contents:
ReZOOM vs. disk mirroring (RAID 1)
ReZOOM vs. Tape Backup Software
ReZOOM vs. Image Backup
Choosing the Right Protection Strategy

ReZOOM uses a unique approach to PC protection. This document will examine the problems with alternative backup technologies, explain the unique solution provided by ReZOOM, and summarize the benefits and limitations.

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Mirroring schemes provide redundancy by writing data to two drives at the same time. This offers excellent protection from hard drive failure. However there are several factors that make this approach impractical for desktop users:

Flexible Configuration

Virtually all mirroring products require an equal or larger drive as the slave device. ReZOOM allows you to use a smaller drive as a backup. It provides a "Windows Explorer" directory tree for selecting only your most important files and applications. A graphic display tracks how much space is available on the backup drive. This allows ReZOOM to utilize smaller hard disks as a spare for your larger C: drive. Unlike mirroring schemes, ReZOOM can be added to an existing system without reinstalling the operating system or applications.

Selectively mirror only your important documents and applications

Problem Resolution

In the event of system corruption on your C: drive, mirroring has no ability to diagnose and repair the problem. After ReZOOM starts your PC from the backup drive, it will automatically run a built-in Repair Wizard. This Windows based recovery program can fix many problems including bad boot blocks and partition tables, as well as missing, corrupt, or conflicting system files.

Boot from your backup drive and use ReZOOM's built-in repair tools

OS conflicts

90% of PC problems are caused by software conflicts, not related to hardware. Mirroring provides no protection from driver and software conflicts. For example, if you accidentally install a conflicting DLL or driver on a mirrored system, it will automatically be written to both the master and the slave device. Both drives now have corrupted files and will fail to start the system upon the next reboot. ReZOOM is intelligent about backing up files that can affect system integrity. A special filtering mechanism checks for software conflicts before copying new files to the backup drive.

Virus Check

Mirroring schemes provide no built-in protection from virus infection. ReZOOM embeds the McAfee® Viruscan™ utility in its backup engine. Every file is analyzed for possible viruses before backing up to the ReZOOM device. This way ReZOOM promises the same type of instant recovery as mirroring, but won't backup infected files.

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Tape backup remains the number one choice of LAN manager's for protecting network servers. Their job depends on following a rigorous backup routine and they are comfortable working with complicated tape backup products. However, there are several factors that make tape impractical for desktop users:

Recovery

Only ReZOOM can instantly restart your system from the backup device with a single keystroke. Plus, ReZOOM's repair wizard can fix many problems for you. No other tape backup software assures uninterrupted access to your critical files and email. Recovering from a disaster using conventional tape products always involves booting from a floppy first -- and then running a restore operation from DOS. Downtime of several hours to several days are not uncommon when relying on tape.

Speed

Not only does ReZOOM recover faster, it can backup a system much faster than tape. Most desktop class tape drives are 10 to 20 times slower than an average hard disk. ReZOOM can perform routine backups in less than one minute. And because a second hard drive is always online -- it's a "hands-off" solution that works automatically.

Schedule ReZOOM to perform automatic backups during idle time

Open files

ReZOOM goes the extra mile to protect your most important data -- the file you're working on now! Because ReZOOM is designed to run automatically during idle time -- it uses special technology to backup files you left open. Many mainstream tape backup products also include the ability to run automatically. But few, if any, have the ability to backup open files.

Cost

In the past, tape backup has been the most popular way to protect data because of its low cost per megabyte. But as hard drive prices have declined (4GB UDMA drives now sell for $135), it has become significantly more cost effective to backup to a second hard drive.

Hard Disk vs. Tape Backup; Total Cost of Ownership Comparison

*Installation, training, support, maintenance, and infrastructure

Ease

Most PC users agree that following a daily backup routine using tape cartridges is tedious and time-consuming. In addition to their slow speed, handling and rotating tape cartridges increases the overall operating cost of tape backup. For this reason, tape users backup less frequently and run a higher risk of losing data.

Reliability

Tape users face an ongoing risk that the media may break, wear out or become unreadable. And successfully restoring data from tape is often the exception rather than the rule. Conversely, hard drive to hard drive backups with ReZOOM are extremely reliable. And because data is stored in an uncompressed "native" Windows format, you can always access backed up files using the Windows Explorer.

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Image backups are often used by IS technicians for managing hard drive configurations across an enterprise. These utilities work below the file system to create a "sector level" copy of the entire drive. This allows PC experts to quickly copy or "clone" a standardized desktop configuration to multiple stations. These products can also be used to restore desktop systems in the event of a system crash. However there are several factors that make this approach impractical for desktop users:

Productivity

Most disk imaging products for Windows users actually run in DOS. It is counter-productive to require a user to regularly shutdown his Windows environment to perform image backups in DOS. For this reason, image backups are performed less frequently and are associated with a higher risk of losing data.

Friendly and familiar "web" style interface works entirely in Windows

Performance

Image backups work below the file system at the hardware level. They perform "sector-level"copies of the entire surface of the device. For this reason, they are not able to perform fast incremental backups. It's all or nothing with these utilities. While copying an entire physical disk is fast, it can easily take over one hour to completely backup a large hard drive image.

Cost

The performance issue above makes the cost of running daily image backups very high. Also, because image backups are often stored on tape, they suffer from many of the limitations cited above including handling and reliability issues.

Recovery

In the event of a primary C: drive failure, image backups first require booting from a floppy disk and then running restore from a DOS prompt. Or, even worse, reinstalling the operating system before restoring the image file. Also, most imaging products do not allow the user to selectively restore a single file; or a group of files.

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In performing your own product comparisons consider each of the alternatives in light of your own needs. If your backup requirements are relatively simple, Adaptec ReZOOM offers seamless protection with a foolproof recovery capability. If you need to protect several gigabytes of mission critical data, tape backup or RAID subsystems should be evaluated. The first step in safeguarding PC data is recognizing the importance of this critical business asset.