Hi everyone,

This is a first time posting from someone new to NatApps, so please bare with me. I hve been subscribed to the list for a while and read the archive to get up to speed on passed discussions.

I would appreciate it if list members could make suggestions about what alternative backup solutions are available and what kind of (un)recommendations this group puts on these alternatives.

This is a follow on from from previous discussions regarding the use of Budtool. I have taken over responsability for the backups as Shiona Mceill (former list contributer is on maternity leave).

Due to our lack of success with the implementation of Budtool and their recent demise from the UK market, we have decided not to pursue this solution.

We have looked at Netbackup from Veritas. Any comments?

We are currently looking at Quick Restore from Workstation Solutions. Any comments?

As for platforms and configuration: We have 3+ F720 on 2 sites (ONTAP 5.1.2R3). 3 suns running SunOS 5.7, ATL L500 Library (DTL 7000 drive) and potentially in the future a large number of linux boxes.

NDMP has up until now been the preferred option as it seems to be the way forward with the NetApps. However, all that I have seen so far indicates that NDMP support in existing backup tools is a bit of a bolt inclusion that does not sit well with existing products or product architecture.

In order to configure the multiplatform network, dubious (built in) workarounds have to be made to get the system to work. These vary from additional links being wired into the library (locally attached to a NetApp), so that the unix data can be backed-up, to dummy library configuration for not local (library) attachments to NetApps.

All in all, any comments? Hopefully you will be able to tell me that I don't have a clue what I am on about and that it is all straightforward. Somehow I doubt this to be entirely the case, seeing the hoops we jumps through with budtool.

here's hoping, Lewis