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Removable Disk-Based Storage
Comparison -
Quantum GoVault and Imation Odyssey & RDX
Verdict: The
GoVault offers cost-effective
disk-based backup and combines this with a very clever backup
utility.
As a small-business
backup medium, tape is definitely on the defensive, as an increasing number of
storage vendors are launching affordable hard disk-based alternatives. Tandberg
Data's
RDX QuickStor was the first,
Imation followed next with its
Odyssey, and now we have
Quantum's GoVault.
Additional information is included below in the
full text of the press release.
But are disk-based backup solutions suitable for
off-site storage, since tape has always been a prime candidate thanks to the
robust media? Well,
Quantum uses sturdy cartridges with 2.5in SATA
hard disks mounted inside them. These look capable of withstanding punishment,
and Quantum offers them in a range of capacities, with the review model
including a
40GB cartridge. In terms of storage costs,
Imation's Odyssey offers the best value, with Quantum's cartridges
only slightly more costly. The
QuickStor is the most expensive. However, you're limited to a USB
interface for the Odyssey, whereas the GoVault is offered as an internal SATA
model.
Initial installation is a cake-walk, as we just plugged
the drive in and watched Windows load its standard drivers. We tested
successfully under Vista and Server 2003 R2. At this stage, you can use the
GoVault as a simple removable disk drive, format it and copy files to
and from it. Installing the bundled application
software adds a couple of extra features to the drive's right-click menu, where
it allows you to mount it as a portable media device and password-protect
cartridges.
Quantum's backup software makes the
GoVault unique, as it incorporates de-duplication technology. This
ensures multiple copies of data aren't present on the backup media, but the
clever part is it does this at the block and not the file level. This level of
sophistication isn't normally seen at the lower end of the backup market, with
products such as EMC's Retrospect Express as bundled with the
Odyssey only ensuring files aren't duplicated. The software is easy
to use and you start by creating a data-protection plan that includes your local
and networked source data, assigned cartridges and a schedule. You must assign
cartridges to the plan, as the software maintains a record of them, will tell
you which one to load for data restoration, and can manage a cartridge-rotation
scheme for off-site storage.
The processes behind de-duplication are more involved,
since the software uses algorithms to identify data blocks and ensure they're
only stored once. This had an impact on the initial backup, where we saw 2GB of
local test data take nearly nine minutes for a transfer rate of only 4MB/sec.
It's worth the wait, though, as a glance at the smart reporting tools showed
that de-duplication has reduced the space occupied to 1.1GB even though no
actual files were duplicated. General performance is par for a USB device, with
standard file copies using Explorer returning read and write rates of 20MB/sec
and 19MB/sec respectively.
Disk-based backup solutions are becoming ever more
popular, and
Quantum's GoVault offers good value and a fair
turn of speed, but it's the unique backup software and its de-duplication that
really make it stand out.
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