Review: Acronis True Image 9.1 Server backup and recovery software

Powerful and flexible imaging tools for server recovery

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Price: £421.83

Manufacturer: Acronis 0203 004 1898

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Verdict

Pros: Support for 64-bit Windows and Volume Shadow copy Service; differential backups; start using a server while still recovering
Cons: Some applications may need to be shut down when backing up
Overall: An effective alternative to traditional backup technology with lots of useful new features

Alan Stevens, Personal Computer World 26 Jul 2007

Disk imaging specialist Acronis sells a range of products designed to protect network servers and provide for rapid recovery in the event of a hardware crash or other failure.

We tested True Image Server for Windows, which can be used to back up and recover any version of Windows Server from NT 4.0 onwards, including, in the latest release (9.1), 64-bit versions.

There’s also an implementation for use with Linux and an Enterprise suite (£519 ex Vat) that supports both platforms with centralised management. A version to protect user PCs – True Image Workstation – is also available.

Installation is very straightforward – simply run the setup program and restart. A familiar Windows console is then used to manage the software with task-driven wizards for most of the operations involved.

We found it easy and quick. We were able to take a complete backup of the 12GB boot partition on our test server in about 15 minutes.

Everything on the disk was copied in that time and we were able to further reduce the impact by using the new differential backup option to copy only changes made since the last backup was saved.

A new selective file backup tool has also been added, along with the ability to exclude specific files and verify an image once a backup has been taken.

Images can be created while the server is in use with tools to control CPU utilisation, disk writing speeds and network bandwidth to limit the impact on other business operations.

Support for the Microsoft Volume Shadow copy Service (VSS) is yet another fe ature, making it possible to back up running Exchange, SQL Server and Oracle servers.

However, VSS isn’t universally supported and other third-party applications may need to be shut down to ensure data integrity.

For our tests we created images on a network share but there are many other options. You can choose to create a special protected partition on the local server disk – the Acronis Secure Zone.

Nas and San storage can also be used, along with a wide variety of removable disk and tape devices with, in the latest release, the ability to copy images to DVD without the need for separate third-party software.

Bootable disks can be created, along with PXE and ISO disk images for use with virtual servers.

A built-in scheduler is provided to automate the backup process with command line scripting tools. The local console includes a task monitor with a group server for centralised monitoring in the enterprise suite.

Recovery from an image is equally easy with more options. As well as recovering a complete disk, it’s possible to mount the image file and selectively recover files just as you would an ordinary disk or network share.

You can even boot from an image and start using the server before the recovery process has completed, a technology Acronis calls Snap Restore.

It’s now possible to recover an image to non-identical hardware, although to do this you’ll need the optional Universal Restore add-on (£149 ex Vat).

When it comes to price, the Acronis software is far from cheap. However, it compares well with the leading backup applications, doesn’t need special backup hardware and in the event of a disaster, could pay for itself several times over.

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