Converting from CA ARCserve to NT Backup

[BJ9]

I thinking about converting our current backup from CA to the NT backup. We're running SBS2k3 and Exchange 2k3. The backup is running on an external tape drive and with CA we can't get the compression we need.

It's my understanding that with NTbackup I can get compression on an external tape drive, which is NOT an option with CA.

I've looked over some of the documentation on NTbackup but want to know from those of you who have used this, is there any gotchas??

Thanks
BJ

 

[LWComputingMVP]

Forget compression. In most cases, you'll only see about 20% compression, maybe 33% at best - the advertised 2:1 compression virtually never happens for most people.

NTBackup doesn't do compression AT ALL. If the hardware supports it, then the hardware will compress what it can. If the hardware doesn't support compression, then there will be NO COMPRESSION.

ArcServe should be allowing hardware to perform the compression.

 

[BJ9]

Thanks for the response lwcomputing.

It is a known issue (at least that's what their website said and no fix) with the version of ArcServe that we're using that it will not allow compression when using an Iomega REV drive.

From what I've read NTbackup will allow the REV drive to compress. But you're saying that it won't allow it either??

Thanks
BJ

 

[LWComputingMVP]

I despise rev drives - they are too expensive and proprietary so I've never used them and hope never to have to. External hard drives are much more economical.

I wasn't aware that REV drives offered hardware compression. NTBackup doesn't do software compression but it should let any hardware compression that you have work as needed.

 

[BJ9]

Amen. REV drives certainly make things interesting.

Thanks for the info.

BJ