volume gets replicated to the backuprepository. This way, there is nolengthy re-installation process be-fore data recovery. Data, OS files,and everything else comes back tothe server in one big batch.The net time savings of a bare

metal backup approach can be sub-stantial. However, even with theseimprovements, a bare metalrestoration will still often take sev-eral hours—or more. Given that

downtime of even a few minutescan be a critical loss for many busi-nesses, it makes sense to have sometype of failover measure in place.In large companies, it’s common tohave redundant, mirrored drives inplace to take over for primarydrives the moment they fail. Small

Whether you’re workingin a three-person home of-fice or a 3,000-seat enter-prise, the basic ideas of

backup and restoration remain thesame. Backup makes copies of anydesired data in order to protect thatdata in case the original version be-comes damaged or otherwise inac-cessible. The data copies from theserver into storage. Restoration isthe process of taking that backed-updata in storage and moving it backto the server, where it becomes pri-mary, active data. One of the reasonswe like CMS ProductsBounceBack Server soft-ware ($295; www.cm-sproducts.com) is that itintroduces a step betweenbackup and restoration:instant recovery. Instantrecovery allows users tohave nearly immediate ac-cess to their system opera-tion and data in the eventof a system crash.To understand the sig-

nificance of instant re-covery, recall that somebackup systems only copydata. For example, histori-cally, Windows followedthis model, allowing usersto back up their files and

settings but not the operatingsystem itself. This approach mayhave made for simpler operationand a more streamlined interface,but in the event that users needed toperform a system restore, theprocess would require a fresh oper-ating system installation, patching,installation of all needed applica-tions, more patching, and only then,after several hours of work, restora-tion of the backed up data. Instantrecovery uses a so-called “baremetal backup” model, meaning thatevery bit of data in the source drive

BACK UPGuard Against A Rainy Day

A

CMS BounceBack Server is targeted atsmall to mid-range businesses runningany of several different Microsoftbusiness server operating systems.

Installation

You’ll need to install the softwareto your server. Installing and settingup the software won’t take muchtime, but don’t rush; your attentionto detail here will pay when youneed to recover from a disaster.

Attach the external backup drive(or appliance) to your server system.Make sure that the system recognizesthe drive properly. Note that enclo-sures utilizing USB 3.0 or eSATA in-terfaces will deliver throughputperformance very similar to that ofan internal drive. USB 2.0 enclosureswill be markedly slower.

Insert the BounceBack installa-tion CD into your server system. Inmost cases, the BounceBack soft-ware will automatically launch, but,if not, use Windows Explorer todouble-click the BounceBack exe-cutable (.EXE) file on the CD. Atthis point, the BounceBack installa-tion software will launch.

Select Full System Backup tocreate a bootable image of yoursystem drive on the backup appliance.This step is necessary in order to havebare metal backup functionality.

From the menu, select thebackup appliance that you wish touse for this backup. You will beprompted that this process will re-format the selected device and anyexisting data on that device will belost. Copy off any data that youdon’t want lost, and then click tostart the backup process.

Once partitioning and format-ting are complete, the BounceBacksoftware will begin copying all ofyour data to the selected backup ap-pliance, including the complete op-erating system, applications, systemsettings, and data. No user interven-tion is needed. The on-screenprogress bar will keep you posted onthe progress of the backup process.

After all data has been copied,the system registry will be automati-cally copied to the backup appliance.When the backup process has fin-ished, the software will display ascreen indicating that the processhas completed and your system isnow protected.Files on the BounceBack backup

target are kept in their native for-mats, as are the multiple versions ofpreviously backed up data. This is animportant point as, much like withregular external drives, you have theability to replace lost or damagedfiles by simply browsing to the de-sired version of the file or folder inquestion and clicking CMS’sQuickRestore function. Sometimes,this is all that’s needed to recoverfrom a data disaster, and it can save amassive amount of time compared toa conventional data restoration.

Instant Recovery

Corrupted system images canarise from accidental file deletion,

companies may not have the moneyor expertise for such measures, butthey can manage something like in-stalling CMS’s BounceBack Serverand attaching a USB drive. In a nut-shell, BounceBack Server replicatesevery bit on a Windows Server2003 R2, Windows Server 2008 R2,or SQL Server 2005/2008 system toa backup drive. If anything hap-pens to the server’s primary drive,the system can be rebooted tothe backup drive and run straightfrom it. This is what CMS callsInstant Recovery.

The Process

We’re going to focus on CMSBounceBack Server as being repre-sentative of the backup/restoreprocess. The instant recovery aspectmay be unusual, but we include it

here as a best practice recom-mendation for businesses thatmight benefit from having animmediate short-term fix when dis-aster strikes. Note that CMS sellsBounceBack Server in both soft-ware-only or enclosure-includedversions. The enclosure features twohot-swappable drive bays, and CMSrecommends configuring these in aRAID 1 mode, thus replicating theserver image to both attacheddrives. This way, one drive can beremoved periodically and taken off-site. (If the building burns down, forinstance, the server data would stillbe safe in its off-site location.)However, CMS’s enclosure is notmandatory. The software will workwith just about any external USB,FireWire, or eSATA drive, and thereare many similar 2- or even 4-bayenclosures on the market.

The CMS 2-Drive BounceBack Serverbackup enclosure offers USB 2.0 and

eSATA ports as well as RAID 1 andhot-swappable drive functionality.

the system. After a moment,Windows should begin to loadfrom the backup drive.

In the event of a failed harddrive that is still recognized bythe system BIOS, a menu willappear on the screen after thePOST process (the early se-quence of system self-checksthat appears every time you coldboot the system) that offers thechoice of your standard oper-ating system OR starting upfrom your Instant Recovery de-vice. If you see this, select theInstant Recovery option. Yoursystem will start up from the ex-ternal USB backup appliance.

You will notice that whenInstant Recovery mode is in use,a different wallpaper is used onthe Windows desktop. This ismeant to remind you that youare, in fact, not running yournormal configuration and thatyou still need to get your systemfailure remedied ASAP.

Restore

Unlike with many otherbackup solutions, BounceBackServer doesn’t require a rescue CDto initiate restoration from your ex-ternal backup media. All necessaryfiles are contained on the externalbackup drive volume. Still, theremay be some work to do beforestarting the restore procedure.Some companies would ratherswap a failed drive first and askquestions later, but, according toCMS IT manager Scott Myers, “Inour experience, about 85% of allstartup failure problems are causedby soft failures and do not require anew mechanical hard drive.” Giventhese odds, it might make sense atleast to try a restore to the “failed”internal drive before swapping anyhardware. If the failure is software-related, the disk formatting processwill erase the failure point.

Rather than booting to a restoredisc, BounceBack restoration beginswith booting into Instant Recoverymode as described above. Whenboot-up completes, you will see theInstant Recovery wallpaper and ayellow box in the center of thescreen offering the choice to con-tinue working normally or to beginthe restore function. (If you’veclosed this restore window, clickingon the Instant Recovery icon in thesystem tray will bring it back.) Clickthe Restore button in the yellowpanel to begin the restore process.

From the next screen, select theinternal drive in your system andclick Begin. The restore process willbegin transferring your entire systemimage from the external USB backupappliance to the internal system drive.

When the process completes,restart your computer from the in-ternal system drive. Typically, thiscan be done by either unpluggingthe external backup drive or bymodifying the BIOS back to its orig-inal settings so it looks first to theinternal drive when booting.

CMS strongly recommends thatafter restarting your system nor-mally from the internal drive, youshould start the BounceBack pro-gram and complete a full systembackup to the external backup de-vice in order to ensure that the con-tents of your system drive and thebackup appliance are in sync. ❙

viruses, physical media damage, orany number of other causes.Assuming that the source of thetrouble rests with the storage sub-system and that the server machinecan still boot to an external drive,you can opt to get back up and run-ning quickly with Instant Recovery.

Consult your server system’smanual (if necessary) and find outhow to set the BIOS (Basic In-put/Output System) to boot from anexternal drive. If this is not done, thesystem may continue trying to bootfrom the failed internal drive andnever find the external backup.

With the BIOS configured toboot from the external drive(s),make sure that the backup appli-ance is connected, and then reboot

BounceBack Server provides many options forhow, when, and where data should be backed up,allowing you to create multiple backup profiles.

BounceBack Server provides on-screen indicatorsto show how much of your backup or restorehas completed.

Offsite storage of your backup data is highlyrecommended for extra protection. CMS offers apadded case for transporting its backup drives.