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ARCserveIT v6.61 Advanced Edition for Linux
ARCServeIT, the Computer Associates Backup Software Solution for Linux, Helps Linux Users Stay on Top of Storage Issues/Disaster Recovery
Introduction:
Data
backup and recovery is one of the most essential parts in administering
computer networks. Up to this point, many system administrators have
relied on a combination of shell scripts and dump to backup their
system. Many administrators have already found from experience that
this combination has limited functionality and often requires custom
scripting to fit the needs of each individual.
Last month, Computer Associates, Inc. asked us to review ARCserveIT v6.61
Advanced Edition for Linux. The initial installation was not
complicated and each function executed as documented. The Advanced
Edition for Linux has many interesting features. Perhaps the most
interesting one is the Java interface. ARCserveIT requires apache and
installs the Java control panel at ( http://localhost/as6 ) It
can be accessed locally or via a network. This makes ARCserveIT
administration easy. ARCserveIT also can be access and controlled from
the command line.
The
appearance, ease of use, and functionality of ARCserveIT were all
excellent. In the two week testing period, ARCserveIT remained stable,
executed all jobs, and logged all events. If you are looking for a
better Linux backup solution, ARCserveIT may be what you need.
To the left:
A screen shot of ARCServeIT's Java based user interface. After apache
is configured, this interface can be called from any remote location
with WWW access.
Overall Grade: A
Features of ARCserveIT v6.61:
Integrated Client Support
Multiple Server Support (Deploy ARCserveIT to backup unlimited servers throughout the network.)
Integrated Tape and Optical Library Support
Extensive Device Support
Advanced Scheduling
Data Verification (CRC - byte by byte verification)
Parallel Streaming (Back up/restore data simultaneously, to or from up to 32 devices)
Automatic Alerts
ARCserveIT writes data to tape using the Universal Tape Format (UTF).
Functions of ARCserveIT v6.61:
Backup:
(Backup
Manager) This section is used to configure which computer(s) on the
network you wish to back up, path, destination media, and backup
schedule.
Restore:
(Restore
Manager) This section is obviously for restoring previous backups. It
can be used to restore local or networked machines.
Job Status:
(Job
Status Manager) This section displays the current jobs to be executed. It can also be used to configure more advanced backup schedules. Backup
schedules can be extremely complex. (ie. M-W-F full backup, T-H
incremental, every 6 days regardless, full backup, etc. )
Devices:
(Device
Manager) This section gives a detailed summary of the backup devices
installed. Other commands such as format, erase, compress, clean, can
be executed.
Database:
(Database Manager) This section gives a more detailed view of the hard drive, network, and ARCserveIT configuration.
Merge:
(Merge Manager) This section is used to determine/choose how a particular media source is merged.
Scan:
(Scan Manager) This section is used to configure backup scans.
Reports:
(Report Manager) This section is used to organize log messages, and to gatherbackup job reports.
Profiles:
(Profile Manage) This section is used to add, remove, and configure backup managers. *NOTE: It is extremely important that you set a password for the arcroot user. The default password is blank.
Apache Web Server and pdksh
need to be preinstalled. pd-ksh is a clone of the Korn Shell. The ksh
shell is a command interpreter intended for both interactive and shell
script use. Ksh's command language is a superset of the sh shell
language.
Browser With Java Support, and at least 800x600 resolution to view httpd interface frames correctly.
Pentium class processor with minimum 64 mb RAM, although it did not seem to be RAM intensive
Minimum of 30 mb Hard Disk space.
You must have at least one tape drive. ARCserveIT supports any drive that is supported under Linux.
Restore Basics:
ARCserveIT
can restore entire hosts, drives, file systems, and volumes. The
restore capabilities are flexible enough to backup/restore the data
from Linux, Unix, Netware, and Windows servers. In order to restore a
host back its original filestate, ARCserveIT must be reinstalled on the
system. To perform the restore, pull up the administrative menus (http://localhost/as6), and follow the restore wizard menus.
General ARCserveIT Security:
ARCserveIT
has built-in data encryption functionality to better secure critical
data against malicious activities. ARCserveIT also has its own methods
of data verification to help ensure data integrity and minimize errors.
The
security of ARCserveIT is comparable to other backup packages. The http
administrative menus have password protection by default. If you are
planning to use the http administrative menus remotely, I would suggest
adding password protection to the general web directory. This can be
done by adding a .htaccess file to the default web directory. ( ie. /opt/ARCservIT/httpd)
- Use htpasswd to generate a password file:
# htpasswd .password_file_name username
- A general .htaccess file ( located in /opt/ARCservIT/httpd ) should look like:
AuthUserFile /path/to/.password_file_name AuthName "ARCserveIT Backup" AuthType Basic deny from all allow from 123.123.123.123 <------- Your Workstations IP Address require user username
Installation: (Quick & Easy )
The packages used during installation include calicens.rpm, as6mgr.rpm, as6svr.rpm, and turbofix.rpm, which is required for Turbo Linux 6.0 installs.
When logged in as root, mount the cdrom drive:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
Change into install directory:
# cd /mnt/cdrom/opt/linux/ARCserve.IT
Make sure the files as6mgr.rpm, as6svr.rpm, and install exist. Then run install script:
[root@cry0phi]# ./install Now installing the ARCserveIT packages ... Installing ARCserveIT Base (as6svr.rpm) ... Congratulations! The ARCserveIT package has been installed and your /etc/profile has been updated to include the ARCserveIT home directory (/opt/ARCserveIT) and executables paths. You will need to finish up installation by running asetup. Before you do, though, please source /etc/profile to get those new settings into your environment. Thank you! Installing ARCserveIT Management (as6mgr.rpm) ... Congratulations! as6mgr package has been installed. It will be configured when you run asetup. After that, in your Web browser, please go to the following URL: cry0phi/as6/ Done! Thank you
Once the installation is successfully done, a directory /opt/ARCserveIT will be created on your system if you have decided to install on the default (/opt) directory. Also /ca_lic directory will be created for CA License. Next you need to execute:
# . /etc/profile
to set the $ARCH_HOME variable set to the ARCserveIT Home directory. Next run asetup to configure the ARCserveIT system. (default: /opt/ARCserveIT/sbin/asetup)
During asetup you will be asked a series of questions such as host
name, domain name, logging information, etc. I chose all default values
and did not have any trouble. Start ARCserveIT with astart.
