full Review	Unlimited use of 2GB of storage for free; no credit card required	$4.95/mo	Unlimited	Access your files from any computer with Mozy software downloaded	Windows Vista, XP, 2000 Mac OS X 10.4 or above	Email only	Excellent option for most users; special 10% discount with coupon code NEXT
Go to Site Read Full Review	Unlimited use of 1GB storage for free; no credit card required	Home: $4.95/mo or $49.95/year Home Plus: $9.95/mo or $99.95/year	Unlimited storage; 1GB max individual file size; 100 GB max file transfer per month	Access and share all stored files over the Internet	Windows Vista, XP, 2000 Mac OS X 10.4 or above	Email, chat and extensive online forum	Very good service with excellent infrastructure and security
Service Name / Rating:	Free Trial:	Paid Storage Fees:	Gigabytes (GB) of Storage Included:	File Access Options:	System Compatibility:	Support Available:	Bottom Line:
Go to Site Read Full Review	14 days; no credit card required	Annual: $53.95 2 year: $89.95	5GB; upgrades available to 20GB ($19.95 addtl/mo) and 50GB ($39.95 addtl/mo)	Access your files from any computer	Windows Vista, XP, 2000	Online chat only	High fees and relatively low storage limits
Go to Site Read Full Review	14 days	$7.95/mo	5GB	Access your files from any computer or mobile device	Web based; works on any computer	Email and phone	Great file access and collaboration options but no automated backups and limited storage
Go to Site Read Full Review	No	$299.00-$499.00 for Time Capsule	500 GB or 1 TB	Access your files by connecting to your external hard drive	Mac OS X	Online, phone and retail	Easy to use, but can’t match the safety of off-site backup

CARBONITE REVIEW:Go to Site

[Editor's Note: Carbonite has set up a 15% discount for NextAdvisor.com visitors. The discount doesn't require any special coupon or promo code. Simply click through to the Carbonite website, select your plan and click on the Buy Now button. Your 15% Carbonite discount will be reflected on the next page.]

Carbonite is an excellent service that should really appeal to the home user that is looking for an online backup service that they can configure once and forget about. It is the best pure online backup service we have reviewed because it requires very little, if any, ongoing maintenance. Subscribers simply need to install the software on their PC or Mac and walk through the basic configuration wizard. From that point on, Carbonite will run quietly in the background backing up all your important files. If any backed up files are lost, such as in the case of hard drive failure, then Carbonite subscribers can quickly and easily recover them using from any computer in a few simple steps. The down side is that Carbonite has no free storage option and limited remote file access options. That being said, users that only need access to backed-up files when an actual loss has occurred will be extremely happy with this service. Additionally, at just over $4.00 per month with their two year plan and even deeper discounts if you choose the year plan, Carbonite is cheapest way to back up your important computer files. Carbonite recently added Mac support, which puts it roughly on par with Mozy. We strongly recommend the Carbonite online backup service.

MOZY REVIEW:Go to Site

[Editor's Note: Mozy is offering a special 10% promotional discount for NextAdvisor.com visitors. To take advantage of this discount, simply enter the coupon code NEXT when prompted in the Mozy registration process. You must click on one of the Mozy links on NextAdvisor.com in order to take advantage of this promotion.]

Mozy is an excellent online backup service, with free use of 2GB of storage (unlimited storage space is available when you upgrade to their monthly plan) and the ability to access those files from any computer at one low monthly price. At one point, Mozy was the only online backup service we had reviewed that provided support for Mac users. Now that ElephantDrive has launched a Mac version that is no longer the case. However, Mozy recently took its Mac service out of beta, which means that it is now just as stable and effective as their PC service. Mozy was recently acquired by EMC, a large Fortune 500 corporation that provides industrial size storage services to other large corporations. From our perspective, if the storage services offered by Mozy and EMC are good enough to store large amounts of sensitive business data, they are definitely good enough to store the important files and documents of home users. The EMC acquisition also helps ensure that Mozy will be around for a very long time since they now have the backing of a multi-billion dollar corporation. Overall, we would highly recommend Mozy to most consumers looking for a file backup solution.

ELEPHANTDRIVE REVIEW:Go to Site

ElephantDrive uses Amazon web services to store their customers’ data. While it may seem strange for an online storage company to outsource their storage services, we actually see this as a big plus because ElephantDrive is a relatively new company. Given that they leverage Amazon’s world class infrastructure, ElephantDrive customers should have no worries about the stability and security of their personal data. At $4.95 per month or $49.95 per year, ElephantDrive’s basic Home plan is comparable with Carbonite and Mozy in terms of cost and features. There is also a Home Plus option for $9.95 per month or $99.95 per year that will cover up to 4 computers. The Home Plus option is actually a great value if you have 2 or more computers to backup since it is slightly cheaper than buying two subscriptions from other services and significantly cheaper than buying 3 or 4 subscriptions.

ElephantDrive does limit maximum file size to 1GB and maximum monthly file transfers to 100GB. Home Plus users get a 2GB maximum file size upgrade. This means that ElephantDrive users are limited in the size and number of files they can upload or recover from the service each month. That being said, these limits are pretty high and most users would not reach them even if they had a great deal of music, video or other files. Like Mozy, ElephantDrive offers a free trial that allows consumers to try out 1GB of free storage on the service (Mozy offers 2GB). We would encourage consumers to try out both services for free to determine which user interface and file backup process works best for their needs. ElephantDrive also offers an attractively priced business plan that, at $34.95 for 1TB of storage, should meet the needs of most small businesses. Overall, ElephantDrive is a very good service with a variety of options that should meet most consumers’ needs.

BEINSYNC REVIEW:Go to Site

BeInSync is a solid, PC only download service which is similar in many ways to Mozy. However, BeInSync has much less storage available in their base plan and storage upgrades are pretty expensive (especially when you consider that Mozy and Carbonite offer unlimited storage). Like ElephantDrive, BeInSync outsources its storage to Amazon. We believe that most consumers would be better off with Carbonite or Mozy, but BeInSync does offer a 14 day free trial, so you can try the service risk free if you would like to experience it firsthand.

BOX.NET REVIEW:Go to Site

Box.net is not a true online backup service in that it doesn’t provide automated backups the way Mozy, ElephantDrive, Carbonite and BeInSync do. Box.net also has fairly low storage limits compared to others. That being said, Box.net does have excellent file access capabilities and the best collaboration tools we have seen. This is the best service for consumers who need to store and share some important files with others.

TIME MACHINE REVIEW:Go to Site

Unlike the other services reviewed here, Time Machine is not an online backup service. It is an automatic backup system that is built into Mac OS X Leopard, and comes standard on new Mac computers. Instead of backing up your files online, Time Machine copies your documents onto an external hard drive. Time Machine is similar to an online backup service in that it works automatically in the background, and requires no actions or interference from you after the initial set up process.

When you connect your Mac to an external hard drive, Time Machine will ask if you’d like to make the external hard drive your backup drive. If you say yes, Time Machine will copy the entire contents of your computer to the backup drive. After this initial backup, Time Machine will make incremental backups, copying just the files that have been changed since the previous backup. As long as your backup drive is attached to your Mac, Time Machine will backup your files every hour of every day, saving the hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups for everything older than a month, remembering how your Mac system looked on any given day in the past. Once your backup drive is full, Time Machine will alert you that it will start deleting previous backups, starting with the oldest first. You can easily backup multiple Macs on a single external hard drive, as long as it has sufficient storage space. Time Machine works using fairly elegant software that will not disrupt you or slow you down while you are using your Mac. The default setting is to backup your entire Mac, but it is easy to select certain files or folders that you wish to exclude. Retrieving stored files is also simple and straightforward.

Time Machine is designed to work seamlessly with the Time Capsule, Apple’s wireless hard drive, which is available in two sizes. A 500 GB Time Capsule is $299.00 and a 1 TB Time Capsule costs $499.00. With a Time Capsule, Time Machine can continuously backup your Mac or Macs without cables. We found that connecting with a cable does make the process much quicker, particularly when retrieving stored files. Apple also advertises that the Time Capsule works as a wireless router, but we found that its signal was fairly weak and ineffective for this purpose. The machine also gets quite hot when in use. It does, however, interface very nicely with Time Machine.

Time Machine is a useful and well-designed feature, and works especially well with Time Capsule. Hourly backups of your Mac system or systems become effortless. However, the flaw in this system is the fact that a Time Capsule or other external hard drive is still hardware, and therefore vulnerable to the same dangers as your computer itself. It could potentially fail, or be stolen or damaged. While there are many advantages to this backup system, it is inevitably less secure than an online backup solution.

Online Backup, what is the best service or method to use? I would like to collect some feedback as to what is the most popular online backup service for consumers and for businesses. A list of the top 5 in each category would be extremely useful. I have used Mozy in the past and am currently liking the clouds for online backup. I think data storage is going to be the next sudo real estate boom. Only 22% of business claim to have an online back up service in place. Strap on your seat belts and let’s see what this new “gold rush” will be like.

Use the cloud (a coud)? Amazon S3 Simple Storage Service! or Maybe Rackspace aka Mosso. Some service providers are using Vembu Storgrid an enterprise level online backup and storage solution.

Use a service like Mozy or IDrive?

Thanks to folks at Jungle Disk, (we are big fans) whom Rackspace bought; I like ot use Amazon S3 or Rackspace both are supported and work well. I have generated some income offering online backup as a service . First for the setup and then for ongoing monitoring. I have found it easy to set and use. What are you using. Let me know.

Russ <><