Back to FrankeNAS

FrankeNAS - FrankeNAS FAQs

---

 

 

Idealstor Hardware Appliances - General Questions

• What is unique about Idealstor's removable disk backup systems?

Idealstor systems are designed to backup to disk which can then be sent offsite for storage and disaster recovery. Idealstor uses a combination of hardware and software to make SATA disks ejectable like a tape. Each Idealstor Teralyte, Appliance and FrankeNAS system ships with our Disk Management Utility. This software lets you label, format and eject our disks. This allows for data integrity and sets Idealstor apart from other disk backup systems.

• How does Idealstor differ from NAS, SAN or JBOD?

These systems are all designed to store data. You will still need some sort of backup system like tape or removable disk to backup this so it can be stored offsite for disaster recovery. Even though these systems offer Hot Swap drives, this means that the disks can be replaced in case of drive failure. In the case of Idealstor backup systems, each bay is designed to be used with Idealstor's removable disk caddy and SATA disks. Each disk can be ejected like a tape without having to worry about data corruption, drive letters changing or manual intervention.

• What kind of backup speeds do I get with Idealstor?

Backup speeds are dependent on many variables ranging from network design, type of data being backed up and the type of backup software being used. In a perfect world Idealstor is capable of backing up data at 300MB/s (using SATA2 disks), but tests in a typical network environment have shown Idealstor can achieve a sustained backup speed of up to 1.2-1.4 GB per minute over GB Ethernet. Local backups using our Teralyte system can be even faster.

• How do Idealstor transfer rates compare with the speed of newer tape technologies?

When Idealstor provides speed estimates for backup, we provide an estimated average that you can achieve using Idealstor. Backup speeds vary between every network because of the design of the network and the type and amount of data being backed up. We have found that Tape Drive manufacturers advertise the theoretical maximum speed that tape drives can achieve. These theoretical speeds are based on compression and are most likely not an average, but the maximum potential backup speed that the tape drives can obtain at a single point in time. In the real world all types of files cannot be compressed nor can the data be streamed to the tape drive constantly. Tape drives are designed to operate efficiently at a constant speed and data transfer rate. However, the host system seldom sends or receives data at a specific fixed rate. This is because data is transmitted in bursts that result in fluctuating transfer rates. Whenever the flow of data is interrupted, the drive must stop the tape, back it up, accelerate it to the appropriate speed, and then continue the data transfer in the same orientation as before. This process, known as back hitching or shoe shining, reduces the effective data throughput and increases backup and restore job times.

• How does Idealstor differ from a USB drive or an eSATA system?

Idealstor systems are designed to treat SATA disks as removable backup media so they can be used in place of tape for offsite storage and disaster recovery. This is done using a combination of hardware and software. USB drives or eSATA disks are recommended for backup in a SOHO or home user environment. However, they are more or less designed for storing data and are not designed to be easily transported for use in backup and restore in a data center environment. When you start swapping out disks and setting up an offsite disk rotation, you will realize that the disks themselves are not designed for this application and you may even see data corruption issues. Each Idealstor system ships with our disk management utility that helps you label, format and eject each disk. This provides for data integrity and reduces the amount of time needed to manage your backups. In addition, each Idealstor system is proven, tested and supported by Idealstor. We have thousands of units in the field and can provide numerous references for customers that are using our systems for actual backup and disaster recovery.

• Why would I use Idealstor, when the cost of tape media is cheaper than disk?

The cost of disk continues to decrease as larger capacities become available. While disk is still more expensive than tape, one needs to look at the life of the disk to truly compare costs. Most tape vendors recommend that tapes be replaced every 6-12 months due to reliability and data integrity. Disks on the other hand have a manufacturer's warranty of 3-5 years and are rated for much longer use than that. Over the life of an Idealstor backup system the cost of media is far less than tape and this does not even touch on the cost of downtime associated with failed tape backup and restore.

• Do I still need to backup to tape if I have Idealstor?

The whole point of Idealstor backup systems is to offer a true replacement for tape backup by combining the speed/capacity/reliability of SATA disks with the portability of tape. Therefore, you do not need to use tape when using Idealstor as each disk is removable. Tape can still be used however if you prefer to archive to tape media but this is not a requirement with our systems. Most of our clients simply purchase a rotation of SATA disks which they then use just like tape for their offsite backups.

• Is Idealstor like RAID where all the disks have to be the same capacity?

No, each Idealstor drive bay has its own drive letter and is recognized by the backup system as it's own backup target. This enables you to run simultaneous backups to each bay but also lets you put different capacity disks in each bay. Currently the largest capacity disk that can be used in each one of our drive bays is 2TB.

• What backup software can I use with Idealstor?

The backup software compatibility list is as follows:

iBac Data Protection Software (Recommended)
SureSync from Software Pursuits
Backup Exec 9.0, 9.1, 10d, 11d and 12d
Arc Serve 2000 sp4
Arcserve Brightstor 9.0, 11.0, 11.5
Veritas Netbackup DataCenter 4.5, 5.0
Retrospect 6.5, 7.0
Win2k Backup
Ultra Back
PowerQuest V2I
Acronis TrueImage
Double-Take
Bakbone 7.0
Syncsort Backup Express
Microsoft Data Protection Manager (DPM)

**If you are using a version of backup software that is not on this list let us know and we will test it out for you.

• What is the Idealstor Removable Device Management Utility?

This software is a key component to our backup systems and is one of the main differentiators between Idealstor backup systems and systems like RAID/JBOD, NAS, SAN or USB. The Idealstor Device Management Utility comes with each Idealstor Appliance, Teralyte and FrankeNAS and used to manage your removable disk media. This software lets you label, format and eject the Idealstor disks. The eject function also helps each bay retain the same drive letter so that you won't have to manually assign drive letters or reconfigure your backup software after you remove a disk. In addition, the eject function ensures data integrity as it makes sure the data has been completely written to each disk prior to removal.

• How do I determine which Idealstor system is right for me?

When helping our clients size our systems the first thing we ask is how much data needs to be backed up and what type of growth is expected. Remember, each Idealstor removable drive bay can use up to a 2TB SATA disk and each disk is removable. Therefore, a 2 Bay Appliance or Teralyte can handle up to 2 simultaneous backups and 4TB of backup capacity. Some of our clients like to purchase a Bay for every day of the week but this is not necessary because each disk can be very easily ejected each day. Only you truly know how much data you need to backup. If you need additional assistance, please contact one of our backup specialists and we will help you determine your specific requirements.

• What is the difference between the Idealstor Appliance and Teralyte?

The Idealstor Backup Appliance is a complete backup system that runs Windows 2003 or 2008 Server and functions as a dedicated backup server and target for backup. The Idealstor 2, 4, 6 and 8 Bay each sit on the network like any other Windows server. The system connects to the network via GB Ethernet and backups are run over the network to the Idealstor removable drive bays. The Teralyte on the other hand is designed to attach to an existing server or backup server via a Serial ATA controller we provide. These disks appear as local disks to the backup server and backup jobs can be sent straight to the Idealstor removable drive bays. Functionally the products are the same. The difference really comes down to having a single solution from Idealstor or letting our clients use existing hardware with a direct attached device like the Teralyte.

• How does the FrankeNAS differ from your other backup systems?

The FrankeNAS is a multi-functional system that combines RAID 5 storage and removable disk backup in one appliance. The FrankeNAS is designed to offer redundant local storage and removable disk backup. This system takes the place of a dedicated backup server, NAS and backup system. The FrankeNAS comes pre-installed with Windows 2003 or 2008 Server and offers up to 14TB of RAID storage and up to 4 Idealstor removable drive bays.

• What type of DATA can be backed-up with Teralyte?

Any DATA recorded in NTFS file system and VM Ware file system.

• Can a Teralyte be installed on a Virtual Machine?

Yes. A Teralyte can be installed in a virtual machine provided that the Teralyte controller can be installed on the hardware on which the Virtual machine resides. In such a case, the Teralyte will be connected to this hardware.

• What do I get with the Teralyte purchase ?

With the Teralyte purchase , you get the following:

Idealstor Teralyte Unit
One eSATA Controller Card (PCI, PCI-X or PCI Express with High or Low Profile Bracket
eSATA data cables
SATA Drive caddies (One with Teralyte 1000, Two with Teralyte 2000 and Four with Teralyte 4000)
One Drive LED Cable
One Power Cable
CD containing drivers, Device Management Software, Reference Guide and iBac Data protection Software.
Teralyte Reference Guide ,
Stickers for Drive Letters
Drive ON/OFF Keys

Hardware - Technical Questions

• What is unique about Idealstor's removable disk backup systems?

Idealstor systems are designed to backup to disk which can then be sent offsite for storage and disaster recovery. Idealstor uses a combination of hardware and software to make SATA disks ejectable like a tape. Each Idealstor Teralyte, Appliance and FrankeNAS system ships with our Disk Management Utility. This software lets you label, format and eject our disks. This allows for data integrity and sets Idealstor apart from other disk backup systems.

• What kind of backup speeds do I get with Idealstor?

Backup speeds are dependent on many variables ranging from network design, type of data being backed up and the type of backup software being used. In a perfect world Idealstor is capable of backing up data at 300MB/s (using SATA2 disks), but tests in a typical network environment have shown Idealstor can achieve a sustained backup speed of up to 1.2-1.4 GB per minute over GB Ethernet. Local backups using our Teralyte system can be even faster.

• Can I buy my own disks to put into Idealstor?

That is not necessary as Idealstor can provide you the disks directly. When you purchase disks from Idealstor they come formatted and already installed in our removable disk caddy. If you already have disks, you will simply need to purchase an Idealstor removable disk caddy/disk in your rotation. Idealstor is also forward compatible so as drive storage capacity increases using the existing standards, so does the capacity of the Idealstor storage appliance.

• Can I hook up a tape device to the Idealstor Appliance or FrankeNAS?

This is no longer necessary because the Idealstor drives can be used for backup and removed for offsite storage. However, if you still have a requirement to backup to tape or to access data on your existing tape media, you can hook up the tape device to the Idealstor through the use of a SCSI controller. Idealstor can install a SCSI controller into the Idealstor appliance at your request.

• Can backup traffic run on a different segment than my regular network traffic?

All Idealstor Backup Appliances and FrankeNAS units come with two GB Network Interface cards, allowing you to create a dedicated Backup LAN.

• What type of connections does Idealstor have? Is Idealstor SCSI?

Idealstor uses its own combination of controllers and bridges that sits between the SATA disks and the system, which is managed by the Idealstor software making them ejectable. The Idealstor Backup Appliance and FrankeNAS connect to the network via GB Ethernet and have additional PCI slots available in case Fibre Channel needs to be added. The Teralyte attaches directly to your backup server or server via a SATA controller and eSATA cable that are both provided with the purchase of this system.

• How are the disks inserted and ejected from the Idealstor appliance?

When you purchase an Idealstor disk the drive comes formatted and already installed in our removable disk caddy. The disk/caddy is what gets inserted into our removable drive bay. Once powered on, the disk is recognized by the system and our removable disk management utility. To remove a disk, simply log into the disk management console and right click on the bay/disk you which to eject. This should be done as our disk management software ensures data integrity.

• Can I run simultaneous backup jobs to my Idealstor system?

Yes you can. You can run up to 8 simultaneous backups using Idealstor's 8 Ejectable Bay Backup Appliance. We recommend you check the backup software you are using for compatibility with this feature.

• What is the Teralyte's Connectivity to the Host Computer?

The Teralyte's connectivity to the Host Computer is via eSATA cable to eSATA controller (installed in PCI or PCIe Slot in the host computer)

• Do I need to buy the Controller and cables for the Teralyte?

The Teraltye's eSATA Controller and cables are supplied with the Teralyte Purchase.

• What type of Controller is supplied with the Teralyte Purchase?

With the Teralyte purchase any one of the controllers can be chosen. If you are not sure which controller to use, your Open Seas representative will assist you.

PCI/PCI-X eSATA Controller with High profile Bracket
PCI/PCI-X eSATA Controller with low Profile Bracket
PCI Express (PCIe) eSATA Controller with High Profile Bracket
PCI Express (PCIe) eSATA Controller with low Profile Bracket

• Are disks reliable?

Not only have hard drives increased in capacity over the years, they have also become much more reliable. Manufacturers provide a warranty of between 3-5 years for SATA disks. Certain manufacturer hard drives are rated to exceed 1 million hours MTTF in near line and other secondary storage applications. We do recommend that you buy your drives from a reliable source and recommend vendors such as Seagate, Western Digital or Hitachi.

• What is the maximum amount of data that I can back up to a single disk?

Currently the largest size disks available are 2TB for SATA Drives. Capacities of 500GB, 1TB and 1.5TB are also available Depending on the type of data and the software you use, you can get up to 2:1 compression on these disks.

• How reliable are hard drives when moved and stored off-site?

SATA drives are very reliable when handled properly. Idealstor has added layers of protection to make these drives reliable for offsite storage. When ejecting the drive from the Idealstor appliance the power to the drive is turned off. As a result the drive heads are parked on the landing zone eliminating the occurrence of head slapping. Current drives are rated for 350G's of external shock. In order to provide additional layers of protection, Idealstor has enclosed the drive in a drive caddy that will absorb most of the shock if the drive is dropped. As a final layer of protection for the drive, Idealstor offers (optional) a protective storage case that is layered with antistatic foam.

• Where does the Teralyte get connected?

The Teralyte gets connected to any computer which is running Windows OS and has a vacant PCI (32 Bit), PCI-X (64 Bit) or PCI Express x1 (PCIe) Slot.

• What Operating system should the host be running to which Teralyte can be connected?

The Host System need to be running Windows XP, 2003 Server, 2008 Server or Vista. Both 32 Bit and 64 Bit Versions are supported. Windows 2000 is not supported.

• What if I do not know the controller type I need for my host computer?

At the time of purchase, let Idealstor know the Brand and Model of the host computer. Idealstor will ship the applicable controller.

• What type of disks are required for use on a Teralyte?

Any standard 3.5", 7200RPM SATA2 Disk

• Is there a limitation on the Disk capacity which can be used on Teralyte? What is the largest capacity disk available?

There is no limitation on the disk capacity. The highest capacity of disk available today is 2TB.

• Can I span the disks to increase the back-up capacity?

Spanning is a feature of the back-up software. It can be done If it is supported by the backup software. Current IBAC 4 Data Protection Software does not support this feature.