Tip

For backup, Microsoft DPM is not the whole enchilada

Many administrators view Microsoft's Data Protection Manager (DPM), which offers file-level recovery software for file servers and network-attached storage (NAS) systems based on Windows Server 2000 and 2003, as a solution for protecting data in branch offices and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

However, the current (and first) version of DPM is not a complete backup system. Nor is it intended to be.

To many, the current version of DPM represents a compromise designed to solve the most common backup and restore problems, such as fast recovery of files, while more complex operations, such as bare metal restores, are left out and will be incorporated down the road. After all, when it comes to permitting quick recovery for servers or offering a way to replace low-end tape systems with centralized disk-to-disk backup, the software shines.

When it comes to more complex operations, the current version's telling lack is that it does not support tape directly. The assumption is that the DPM server will be connected to a conventional backup server, which will handle tapes. Similarly, the present version does not support server failover for the DPM server or bare metal restores of the servers it protects. (However, many observers believe that Microsoft will add bare metal restore to the next version of the product, which, says Microsoft, will come out in late 2007.)

DPM offers near continuous data protection (CDP) architecture. Although the file recovery feature

    Requires Free Membership to View

    Login

logs changes to files as they are made, the changes are stored on the server and only transmitted to the remote backup hourly. This means that if the server is still operating, files can be recovered at any point in time. But if the server goes down, the backup could be as much as an hour old. (An administrator, however, can take a snapshot for recovery at any time.)

Despite these limitations, DPM provides fast, simple, cost-effective support for the most common recovery operations, which makes it attractive for protecting branch offices, workgroups and SMBs.

Rick Cook has been writing about mass storage since the days when the term meant an 80K floppy disk. The computers he learned on used ferrite cores and magnetic drums. For the last 20 years he has been a freelance writer specializing in issues related to storage and storage management.

More information from SearchWinSystems.com


This was first published in March 2006

Join the conversationComment

Share
Comments

    Results

    Contribute to the conversation

    All fields are required. Comments will appear at the bottom of the article.

    Disclaimer: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.

    Back to top