FalconStor Ports CDP to Virtual Appliance

FalconStor has released a CDP "virtual appliance" it claims can substantially streamline host-based backup and disaster recovery.

The FalconStor CDP Virtual Appliance for VMware incorporates the CDP application that up to now has run on the vendor's IPStor turnkey appliances, including its operating system, in software that runs as a virtual machine within an ESX Server.

By ditching the hardware underlying its CDP appliance and turning it into a virtual machine, FalconStor claims to have made it possible to keep local and remote sites more closely matched at all times, to achieve better recovery time objectives, and to restore entire servers from bare metal up in a matter of minutes instead of hours.

At least one analyst agrees. "FalconStor recognized that implementing applications in VMware brings a lot of positives... They are able to keep more than just data elements in the virtual machines," says Arun Taneja of the Taneja Group consultancy. In his view, the breakthrough is that the virtual machine format allows FalconStor's CDP engine to recover not just data, but entire applications and servers as well.

FalconStor claims it's possible to perform bare-metal server restorals within 30 minutes. Files and databases can be recovered in one minute; virtual-to-virtual recovery takes two minutes; physical-to-physical recovery takes five minutes; and physical-to-virtual recovery, 10 minutes.On the downside, FalconStor's product works only with servers, not arrays. It addresses half the range of computers that the vendor's external units do (16 hosts compared with 32 hosts). And it is so far not certified by VMware, even though information about the solution has been up on VMware's Virtual Appliance directory since July. Still, according to Don Mead, FalconStor's VP of partner alliances for virtual appliances, which VMware encourages ISVs to develop as turnkey solutions for resellers, certification is expected anytime now.

FalconStor also can't provide any customers to testify about use of CDP Appliance for VMware, which is shipping now with a starting price of about $8,000.

At least one other analyst, who asked not to be named, is reserved in praise of the solution. "This product is aimed at leveraging VMware marketing hype and opening to FalconStor lower-end markets," says the analyst. "You could call this IPStore lite."

Taneja, though, sees FalconStor's move as one that will be followed by other suppliers with similar goals. "We're going to see more and more applications available in VMware. You just watch."