External Backup HW & SW

[scott_417]

Suppose I bought an external tape backup equipment (drive), my questions are:

1) Does it come with a driver (included)?

2) Do I have to buy the backup software/application separately? Is there some Hardware/Software bundle (may be cheaper)?

3)Among Veritas Back Up Exec, Tapeware, and Arcserve, HP OpenView Data Protector Express
, and others, which one is the best overall in terms of price, user friendly, easy to learn, etc.?

4) Oracle database comes with a backup tool (to shedule a backup, c:, and full backup etc), what is (are) the difference(s) between this tool and the above (Que #3) mentioned software? Can I use this tool in replace of the others?


Thanks to help.

Scott

[Jaclyn Rothe · Accepted solution]

1) A disc of HP drivers are usually included with the unit, as well as copy of back up software data protector and sometimes tapeware.

2)Veritas is the most Popular and has alot of options. All back up software require some learning, especially if you have not used tape drives before. For me it is pretty easy to use.
Data Protector Express is new from HP and is user friendly and upgradable.
There are some differences regarding drivers.
You always want to use the driver for your drive from the Back Up Software you are using.
Depending on which back up software you choose the process regarding drivers differes... not all back up software need drivers for the tape drive.
I am unsure of prices between all back up software. See the other thread where I provided links for these third party software sites.
HP does offer tech support for Tapeware and Data Protector and this will be valid for the same time as your drive has warranty (usually three years)

4) I would recommend using a Back up Software that is 3rd party because they often have better options for your back ups then the native software that comes with a program (IE: NT backup).

[Steven Clementi]

Scott:

Usually, a database how the option of backing itself up on a schedule. This is usually limited to dumping out the DB contents to a flat file on a hard drive. Some DB's have the capability to talk directly to tape, but usually do not have the intelligence to talke to a robitic library.

A backup package like Veritas Backup Exec is better since it is more robust.


Steven

[Stuart Whitby]

Scott,

This all depends on exactly how you're planning to get this hardware and what you're hoping to do with it. Tape drives don't come with backup software. The driver depends on which OS you're looking at installing it on - most use native drivers which can be tuned at OS level or via the backup software. If you're looking to protect a business environment, then I'd recommend getting a reputable piece of backup software. If it's for home use or for a small environment, go download Amanda (unbeatable for price since it's free).

Most backup software will simply call Oracle backup, direct the savestream to an appropriate tape and help with retention periods etc. If you're looking at using the tape drive purely to back up Oracle, then there's no need to follow it up with backup software. If you're looking to use it for automated backups of the database, local and network filesystems, then I'd highly recommend getting some good backup software to manage all that. I've been using NetWorker for years and find it brilliant for scheduling, tuning, performance and manageability.