Ibac Backup Versioning Module (BVM)

Ibac Backup Versioning Module (BVM) is an add on component of Ibac Data Protection Software that uses file virtualization and file differencing to create multiple versions of full server backups onto a disk based target utilizing only a fraction of the disk space than that of a normal backup application. BVM virtualizes each incremental backup to the original full backup and stores that data in a separate folder corresponding to the date/time the incremental backup was run. All of the newly backed up data gets stored in this folder and all of the unchanged files also appear in this folder as virtualized replicas of the original data. Administrators can open and manipulate any one of files in that day's backup folder as if they were opening a file from the original full backup. Administrators can also restore data from any one of the virtualized folders eliminating the need to restore incremental backup and full backups together.

The best way to explain the concept of BVM is to construct a basic example of an application for BVM:

Let's assume that Acme LLC is using a 1 TB FrankeNAS Backup Appliance. This unit has 1 TB of RAID 5 capacity for storing their data. A full backup at Acme takes up 300GB worth of storage space. Acme has a policy of running full backups every night because of problems they had in the past when having to do a restore using multiple incremental backups and the last full backup. Acme also needs to keep as many days worth or versions of full backups in this unit in order to be able to quickly access and restore backup data. Assuming that each full backup is around the same amount of data, Acme can store 3 full backups at any given time in the FrankeNAS unit (900GB).

After implementing the Idealstor Backup Versioning Module on their FrankeNAS, Acme is now able to store 15 days worth of full backups on this 1 TB storage appliance. The way this works is that although a full backup is 300GB, only 50GB worth of data changes on a daily basis. Using BVM, Acme runs an incremental backup each night and creates a separate folder for each backup that contains the changes and the virtualized files. Because BVM only backs up the changes to the backup data, each subsequent backup only takes up 50GB of actual space on this RAID Array. To the Acme administrator each folder looks as if it is a full backup, but in reality there are new files (changed data) and virtualized files (unchanged data) in that folder. Using this module, Acme can now have 15 days worth of full backups available to access and restore lost data:

15 Days of Full Backups other Backup Software = 4.5TB (4500GB)