Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• Hardware mirror migration

  Backup expert Ashley D'Costa offers troubleshooting advice for a reader who asked how to migrate a hardware mirror without losing data.  Continue Reading

• Hot SQL Server backup concerns

  Backup expert Ashley D'Costa outlines what you should consider when performing SQL Server backups while the users are accessing the database.  Continue Reading

• E-mail archiving with CAS

  Archiving expert Bill Tolson offers advice on utilizing CAS for e-mail archiving.  Continue Reading

• Hosted vs. in-house e-mail archiving

  Archiving expert Bill Tolson outlines the pros and cons of hosted, in-house and hybrid e-mail archiving.  Continue Reading

• Agent-based backup pros and cons

  Curtis Preston discusses the pros and cons of agent-based backup software such as TSM or Netvault compared to an agentless backup solution like Asigra.  Continue Reading

• Disk vs. tape for long-term backup

  Backup expert Curtis Preston discusses whether disk is appropriate for long-term backup and compares the costs associated with disk- and tape-based backup systems.  Continue Reading

• Commvault tapes stop writing before full

  Backup expert Pierre Dorion offers troubleshooting advice for a SearchStorage reader who asked: Why do our CommVault tapes stop writing before they are full? When I check the tapes, there is plenty of valid data space and the tapes are not marked ...  Continue Reading

• Pros and cons of converting to VTL

  Backup expert W. Curtis Preston outlines the pros and cons of converting to VTL.  Continue Reading

• Records retention program

  Backup expert Ashley D'Costa discusses what department within a medium- to large-sized company should be responsible for a records retention program.  Continue Reading

• Narrow down your replication or CDP options

  Backup expert Pierre Dorion offers suggestions on how to choose the best replication or CDP for your needs.  Continue Reading

• Choosing an offsite backup vendor

  Backup expert Curtis Preston offers guidelines for choosing an offsite backup vendor.  Continue Reading

• Setting up LAN-less backups

  SAN expert Chris Poelker details what you need to consider when setting up LAN-less backups.  Continue Reading

• Monitoring tape media duty cycle

  Backup expert Ashley D'Costa offers advice on how to realistically monitor the duty cycle of your tape media.  Continue Reading

• Evaluating compliance archiving vendors

  Backup expert Ashley D'Costa offers suggestions for evaluating vendors of compiance archiving products.  Continue Reading

• Best practices for backup from SAN

  Storage expert Marc Staimer offers advice for setting up a SAN to ensure backup performance.  Continue Reading