New StorEdge back up software from SUN

Sun StorEdge Instant Image software enables non-stop availability of enterprise applications such as OLTP, data warehousing, Internet, ERP and customer care by allowing backups and other business-critical processing activities to be performed at any time without disruption to the online application. Prior to Sun StorEdge Instant Image software, for example, enterprise applications were forced to shut down for several hours during routine system backups.

Sun StorEdge Instant Image software improves the performance and availability of applications by providing a point-in-time snapshot of data that can be accessed in parallel by other processing activities. This point-in-time image can be located on the same storage subsystem as the master, or on any other storage subsystem that is connected to a Sun Enterprise server running Sun StorEdge Instant Image software. The differences between the master data and the point-in-time data are then tracked by the software to enable an instant update, or resynchronization, of data without performing an expensive and time-consuming disk-to-disk copy.

According to David Hill, a senior storage industry analyst at Aberdeen Group in Boston, MA, Sun StorEdge Instant Image software enhances the ability of a business to achieve non-stop business processing by enabling processing activities that need access to the same information to run in parallel. "Instant Image is a strong example of Sun translating its vision of an Intelligent Storage Network into a reality," said David Hill of Aberdeen Group. "With Sun StorEdge Instant Image, an enterprise can perform two or more tasks with its data simultaneously without compromising the availability of the main, online data. This flexibility is a significant benefit for Sun's customers."

Sun StorEdge Instant Image software benefits several business-critical processing activities including:

1. Backups - Business continuity and disaster prevention require regular system backups, but traditional backups force network downtime that often lasts hours. Now, with a Sun StorEdge Instant Image point-in-time snapshot of the online data, customers experience maximum system uptime since backups can occur anytime while their business continues to run.

2. Instant Data Recovery - Because Sun StoreEdge Instant Image software enables customers to perform frequent snapshots of data without impacting data availability, data is more up-to-date if it needs to be restored. And with point-in-time technology, most data can be restored in minutes rather than hours, significantly reducing the time-to-recovery for 7x24 business operations.

3. Application Development and Testing - In traditional development and test environments, a subset of the production data is used for testing new products or upgrades. This does not allow complete product testing prior to going live on the production system, often resulting in longer test cycles or partial test coverage. By testing against a snapshot of the entire production system, the integrity of any given change can be more fully verified, and the time to market for new products and upgrades can be reduced.

4. Data Warehouse Loading - Data warehouses need to include timely information as well as historical data, yet updating the warehouse can have a significant impact to users on the online system. Sun StorEdge Instant Image software eliminates the disruption of online data processing by populating a data warehouse from a snapshot image of online data. Because the software leaves online data available, data warehouses can be updated more frequently, thereby providing more timely information for decision making.

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