Serverless Backup

The basic architecture for tape backup and archive systems has remained unchanged since the introduction and subsequent wide-scale implementation of the LAN (Local Area Network) over 15 years ago. This is now being transformed by new Serverless backup architectures utilizing Fibre Channel technology.

Serverless backup (also known as SNIA Extended Copy and XCOPY) addresses the needs of corporations for full time information availability and a zero time backup windows by relegating all backup related tasks to the SAN. As the name implies, serverless backup entails backing up data directly from primary storage to secondary storage without placing a load on the server itself.

In a serverless backup architecture, the tape server is delegated the role of "system coordinator," rather than data mover. In this configuration, a copy device such as the ATTO FibreBridge^TM, assumes the task of actually controlling and moving the data from the disk storage to the tape library.

Illustrated below, the diagrams represent LAN Free Backup versus Serverless Backup.


The difficulty with this is that the server is used to manage the entire backup process. In this diagram, the FibreBridge is used solely for translating from FC to SCSI. If you were a node on the LAN, you would experience a slow down in [applications] due to server constraints when controlling the backup.



The advantage in this scenario is that the server is only used once; to send the first XCOPY command to the ATTO FibreBridge to initiate the serverless backup. In this diagram, the FibreBridge not only controls the entire backup process (making it serverless), the FibreBridge also translates the data from FC to SCSI. If you were a node on the LAN, you would not experience a loss in [application time], because the server is free to process LAN commands rather then backup.

There are significant gains to be found that are unique to the serverless architecture.

• 1. Removing bottlenecks in the serverless configuration creates performances gains in another important area - the tape server.
• 2. Eliminating constraints related to the memory, I/O and CPU performance of the backup server itself as the data moves through a high-performance copy device.
• 3. Decreasing cost is realized when expensive, high-end servers are eliminated.
• 4. Saving data in multiple locations. Streaming the same data to several tape libraries simultaneously, even if geographically separated, without the need for copying and moving the actual tapes - an important advantage in any disaster recovery plan.
• 5. Simplifying the system architecture is an important benefit for system administrators. With serverless backup, a general-purpose server that previously required significant administration and maintenance is now replaced with a standalone device that requires virtually no maintenance and can be replaced quickly in the event of failure.

Synergistically, this rewards the customer a lower total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) for the backup sub-system and system infrastructure.