Data, Data Everywhere

After unpacking the unit and connecting the surprisingly few cables necessary between the server and the library unit, I was ready to begin. Installing the Tivoli client was a breeze--StorServer includes the software for multiple operating systems with the appliance and a customizable global template file that ensures all clients are configured identically. Clients are available to support 35 operating systems, including HP-UX, IBM AIX, Sun Microsystems Solaris, Novell, Linux, Windows and Macintosh.

The machines I was backing up were all configured with multiple partitions containing file systems. The Tivoli client recognized each partition, and I had the option to decide which partitions I would like included in the backup set; I was most impressed. Another interesting feature of the client is its Web-based interface, which lets users request file restores and gives them a venue for data archival.