I selected all of the items I wanted to backup on my server and set all of the options that I wanted to use. I selected all of the OCmodshop website information, Exchange mailboxes, Exchange public folders, Exchange information store, OCmodshop database, and shadow copy components. Once the backup begins you can it put into the job monitor under current job.
If you double click the active job it will show you information about the backup like the transfer rate and amount of data backed up. When the job completes it will be moved the job history where you can view all of details for that job. My backup completed successfully in 11 minutes 4 seconds and backed up 2.72GB of data.
Restoring
I then deleted a small directory from my server called !info then went into Backup Exec to restore it. Restoring files is just as simple as backing them up, I simply went to the media set I wanted to restore from and selected the directory I deleted. When the restore job starts it is visible in the current jobs section like a backup job would be. When the restore job finishes it is placed in the job history where you can view the details and get specific information.
Benchmarking
I wanted to do a little comparison between Backup Exec 9.1 and NT backup to see which was faster. I used both programs to backup the installation files for Backup Exec 9.1 which totaled 595MB. I set both programs to do a normal backup without any compression and to not verify the backup when complete.
I ran Backup Exec first and it finished in 2 minutes 44 seconds I then ran NT Backup which completed in 3 minutes 21 seconds. So with both programs backing up the same amount of data with the same options Backup Exec finished 37 seconds faster than NT Backup.
Conclusion
I have used NT Backup in the past for my OCmodshop backup needs which worked fine but was lacking in areas I needed. I am very impressed with Backup Exec because of it’s functionality, options, and speed. With the ability to backup data, Exchange, SQL, and the system state all with one program and all in a single instance the time saved is enormous.
Not only does the consolidated backup save time but if I ever need to restore anything that also will be much faster and give me more flexibility on how I want to restore. I administrate Backup Exec 9.1 where I work and we use it to backup data, Exchange, NetWare, and the system state of many servers.
I have pushed remote agents to other servers including NetWare ones with ease. I am also able to administrate the Backup Exec server from my desk so I don’t have to go into the data center. As you can probably tell by now I couldn’t be more pleased with Backup Exec 9.1 and am going to give it a 10/10 and award it the OCmodshop Seal of Approval.
Veritas has made it quite clear that they are the best in the backup software industry. I really want to thank everyone at Veritas for making this review possible, if you are currently looking for a backup software look no further.
Pros
- Has the ability to backup just about anything
- Advanced Open File Option ensures 100% backup
- Faster than NT backup
- Ability to do a brick level backup of Exchange
- Backup and restore jobs are simple to setup and manage
- Ability to push agents to remote servers
- Many setup and configuration wizards provided
- Powered by Microsoft SQL database
- Great administrative features and options
- Support for Volume Shadow Copy
Cons
- None
