Automated Workstation/LAN Backup from Innovation Data Processing
By Jon E. Pearkins

As production systems move from the mainframe to the LAN environment, automated backup addresses two key success factors identified by industry analysts: disaster recovery and cost of computing. Automated backup protects corporate data without the high personnel cost associated with traditional PC- or LAN-based backup.

FDR/UPSTREAM from Innovation Data Processing offers completely unattended backups and restores for PC LANs, workstations and stand-alone PCs. The MVS component is a multithread 31-bit VTAM application that runs as a started task and allows files on PCs and LAN servers to be written directly to sequential DASD or tape. The UPSTREAM PC/LAN component provides backup, restore and administrator functions. It supports DOS, OS/2, Windows, Windows NT, Novell, Banyan Vines and now AIX/6000 environments.

Communication with MVS is via SNA APPC LU6.2 or TCP/IP.

Depending on the platform, UPSTREAM PC runs on either the server or the workstation accessing the server. UPSTREAM for workstations can either reside on the workstation or use the UPSTREAM LAN Transport (ULTra) facility.

ULTra allows a single workstation to control the backup and restore of all workstations on the LAN. Only a single program need be installed on the other workstations, with SNA software required only on the controlling workstation. FDR/UPSTREAM for AIX backs up and restores data resident on RS/6000 systems.

WORKSTATIONS

With Version 2.4.3, ULTra adds NetBIOS to its existing IPX/SPX support. This allows the ULTra facility to be used in virtually all LAN environments including IBM LAN Server, Microsoft NT Advanced Server and Banyan Vines.

Tom Becchetti, Systems Programmer at Deluxe Corp. uses ULTra to backup his OS/2 workstations. "One execution backs up the whole department. Setup is easy with the ULTra profiles, which allow you to group workstations together."

Anyone who has had to restore an OS/2 workstation or server will appreciate ULTra's new stand-alone restore process. After booting and restoring UPSTREAM LAN Transport Disaster Recovery (ULTraDR) from diskette, an unattended full restore takes place across the LAN in a fraction of the time it would take to reinstall all of the software. The new Registration feature allows names to be assigned to workstations, eliminating the need to remember LU name or IP address and port number every time an UPSTREAM function is requested for a workstation. The workstation or server can self-register, be registered from the host or register from a PC.

CUSTOMIZATION AND REPORTING

A new Personalize UPSTREAM menu can be used to specify what functions are available to users. It can also be used to specify a standard backup profile, require a password for UPSTREAM use, restrict access to a specific directory or disallow backups or restores during certain periods of the day.

UPSTREAM PC now provides access to a large subset of the comprehensive reporting facilities of UPSTREAM MVS. Filtering options allow users and administrators to tailor reports to their specific needs. Both the report definition and the report itself can be saved and recalled for later use.

Saving Time Automatic Duplicate File Support identifies and eliminates identical data found on multiple workstations or file servers, replicating the data on the host rather than retransmitting the data when backups are taken —automatically!

Full Volume Merge Backup combines the speed of incremental backup with the restore convenience of full backup. Only the transmission of changed files is required since copies of unchanged files already exist on the host.

FDR/UPSTREAM and other members of the FDR family are available from Innovation Data Processing, 275 Paterson Ave., Little Falls, NJ 07424, (973) 890-7300 or FAX (973) 890-7147.

About The Author: Jon E. Pearkins is president of Adiant Corp., 54015 Range Rd. 212 Ardrossan, Alberta, Canada. T8G 2C2. Reprinted by permission of ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS JOURNAL, P.O. Box 740908, Dallas, TX 75374-0908, (214) 669-9000.

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