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D2D backup strategy uses hard drives instead of tape media systems. RAID and non-RAID environments offer advantages over tape or optical archiving. D2D provides instant backup and restore, scalability, and no practical drawbacks. Software programs automate D2D backup. Arctor is a popular choice for D2D RAID or non-RAID strategies.
D2D, or disk-to-disk, is an effective and superior backup strategy that uses hard drives as the storage medium, rather than traditional tape media systems.
With the price of hard drives falling while capacity and speed continue to increase, using additional hard drives for D2D backup has become the proverbial no-brainer for individuals and businesses interested in protecting their computer systems. The advent of RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) has also contributed to D2D backup strategies. Motherboards that support advanced varieties of RAID use multiple disks in a variety of ways to increase speed, provide redundancy, and offer error correction. In RAID and non-RAID environments, D2D backup has several advantages over tape or optical archiving.
There are two types of D2D: true D2D and virtual tape library or VTL D2D. The latter is not true D2D because it maintains a tape-like file index. While faster than tape, it still incorporates many of the limitations of tape.
Tape archiving, while serving a vital purpose, had many drawbacks and shortcomings. If a file needed to be restored, for example, the first task was to locate the appropriate archived tape cartridge. The tape then had to be read by the tape drive, a process which could take several minutes. When the file was finally located, it could be transferred, but even this process was often slow. Other problems included defective cartridges, tape wear and tape drive malfunctions.
Compounding these concerns, operating systems, programs, media files, and networks continue to grow, making the idea of restoring a system all the more daunting. The slow backup/restore process with tape has become increasingly inadequate.
With affordable, high-capacity hard drives, D2D is the perfect backup solution. Whether you’re using a RAID array for a large corporate network or an additional hard drive as a shadow drive, D2D can outperform other backup strategies tenfold.
D2D provides “instant” backup and restore because the system recognizes the backup files as original. There is no tape to tear, wear out or scan, and no malfunctioning add-ons. Files are always at hand, restorable with a simple double-click, without the need to maintain external archives, as is the case with tape cartridges. D2D used with Serial ATA (SATA) RAID also provides for hot-swapping, when internal proactive monitoring routines warn that a drive is “going bad.” Additionally, D2D is fully scalable, with the capacity of a disk array reaching terabytes. In short, there are no practical drawbacks to using D2D and several advantages.
There are software programs to automate D2D backup. Arctor, from byteplant GmbH, is one of the most popular and can accommodate D2D RAID or non-RAID strategies. This software can be downloaded for a free trial and costs approximately US$40 to purchase. If you’re looking for networking solutions, more robust software is also available. A search of your favorite software libraries or the web will reveal many choices.
