Summary
Storware Backup and Recovery has evolved significantly, offering comprehensive data protection across diverse environments. From its initial launch as a centralized platform in 2022, it has grown to encompass support for various operating systems, platforms, and integrations. Version 7.2 introduces features like Zadara zCompute support and Backup Copy for OS Agent, marking its continuous development.
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** Main Story**
Okay, let’s talk about Storware Backup and Recovery. It’s been making some serious waves in the data protection world, and for good reason. Since its launch in January 2022, it’s not just been sitting still; Storware has been constantly evolving, adding features and broadening its horizons across different platforms and environments. In short, it’s aiming to be your one-stop shop for data protection.
Getting Started and What It Offers
Storware started with a simple, yet ambitious idea: to give businesses a unified, forward-thinking backup and recovery solution. The core focus was on making backup management less of a headache, no matter the size of your company. I mean, who wants to deal with a complicated backup process? It also provides a single, universal license. Think of it: you can manage virtual environments, cloud applications, on-premise stuff, Microsoft 365 – heck, even data sitting on employee devices. And because of it’s modular, scalable design it really stood out.
Version 6.0: A Real Game Changer
Now, let’s fast forward to July 2023, when Version 6.0 dropped. That was a big deal.
- OS agent support for Linux and Windows? Check.
- File-level data protection? Check.
- Tape support in technical preview? Also, check. I think this is a great feature.
That’s right, you could now back up to tape pools, a major step up for protecting virtual machines, applications, and storage instances. Plus, they rolled out OpenShift Virtualization support, meaning you could safeguard virtual machines in OpenShift environments, with incremental backups to save space. And if that weren’t enough, there was also support for stateful sets in container deployments and integration with OpenNebula.
Enhancements and Integrations
Storware didn’t stop there, though. August 2024 saw the arrival of Version 7.0, and this one was all about making things even simpler, playing nicely with more platforms, and giving users a better experience. Think of this feature as an evolving toolbox.
- Debian and Ubuntu support? Added.
- Integration with Canonical OpenStack and Canonical KVM? You bet.
- VergeIO support for VMware alternative infrastructures? Absolutely.
And Proxmox environments with CEPH storage now had backup capabilities. The ISO-based installation also made deployment easier. Not only that, but they redesigned the configuration wizard so it’s much easier to use. Small changes, but important. They also did upgrades to file tracking with checksums, file permission versioning, and network share support.
Version 7.1: More Flexibility
Just a few months later, in December 2024, Version 7.1 arrived, and it doubled down on cross-platform compatibility. It enabled virtual machine restores between different hypervisor types, like VMware and OpenStack, plus compatibility with Canonical Ubuntu 24. Remember when I struggled to restore a VM from VMware to OpenStack a few years back? This would have saved me hours! Plus, they improved VM disk level settings for Proxmox VM restoration.
On top of all that, secondary backup destination support was added for CEPH RBD and Nutanix volume groups, giving you better data retention and disaster recovery. And for you Mac users out there, OS support was expanded to include Mac OS support for file-level backup capabilities.
What’s Next? Version 7.2 and Beyond
Most recently, March 2025 brought us Storware Backup and Recovery 7.2. This release includes Zadara zCompute support, Backup Copy for OS Agent, ZFS backup destination support, optimized tape management, and improved reporting and monitoring. If you ask me, it shows Storware is focused on giving you flexible data protection solutions for pretty much any workload you throw at it.
Ultimately, the tech landscape is always changing, so Storware is positioned to keep evolving. They aren’t satisfied with sitting still and that’s good, this is an important factor when choosing software, are the developers constantly trying to be better or are they happy with what they have. It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with next, won’t it?
Given Storware’s continuous development, especially with features like Zadara zCompute support in version 7.2, how does Storware prioritize which new platforms and integrations to support, and what criteria are used to evaluate potential additions?
That’s a great question! It’s interesting to consider their prioritization process. I imagine user demand and market trends play a significant role. Perhaps they also consider the potential impact on existing users and the feasibility of integration. What do you think are the key factors?
Editor: StorageTech.News
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The evolution to include OS agent support for Linux and Windows in version 6.0 seems like a crucial step. How has this broadened the appeal to enterprises with diverse infrastructure, and what are the performance implications compared to traditional VM-level backups?
That’s a great question! OS agent support has definitely broadened our appeal. It allows us to protect physical servers and endpoints, which is crucial for enterprises with hybrid environments. Regarding performance, OS agent backups can be faster for file-level recovery compared to restoring entire VMs. It is a case of matching the solution to the need.
Editor: StorageTech.News
Thank you to our Sponsor Esdebe
The cross-platform compatibility introduced in version 7.1, allowing VM restores between hypervisors like VMware and OpenStack, is a significant step forward. Has anyone tested this feature extensively, and what have the experiences been regarding data integrity and conversion complexity?
That’s a great point regarding cross-platform restores! The ability to move VMs between VMware and OpenStack is a game-changer for flexibility. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s used it in production. Data integrity during conversion is definitely a key concern. Let’s keep the conversation going!
Editor: StorageTech.News
Thank you to our Sponsor Esdebe
Storware supports “data sitting on employee devices”? Does that mean I can finally back up my cat photos from my personal laptop to the company server? Asking for a friend, of course.
That’s hilarious! While we definitely support protecting data on employee devices, maybe cat photos are best kept on personal backups for now. Though, high-quality pet pics might be valuable company assets for boosting morale. Just a thought! What does everyone else think?
Editor: StorageTech.News
Thank you to our Sponsor Esdebe
So, if it now handles “data sitting on employee devices,” does that mean I can finally ditch my complicated home NAS setup and just… *accidentally* store everything at work? Asking for a friend who may or may not have too many vacation photos.