03 Apr BackupAssist 6.4 is here! Super fast image backups, custom boot media and more…
Further to my recent post about the Beta, I’m pleased to announce that we’ve put the finished version live on our site – so now seems as good a time as any to let you know what’s in it…
Key to the appeal of version 6.4 are two main features – the all new RecoverAssist console and the dedicated support for iSCSI destinations. Together they open up some really interesting possibilities. We’ve been putting version 6.4 through its paces as you may have picked up from some of Neil’s recent blog posts, and as a result we’re all really pleased seeing the direction developer Cortex are headed.
RecoverAssist – what is it?
Aimed specifically at users performing image backups, RecoverAssist is billed as a custom, bootable recovery environment, that replaces the need for a Windows O/S rescue disk. Tidily integrated into BackupAssist, it’s key selling point is that it’s more effective at performing restores to dissimilar hardware than the standard Windows RE, thanks to the additional tools it provides to users.
Not only will RecoverAssist automatically tune Windows to the most appropriate settings, but also included is a wizard-based boot media creation tool. With your own custom built boot media you’re now able to restore a machine from bare metal using image backups from a range of locations including iSCSI targets, network shares, removable drives and VHD files. In addition, you can also now choose to bundle one or more sets of device drivers, all helping to ensure a smooth recovery should the need arise.
iSCSI support
Another interesting new area in BackupAssist 6.4 is the fact it’ll offer support for iSCSI as a dedicated backup destination, which, If you’re performing image backups of Windows 2008 machines, I recommend you at least consider.
Back up in minutes not hours!
By choosing to use iSCSI for image backups you stand to slash the time it would normally take to perform your backup jobs. The reason being, that instead of copying entire image files each day as you would have needed to previously, BackupAssist is able to perform block level differential update. One initial full backup is still necessary of course but the daily (or more frequent) updates in our tests are now taking minutes where you would usually have expected it to take hours to achieve the same thing.
Centralised image stores
For environments where you’re working with multiple servers, using iSCSI opens up possibilities such as keeping a centralised store of image files for all of your machines. These images, complete with the specific driver set each needs are then immediately accessible across the network in the event you need to perform a restore. Further, when it comes to the backing up of your backups so to speak, it’s incredibly straight forward as images are stored in one central location and can be written straight to a single media type, be it tape, USB storage etc. ready to be taken off-site.
Ready to upgrade?
If you’re an existing customer of BackupAssist you’ll be entitled to upgrade to 6.4 completely free of charge, provided you’ve got valid upgrade protection.
If you’re not sure on the status of your licence, you can check it using the key analyser on our Web site here.
Join us for a live walkthrough
If you’d like to sign up for a free live Webinar where Neil will talk you through the new features in this version while also giving you the opportunity to ask questions via Skype, simply follow this link and leave us your details. The next one is Wednesday 4th April.
Useful links
> Latest BackupAssist installer