Image Level iData Agent - anyone using

[spenze]

Has anyone purchased the Image Level IData Agent? And if so, what are your thoughts on the installation? They won't sell it without a day of consulting services to configure it. Does it really require that?

thanks

 

[BkpAdmin]

Image level agest contains a system level driver with the potential to bluescreen your machine. Similiar to the level that AntiVirus software accesses your disk subsystem.

CV may want to hit you with services due to that aspect. I happened to have them out here for another reason and they installed it then. That being said the installation is next/next/reboot/service pack/reboot done.

Do you have a large volume with a lot of small files? What will you be using the Image level IDA for?

 

[spenze]

We want to use it to copy block level backups from our image servers - lots of little files.
So, there was no complicated installation? I couldn't image what could take 8 hours to configure. Have you successfully used the product.
thanks,

 

[BkpAdmin]

yes i have - it takes some time to find out what the rate of change is going to be on your disk during the time you run your backup.

If you are performing the backup while users are accessing the filesystem - you must have a cache large enough to hold all the changes.

Image level first backups up the disk then backs up the changes that took place during the disk backup by reading out of the cache.

If you have some services coming to you - maybe convince your rep to perform a health check while installing the agent. Try and get a little more bang for your buck.