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We ran our tests in our lab in Philadelphia. To start, we examined each product's basic network backup functionality: the ability to back up clients automatically with a variety of options, including compression, variable schedules, various file selection methods, registry file backup and open file handling. We also evaluated the administrative tools to see how thoroughly and easily they let us configure clients, set up backup pools, volumes and devices, work with different OSes, and configure enterprisewide policies. Overall, we looked for flexibility--the ability to manage from remote platforms or from different OSes, and to work with a variety of client OSes and hardware. Finally, we assessed the products' overall cost, scalability and ease of use.

After our evaluations, we had IBM's ADSM, Legato's NetWorker and CA's ARCserve in a photo finish. Each serves up plentiful tools with potent administrative, backup and client functionality, and packs enough power to manage huge amounts of data and workstations while supporting a large number of clients. All provide solid disaster-recovery packages and support archiving, HSM and enterprise administration.

Each takes a different approach to the backup process. ARCserve is extremely businesslike; its tools are dedicated to moving data quickly and efficiently to a central datastore. NetWorker features storage nodes that allow multiple tape drives to be distributed across the network and enable clients to perform operations on their own. ADSM is a total file-storage environment with exceptionally tight hooks to HSM, archive operations and user-operable backups.

While there's very little to separate the three contenders, ADSM just barely noses out NetWorker and ARCserve for our Editor's Choice award thanks to its incredible flexibility, its ability to integrate with so many programs and its overall finesse. And Yosemite Technologies' TapeWare, an up-and-comer that supports distributed storage and delivers both NetWare and NT licenses for one price, deserves special mention for its OS flexibility: A single licensed copy of TapeWare provides native support for both NT and NetWare.

IBM Corp. ADSTAR Distributed Storage Manager for Windows NT version 3.1, Network Edition
IBM's ADSTAR Distributed Storage Manager (ADSM) is one of the slickest data management applications we've encountered. To understand ADSM, forget everything you know about traditional backup. Think instead in terms of data storage, retention and deletion.

ADSM is a client/server, policy-driven application that uses three tiers of storage (disk, tape and optical) to manage data according to your precise specifications. Policies determine how long a file remains in each tier, how many copies are saved and where the file is stored, for example.

There are three operations in ADSM: backup, which copies files to protect against data loss; archiving, which puts files into long-term storage; and space management, IBM's term for HSM, which moves files from clients through various levels of server storage.

Policies also control what happens to all data as it moves from clients to a storage pool, a collection of storage volumes on a particular storage media. Once data is in a storage pool, it can stay there, or be moved to another media, restored or deleted.

ADSM for Windows NT version 3.1, Network Edition, runs on NT and virtually every Unix variant, and supplies clients for a staggering number of operating systems. Its flexibility extends beyond clients and agents for backing up applications; ADSM works with numerous programs in powerful, interesting ways. For example, Seagate Backup Exec, which offers hooks to ADSM, can function as the backup client front end. Then, instead of backing up to a traditional device, you send all your data into ADSM--and ultimately into its various pools. This lets you completely customize the backup front end of the program. Many other programs hook up with ADSM in a similar fashion.

When we first launched the ADSM program group, we were amazed by the dizzying array of backup and management tools. There's an administrative command line, an administrative client, ADSM server utilities and, best of all, full Web-based management. Client-side software consists of an exquisitely designed GUI that's incredibly easy to use; one client-side option is to configure ADSM to install the administrative tools minus the server utility package, which must run on the server.