LaserVault Moves IBM i Backups Forward

June 17, 2015 Alex Woodie

There’s no shortage of ways to back up your IBM i data, each of which fills a need according to one’s particular budget and requirements. LaserVault recently provided one more option with UBD Replacador, which is aimed at those wanting to de-duplicate and backup their IBM i data to an IBM Storwize array. The company also announced a significant new feature in its software-based virtual tape library (VTL) solution.

IBM’s Intel-based Storwize arrays have traction in the IBM i base, particularly among small and midsized businesses that want the benefits of a centralized storage array but not the cost and complexity of a full Power-based array, such as the DS6000 or DS8000. As the smallest and least expensive of the Storwize family, the V3700 has sold particularly well.

So it’s no surprise to see vendors like LaserVault stepping in to help IBM i shops do more with them. According to the Tulsa, Oklahoma, software company, the new Replacador for UBD (Universal Backup Device) product allows IBM i customers to store their IBM i backups directly on the Storwize 3700.

The offering is based on UBD, the Windows Server-based backup appliance that LaserVault launched five years ago to serve as a scaled-down virtual tape library (VLT) for IBM i shops. Today’s UBD offerings are based on Windows 2012 R2 and use the de-duplication facilities based on the Microsoft OS.

When customers step up to the UBD Replacador offering, they not only can store data on the Storwize V3700, but also gain the capability to replicate the data from one Storwize V3700 to a second array.

“What UBD Replacador brings to the table is the ability for the SMB to take their data protection up a notch by adding de-duplication and replication,” says Brad Jensen, CEO of LaserVault-maker Electronic Storage Corporation. “Using the systems together creates a powerful solution for managing IBM i data.”

You can obviously cobble all this together yourself, and can even subscribe to V3700 software features to get data replication capabilities. But at about $8,500 for Remote Mirroring and about $3,000 for FlashCopy functionality, LaserVault is betting that some IBM i customers may be looking for cheaper options. The Replacador software costs $4,995, according to LaserVault; the UBD software is sold separately.

In other news, LaserVault also announced that it’s now supporting full system saves (and full system recoveries) with its LaserVault Backup software.

Launched in 2006, LaserVault Backup essentially allows users to assemble their own VTL solutions with their choice of hardware. LaserVault Backup uses TCP/IP to send IBM i backups to a target device, which could be anything from a thumb drive to a Linux PC to a Windows box or even a SAN. In this way, the software provides a reliable, programmatic, and auditable way to move backup data that doesn’t involve futzing with tapes.

With the new SAVSYSLV command, LaserVault is allowing the product to go beyond incremental backups (and restores) and into the realm of full-system saves (and recoveries). It’s all about giving customers more choices when it comes to protecting their data and building disaster recovery strategies, Jensen says.

“[It] gives IBM i users the ability to move completely away from tape while strengthening their DR protection,” he says in a press release. “We’re proud of the fact that the software is so simple to use and can be deployed without disruption. Users find that it transforms their time-intensive backup process to an automated one. This makes it easier to manage and better for their business than dealing with physical tapes.”

LaserVault Backup with the SAVSYSLV option is now available for $7,495. Current users of LaserVault Backup can add the SAVSYSLV module for $2,495. For more information, see the company’s website at www.laservault.com.

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