NAS, an acronym for Network Attached Storage, is essentially a self-contained computer, connected to a network, with the purpose of providing bulk data storage. A NAS device has a bare bones operating system and is not designed for typical computing tasks. Oftentimes these system lack a display or input device and are instead managed remotely through the network.
The networking solutions company Netgear announced August 31 that its ReadyNAS storage appliance line, designed for Small to Medium Businesses (SMB) would now support the Remote Agent for Linux and UNIX Servers (RALUS) for Symantec Backup Exec for Windows Servers. Now installed directly on the ReadyNAS device, the Symantec developed Backup Exec agent communicates directly with Symantec Backup Exec Software to provide significant performance boosts in backup, restore, archive and disaster recovery.
Ian Moran from UK Reseller Konnexion described his experience as such: “Disk-to-disk backup performance with the RALUS Add-On for ReadyNAS runs at 3GB/minute. Most importantly, I am now managing backups from various systems using a single tool without error messages or concerns. Thanks to Netgear and Symantec, my SMB customers now have a cutting-edge backup and recovery solution to cut costs and reduce management pain even further.”
RALUS extends the Backup Exec technology of Symantec beyond Windows and Netware to Linux and Unix Systems. This helps meet the backup and storage needs of businesses that choose Linux. Netear is the first to offer Small to Medium Businesses sub-$5000 solutions with this functionality.
“Our work with Symantec is indicative of our commitment to providing SMBs with a full range of options in order to store, share and protect their data,” said Paul Tien, vice president and general manager of Netgear’s Networked Storage Business Unit. “As a leading SMB storage vendor, this kind of cross-vendor support is proof of our commitment to this market. ReadyNAS owners and channel partners are building ever more powerful solutions at a more affordable price point with industry leaders like Symantec.”
The RALUS add-on for Backup Exec is priced at $395 and licensed from Symantec; it is supported by Backup Exec versions 10.5 and newer. It is available for download from both Netgear and Symantec. Curious? More information for the entire ReadyNAS product line is available at their site too.
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