ExaGrid Disk Backup Product Line

ExaGrid EX Series Product Line

ExaGrid offers a highly scalable disk backup solution that works with your existing backup application and combines high quality SATA storage, compression and byte-level data deduplication with a virtualized GRID architecture. This unique approach reduces the disk space required for backup by a range of 10 to 50:1, delivers best-in-class scalability and unparalleled cost savings.

• Scalable GRID Architecture
• Post Process Data Deduplication
• Server Configurations
• On-site/Off-Site/Multi-site Topology
• Core Components

Scalable GRID Architecture

There are five core ExaGrid disk-based backup servers. These servers include GRID computing software. When plugged into a switch they virtualize into one another. As a result, any of the five configurations can be mixed and matched into a single GRID system, with full backup capacities up to 30TB, in 1TB increments. Once virtualized, they appear as a single system to the backup server. Load balancing of all data across servers is automatic and multiple GRID systems can be combined for additional capacity.

ExaGrid's unique approach to scalability provides the following benefits:

• Performance is maintained as your data grows - each additional ExaGrid server added to a system provides disk, processor, memory and GigE
• Capacity utilization is load-balanced across servers - as a single server reaches full utilization, it can leverage space available on other servers in the GRID
• Plug and play expansion - adding an additional ExaGrid server is as simple as plugging it in and letting ExaGrid's automatic virtualized GRID software do the rest
• Cost-effective, system "right-sizing" - acquire just what you need now, add more later as data grows

Post Process Data Deduplication

ExaGrid's innovative approach minimizes the amount  of data to be stored by providing standard data compression for the most recent backups, along with byte-level data deduplication for all previous backups. ExaGrid's post-process deduplication technology stores changes from backup to backup instead of storing full file copies. This unique approach reduces the disk space required by at least 10, and up to 50 to 1, delivering unparalleled performance for the fastest backups and restores, all in a solution that costs the same as a new tape library.

Five Core ExaGrid Server Configurations

• 1TB EX1000
• 2TB EX2000
• 3TB EX3000
• 4TB EX4000
• 5TB EX5000

For example, a 5TB ExaGrid server can store a 5TB full backup (5TB of primary data) plus up to 16 weeks of retention/history, while a 2TB server can take in a 2TB full backup (2TB of primary data) plus up to 16 weeks of retention. If a 30TB system is required, then six EX5000s are plugged into the switch and virtualize into a single system.

Five Mix and Match Servers

Examples of several common ExaGrid system GRID configurations between 5TB and 30TB

On-site and Off-site, or Multi-site Disk-based Backup

In addition to single site, ExaGrid supports multi-site topologies. Each site can act as a data backup target for storage of local backups. Further, each site can transfer just the changed bytes to an off-site location so that the off-site location can perform data recovery if the local site is lost. This support is bi-directional allowing systems used as off-site repositories to also act as local targets for data backups at those sites. With two-site configurations, it is very common to have both systems act as a local data backup target and to cross-protect each other by replicating the local data to the opposing site. With multi-site topologies, a centrally located site may cross protect with one of the other locations for long-term retention and disaster recovery for the central site backup data.

Multi-site Topology

Core Server Components

ExaGrid servers are comprised of the following:

• Intel Quad Core XEON processors
• Intel motherboard
• Seagate SATA drives
• RAID 6 hot Spare
• ExaGrid Proprietary Software

Each server includes the appropriate amount of processor, memory, disk and GigE for the amount of data. As each server is plugged into the switch and virtualized into the GRID it brings not only disk capacity but also processor, memory and GigE such that performance is maintained as data is added.