NDMP backup software solution from Bacula

Backup Target Variety

Bacula Systems NDMP backup plugin allows you to select between several possible backup targets to find the one (or several) that work best for you. The NDMP backup module supports backup targets like tape, disk and cloud so you’ll have a solution for any possible situation from short-term backup and recovery processes, to long-term data archiving and off-premises disaster recovery.

NDMP Backup to Tape

Tape backup remains an excellent target medium for reliable, low-error, long-term stable backup storage that offers storage stability measured in years, all at a low cost-per-gigabyte. This target choice still allows for partial file restoration as well, so you don’t have to restore the entire tape worth of data to get a single file from it. Tape also provides portability that allows it to be stored offsite and in secure locationsup to audited bunker facilities to meet your security requirements for those backups. Tape also remains one of the only ways to move petabytes of data over long distances to offsite storage, with low risk and minimal transport costs.

NDMP Backup to Disk

Backup to disk is one of the most common backup targets, and providesa near-line data copy and the ability to access it for your daily data recovery purposes (not including what you might already have with basic NAS snapshots). Disk backup is also often used in multi-site strategies that sync data between datacenters for disaster recovery and business continuity purposes. Disk backup is generally more expensive per gigabyte than tape, especially when considering ongoing operating costs and power budget. However, the advantages of already-online fast disk storage for backups are often enough to justify the costs and higher bit-rot rate.

NDMP Backup to Cloud

Backup using cloud storage providers canbe an economic tape alternative and  also suitable for long-term data storage if the cloud provider SLA supports it. For most users of cloud storage for backup purposes, the behavior is much like tape. It’s an offsite, reliable datastore that requires planning and time during the recovery process to return data to the primary site. Cloud offers many other distinct advantages over tape though, in that a datacenter could be created in a cloud provider essentially on-demand, so a cloud-based disaster recovery plan may include direct in-cloud pathways. It is worth mentioning that cloud target is quite effective, but if you’re working with a substantial amount of data to backup every day it is important to keep an eye on and be aware of the costs for your data storage, and especially costs for data access if they differ from those for storage. Cloud data storage costs can be quite substantial.

NDMP Backup Options

The NDMP standard allows for three basic backup architectures – filer-to-filer backup, local backup and remote backup or Filer-to-server backup.

Filer-to-Filer Backup Architecture

In the filer-to-filer model, filers (aka NAS or SAN storage devices) send and receive data to each other. In a simple setup, one filer is attached to the NAS only and the other one is attached to your tape library. Backups flow from the first filer to the second, and then on to the storage medium. This architecture allows for better usage of tape library resources since there can be multiple sources – filers – that are filling the same part of the tape library.

Local Backup Architecture

This backup option implies that your tape library is directly connected to your NAS, and the data moves from each NAS directly to the tape library with no third parties in this connection. The direct connection allows for faster data transfer overall, but might be the limiting factor for some types of backup. The usual protocols used in the connection between your NAS and your tape library are either Fibre Channel or SCSI. This type of backup sends backup data over the SAN which may create congestion or slowdowns for the clients accessing data.

Remote Backup Architecture/Filer-to-server backup

The remote backup method includes a new party in the connection between your NAS and your designated data storage – the backup server. Data travels from the filer to the backup server, and then on to the desired target storage.. This allows for multiple backup targets for NDMP backups, including NDMP-to-cloud strategies, and also allows the backup data stream to be taken onto a different network, usually ethernet, and off of the SAN. l. A single backup server can support multiple filers for ease of management and scalability. This is the preferred mode for Bacula Systems NDMP backups.