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Zmanda Pro FAQs

About Amanda Enterprise

Amanda is the most popular open source software for backup and recovery of networked computers. Our software protects more than half a million servers, workstations and desktops running various versions of Linux, UNIX, BSD, Mac OS-X and Microsoft Windows operating systems worldwide. Amanda is available in two editions — Amanda Community and Amanda Enterprise.

Amanda Enterprise is the enhanced and supported version of Amanda with improvements in usability, security and applications support. Specifically, Amanda Enterprise provides the following:

  • Zmanda Management Console that simplifies & automates all day-to-day activities of backup administrators such as configuring backup policies and schedules, adding new clients, click-and-restore files from backup media and generating standard or custom reports

  • Flexible media options enabling backup to disk, tape, optical devices and backup over the Internet to Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)

  • Wide platform, database and application support

  • Backup of System State for Windows clients to ensure system and registry database referential integrity in case of disaster recovery

  • Hot backup of MS Exchange, MS SQL Server and Oracle databases

  • New functionality and security updates, product alerts, knowledgebase access, and 24x7 support from Zmanda worldwide

  • Amanda Enterprise is an open source product, while the others are closed-source
  • Amanda Enterprise uses standard data formats such as tar and zip instead of proprietary ones
  • Amanda is the only open source data protection software certified by the US Department of Homeland Security
  • Amanda Enterprise provides intelligent scheduling that calculates optimal full and incremental backup levels for all of your clients so your backup windows is consistent every day, your resource usage optimized without having to purchase additional storage and network capacity to accommodate peak backup data volumes
  • Amanda Enterprise supports Open Source and user configurable encryption and data compression, while other solutions force you to use their encryption and compression routines
  • Zmanda Management Console (ZMC) that simplifies & automates all day-to-day activities of backup administrators such as configuring backup policies and schedules, adding new clients, click-and-restore files from backup archives and generating standard or custom reports
  • Automated data retention and disposition policy and processes
  • Flexible backup media options including disk, tape, optical devices and online storage option such as Amazon S3
  • Wide platform, database and application support
  • Easy and dependable cross-platform recovery
  • Functionality and security software updates
  • 3 levels of technical support with complete knowledge base access, email and phone support, and case management with guaranteed response time

For in-depth overview of how Amanda compares to competition please register free of charge at Zmanda Network and download “Advantages of Amanda over Proprietary Backup Software” white paper.

Please register at Zmanda Network which contains additional information on Amanda Enterprise including whitepapers and on-demand webinars.

General Information

Zmanda Pro is a high-performance, open-source, restic-based backup and recovery software solution designed for hybrid cloud environments, catering to enterprises and SMBs.

Zmanda Pro offers:

  • Centralized Management: Simplifies backup administration tasks, such as configuring backup policies, and schedules, adding clients, and restoring files, with robust reporting capabilities.

  • Flexible Media Options: Supports backups to disk, optical devices, and cloud services like Amazon S3, Wasabi, GCP, and Azure.

  • Wide Platform Support: Compatible with various Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, and MacOS, Databases (MS SQL, MongoDB, MySql, and Oracle), and Virtual Applications (HyperV and VMware).

  • Backup Platform Compatibility: Back up to cloud, NAS, and disk. Zmanda supports advanced features, such as ransomware protection with air-gapped backups, client-side deduplication, forever incremental backups, and zero trust security. It can be deployed as a container, VM, or Zmanda-hosted instance.

  • Microsoft 365 Backup: Get complete protection for Microsoft 365 Suite: Outlook, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint, and Teams files, and save them to a storage destination of your choice.

  • System State Backup: Provides bare-metal recovery (BMR) to ensure system and registry integrity for disaster recovery.

  • Database Hot Backup: Supports live MS SQL Server and Oracle database backups.

  • Continuous Updates and Support: Offers security updates, product alerts, knowledgebase access, and 24x7 support globally from the Zmanda team.

Zmanda Pro, a comprehensive, reliable solution comes at a 50% lower price than the competition. You also get 24*7 support with a 2x higher NPS than the industry average.

Try Zmanda Pro free for 14 days with a full-featured trial.

Here are the top features of Zmanda Pro:

  • Client-side deduplication: Exclude redundant copies of data from your backups creating bandwidth and saving up to 89%+ on their storage space.

  • Forever incremental backups: Eliminate the need for periodic full backups after the initial one. Optimize storage space & speed up backup processes.

  • Granular Recovery: Recover specific pieces of data, like individual files or emails, instead of having to restore an entire system backup.

  • Immutable Backups with Storage Replication: This creates unchangeable copies of your data and stores them in multiple locations.

  • Complete protection for Microsoft 365 Suite: Protect Outlook, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint, and Teams files, and save them to a storage destination of your choice.

  • Cut your TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) by 50%: Simple & straightforward pricing with up to 50% total cost of ownership (TCO) savings- all with an easy-to-set-up configuration.

  • Ensure data continuity with backups for Windows and macOS: Protect & maintain business continuity with complete, reliable backups of your Windows and macOS systems.

  • 24X7 premium support: Speak to an expert directly and eliminate backup worries with Zmanda EBR’s dependable 24*7 premium support.

Here's a breakdown of how Zmanda Pro differentiates itself from other backup software:

  • Cost-Effectiveness: Zmanda Pro emphasizes reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by up to 50% in comparison with other competitors
  • Open-Source Foundation: Built on the restic-based, open-source backup foundation, Zmanda Pro offers a familiar platform for some users. It might also translate to lower initial costs compared to purely proprietary solutions.
  • Flexibility and Choice: Zmanda Pro seems to focus on providing a wider range of backup destinations. You might have the option to store backups on-premises (local disks, NAS/SAN) or leverage cloud storage (managed by Zmanda or public cloud providers). This caters to various budget and security needs.
  • Focus on Enterprise Needs: Zmanda Pro highlights features like disaster recovery, application-specific backups (Microsoft 365), and potential support for large-scale deployments. This suggests it's well-suited for protecting complex enterprise IT environments.

It supports a wide range of platforms and offers seamless integration with existing IT infrastructure.

Overall, the best choice depends on your specific needs. Consider factors like budget, desired features, IT environment complexity, and your comfort level with open-source software. It's always recommended to compare Zmanda Pro with other leading backup solutions to make an informed decision.

You can straight away begin your 14-day free trial, request a demo, or contact sales to get started with Zmanda. It’s pretty straightforward but if you are looking for help with the installation process, our documentation can help you get started.

Zmanda Pro can back up data to various locations, including local storage, disk, network-attached storage (NAS), and cloud storage services like Amazon S3, Azure, Wasabi, & other offsite locations.

For more information, visit the Zmanda Pro section on our website, explore our blog, or contact sales and support teams.

Zmanda performs rigorous testing, including automated testing, manual quality assurance, and real-world simulations to ensure enterprise readiness and reliability.

Zmanda Pro uses end-to-end encryption, advanced security protocols, and compliance with major standards to ensure your data is secure at rest and in motion.

Technical Specifications

Zmanda Cloud Storage (ZCS) is a specific feature offered by Zmanda as part of their backup solutions. It focuses on providing secure and scalable cloud storage for your backups.

Key aspects of Zmanda Cloud Storage:

  • SaaS-based Deployments: Zmanda handles the infrastructure and management of the cloud storage behind the scenes. This frees you from managing cloud resources yourself.

  • Scalability: ZCS can grow as your data storage needs increase. You won't have to worry about running out of space or managing additional storage hardware.

  • Cost-Effectiveness: Zmanda emphasizes reducing your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) compared to other major cloud providers. This could be due to factors like efficient storage management or potentially lower storage costs negotiated by Zmanda.

  • Disaster Recovery: Storing backups in the cloud ensures they're geographically separate from your on-premises infrastructure. This allows recovery in case of a localized disaster that takes down your primary data center.

  • Reduced Hardware Needs: By leveraging cloud storage, you might eliminate the need for additional on-premises storage hardware, simplifying your infrastructure.

It's important to note that Zmanda Cloud Storage might not be a standalone product. It likely works in conjunction with Zmanda backup software like Zmanda Pro.

 

Yes, Zmanda Pro is designed for hybrid cloud environments. It lets you store backups on-premises, in Zmanda's cloud storage, or even in public clouds like AWS or Azure, all managed from a single console.

Yes, Zmanda Pro supports the backup of sparse files, ensuring efficient storage and minimal disk space usage

Yes, Zmanda Pro supports the backup of hard links, maintaining the integrity and structure of your file system.

No, Zmanda Pro preserves the original timestamps of files and directories during backups to maintain data integrity.

Yes, Zmanda Pro supports forever incremental backups, allowing you to back up only the changes made since the last backup, saving time and storage space.

Yes, you can exclude specific files or directories from backups by configuring exclusion rules in Zmanda Pro.

Linux

 

  • CentOS 8 or newer

  • Debian 8 "Jessie" or newer

  • Ubuntu 16.04 or newer

  • Any other recent Linux operating system version (kernel 2.6.23 or newer). Recommended kernel 5.0 or newer.

Mac

 

  • macOS 10.13 "High Sierra" or newer

Microsoft Windows

 

  • Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, or newer

  • Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and newer Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, or newer

For more information check out the compatibility matrix

Yes, Zmanda Pro provides hot backups for MS Exchange, allowing backups to occur without interrupting email services.

Yes, Zmanda Pro offers hot backups for Oracle databases on Windows OS, ensuring continuous data protection without downtime.

Yes, Zmanda Pro supports hot backups for MS SQL, enabling seamless data protection while the database is online.

Yes, Zmanda Pro supports the backup of various virtual machines, including those running on VMware, Hyper-V, and KVM.

Trial Period

Free trials are issued automatically as soon as you sign up for a free trial form. You can get started with the Zmanda setup immediately using the provided documentation. Meanwhile, one of our customer specialists will reach out to you to understand your requirements. 

At the start of the trial period, we will provide you with a trial license, that includes each of the features of the product. You can implement your backup architecture as per your requirements. For help during implementation, one of our specialists will get in touch with you for a free 30 minutes call.

Zmanda’s free trial includes access to all of the features and entire software. Each feature will have a count of one unit (one backup server, one backup agent for each of the supported endpoints). The leads can work with the sales team to change the license quantities if required. You can explore all the features of Zmanda for 14 days to test its flexibility in your environment.

Yes, you will receive 24*7 Premium Support during your trial. We provide support over the phone, by email, and through tickets. You can email your query to us at support@zmanda.com or call us at 888-496-2632 (US) and 408-732-3208 (INTL). The support team is also reachable via this form. 

Yes, it is possible to modify the trial period and feature count if required. You can reach our sales team at sales@zmanda.com and let them know the required modification.

The backed-up data will remain available just as it was backed up, even after the trial period ends. Data protected by Zmanda is always recoverable without active licenses.

Yes, all you have to do is replace the trial license in Zmanda with the paid license.

Security and Compliance

Zmanda uses advanced encryption protocols (AES-256) for data at rest and TLS for data in motion, configurable with custom certificates for additional security. Regular security audits ensure compliance with industry standards.

Yes, Zmanda complies with CCPA, safeguarding the personal information of California residents.

Yes, Zmanda Pro supports various compliance requirements, including SOC 2 and ISO 27001, helping enterprises meet regulatory standards.

Zmanda Pro implements multiple layers of protection, including encryption, redundancy, and regular backups to secure data against loss. To know more about our backup practices read up on this blog

Yes, Zmanda Pro includes a comprehensive disaster recovery plan, ensuring business continuity and rapid data restoration in case of a disaster.

Read up on how Zmanda protects you in case of a disaster

Licensing and Pricing

Zmanda's licensing model offers flexible, scalable licensing options

Zmanda has a license-by-workload pricing model that lets you drive cost savings from day 1 and caters to various business needs. It allows for straightforward pricing and easy license management. While most of our competitors charge by the amount of backed-up data, you end up paying to back up your data by the gig, which is 3x of what you pay with zmanda.

See detailed pricing

Yes, Zmanda offers discounts for large-scale data backup. Contact our sales team for detailed pricing and discount information.

Zmanda Pro is licensed based on the number of virtual machines or virtual hosts, providing scalable solutions for virtual environments.

Zmanda Pro charges for Amazon S3 backups based on the amount of data stored and the frequency of backups. Contact sales for detailed pricing.

Zmanda Pro charges for Hypervisor backups based on the number of Tier 1 Hypervisors you need to back up, not the number of VMs running on them. This means you can back up even hundreds of VMs on a single Hypervisor license. Contact sales for customized pricing options.

Upgrading your Zmanda Pro license involves contacting Zmanda sales. They can assess your needs and provide the appropriate upgrade options.

License renewals can be managed by contacting our sales team for assistance.

Installation and Deployment

Installation and initial backup configuration typically take minutes, depending on your environment. Subsequent backups can be scheduled and run automatically with minimal intervention.

Deployment times vary:

  • Small enterprises: A few hours to a day

  • Medium enterprises: 1-2 days

  • Large enterprises: Several days, depending on complexity and data volume

The system requirements for installing Zmanda Pro will vary depending on the specific components you're deploying (server, client, etc.). Here's a simplified breakdown:

  • Server:

    • Hardware: Minimum of 4 CPU cores and 4GB RAM (16GB recommended) with x86_64 or ARM64 architecture.

    • Operating System: Windows 10 or later, Windows Server 2016 or later, Ubuntu 16.04 or later, Debian 8 "Jessie" or later, or CentOS 7 or later.

    • Storage: Approximately 1GB for the server software itself and additional space for customer data and job logs.

    • Internet: Minimum of 1 Mbps download/upload speed (1 Gbps recommended) for internet access (licensing and potential updates).

  • Client:

    • Operating System: Varies depending on the specific client version. Check documentation for compatibility with your target systems (Windows, Linux, macOS).

    • Disk Space: Minimal disk space is required for the client software. The actual backup storage needs will depend on the data you're backing up. Talk to Zmanda Support for further questions.

Additional FAQs

Zmanda Pro provides a robust scheduling system for both manual and automated backups:

  • Scheduling Flexibility: You can define custom backup schedules that meet your specific needs. This might involve daily backups for critical systems, weekly backups for less crucial data, or even continuous data protection for real-time replication.

  • Automated Backups: Zmanda Pro automates scheduled backups, ensuring they run consistently without manual intervention. This frees you from remembering to initiate backups and reduces the risk of missed backups.

  • Intelligent Scheduling: Zmanda Pro's scheduler might offer optimizations to avoid overloading your network during peak usage times. Backups can be intelligently scheduled to run during off-peak hours for smoother system performance.

Here are some additional points to consider:

  • Easy Configuration: The Zmanda Pro console likely offers a user-friendly interface for defining backup schedules and automation settings.

  • Monitoring and Alerts: You can monitor backup progress and receive alerts for any errors or failures to ensure your backups are running smoothly.

Overall, Zmanda Pro aims to simplify backup scheduling and automate the process for reliable and consistent data protection.

Yes, Zmanda Pro integrates well. It supports common workloads (VMs, servers, apps) through lightweight agents and likely offers APIs for scripting and automation in your existing environment.

Zmanda Pro offers multiple customer support options:

  • comprehensive knowledge base with articles, tutorials, and FAQs to troubleshoot common issues independently,

  • Documentation to get started with the Zmanda Pro: steps for installation, guides, and configurations

  • 24X7 support for talking to support engineers online allowing detailed communication and immediate resolution

The data verification process in Zmanda Pro happens right after backups to compare source data with the backed-up data ensuring no corruption during the transfer.

Zmanda Pro also offers features like immutable backups to create unchangeable copies of your data, similar to a locked vault. Even if the original backup gets corrupted, the immutable copy remains intact, safeguarding your data.

With Zmanda Pro you can expect major updates with new features every quarter & frequent updates (every 1-2 weeks) for bug fixes and maintaining compatibility with evolving systems.

Still can’t find what you need?

Refer to technical documentation for more details here

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Amanda Enterprise Functionality

Amanda Enterprise provides many layers of security to ensure that backup data, communications, and access to the backup process itself are all secured. Specifically, Amanda Enterprise provides:

  • Secure authentication
  • Role based access control for administrators and operators
  • Choice of encryption on either a client to secure data in transit or on a server to secure data at rest

The Zmanda Management Console (ZMC) is a browser based GUI for configuration, management and monitoring. It provides management and visualization tools for defining all backup and recovery activities in Amanda environment:

  • What to backup, e.g. which hosts, file systems and databases
  • How to backup, e.g. to use encryption & compression
  • Where to store the backup images
  • When to perform backups
  • Point-and-click recovery
  • The Management Console provides extensive monitoring and reporting

The Amanda Enterprise Backup Server comes with the Zmanda Management Console and it centrally manages all backup operations and keeps track of backup data. Backup Server also manages storage devices used for backup. The Amanda Enterprise Backup Server runs on Solaris or Linux.

The Amanda Enterprise Backup Client is software that is installed on every system that needs backup protection including servers, workstations, desktops and laptops. The Backup Client software interfaces seamlessly with the Backup Server to facilitate integrated backups and recovery. Backup Clients are available on Linux, Solaris, Windows and Mac OS X. For a complete list, please refer to the Software Compatibility Matrix.

Amanda Enterprise has very scalable architecture. Some of our customers backup just a single host with large amounts of data and some of our customers backup hundreds of clients with a single server.

Amanda Enterprise uses only open data formats. For backup of Windows clients and databases we use zip format and for backup of Linux, Solaris and Mac OS X we use gnutar format.

Yes, we support backup of sparse files.

Yes, we support backup of hard links

No, we don´t change a time stamp.

Yes, we support incremental backups with levels 0 (full) to 9. In fact, that is where Amanda Enterprise shines. It is the only backup software with intelligent scheduling of backup levels for all your clients. Amanda Enterprise scheduling equalizes computing resources over time and backup window is consistent every day. For details about Amanda Enterprise scheduling please register free of charge at Zmanda Network and download “Intelligent backup scheduling with Amanda” white paper.

Yes, on any OS you can exclude certain files, e.g. all mp3 files from a backup.

Amanda Enterprise supports backup to:

  • Any type of disk (local hard drive, RAID, SAN, NAS)
  • All tape libraries, and auto-changers that are supported on Linux if your backup server is on Linux or Solaris if your backup server is on Solaris
  • Virtual Tape Libraries (VTL) such as EMC CDL or Data Domain appliances
  • Optical devices
  • Amazon S3 Service

Amanda Enterprise works with many tape libraries and changers that support reading barcodes.

  • The ZMC displays barcodes and Amanda labels together
  • There is a mapping of Amanda labels to tape barcode values on the “Media Management page”
  • The amreport command-line utility can be used to create printable labels for many tape types (there are also community scripts that support doing more than the default.)

Amazon limitation of 5GB is for size of the object that gets stored in a cloud. Amanda Enterprise splits large files, e.g.40 GB database, into multiple chunks (objects). Each chunk is within Amazon size limits and for recovery we assemble the chunks back.

Operating Systems and Application support

For Backup Server we support Linux and Solaris. For Backup Clients we support Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X and Windows. For specific versions and distributions please review the Amanda Enterprise Software Compatibility Matrix

We backup Windows Vista, XP, XP Pro, and Windows 2000, 2003 and 2008 Servers. For Windows 2000 is backed up via CIFS.

These OS can be backed up over NFS.

Our professional services will provide you a specially built client for FreeBSD.

Yes, 64-bit Zmanda Linux client is available for 64-bit RHEL, CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu, OEL and Fedora.

Yes, Zmanda Clients for Windows XP, Vista and 2003 provide backup of Windows System State which contains important system files, Windows registry and other important operating system components needed for disaster recovery. By protecting this information, you can perform bare metal and disaster recovery of your Windows systems and files by simply reinstalling Windows and then restore from the backup of C: and System State.

Yes, we backup MS Exchange via VSS. Zmanda client for MS Exchange takes advantage of VSS-awareness of the Exchange. When a client starts a backup, it coordinates communication between Zmanda Client Requestor, the Exchange Writer, and Windows Providers that create the snapshots (shadow copies) of Exchange.

Yes, we provide hot backup of Oracle on Windows, Solaris and Linux.

To provide hot backup on Windows, Zmanda client takes advantage of Microsoft´s VSS and VSS-awareness of Oracle. When a client starts a backup, it coordinates communication between Zmanda Client Requestor, the Oracle Writer, and Windows Providers that create the snapshots (shadow copies) of Oracle.

RMAN is the Oracle-preferred method for efficiently backing up and recovering your Oracle database on Linux and Solaris. RMAN is designed to work intimately with the server, providing block-level corruption detection during backup and restore. RMAN optimizes performance and space consumption during backup with file multiplexing and backup set compression.

Yes, we backup MS SQL via VSS. When a Zmanda client for MS SQL starts a backup, it coordinates communication between Zmanda Client Requestor, the MS SQL Writer, and Windows VSS Providers that create the snapshots (shadow copies) of MS SQL.

Amanda Enterprise is fully supported in a VM environment. In fact, we utilize virtualization extensively in the development, test, and QA of our software.

The Time Machine is a great solution for a single Mac OS X desktop or a laptop. However, it does not provide a centralized backup catalog for multiple computers and it can save backups to a local disk only. With Amanda Enterprise you can:

  • Save Time Machine backups for long term archiving
  • Have a unified backup catalog for all of your Mac OS X computers
  • Write backups to tape, disk, optical devices or Amazon S3
  • Recover your data, e.g. graphical images on a Linux or Solaris machine if Mac OS X system is not available
Licensing

We have open source license for core Amanda. We provide Zmanda Management Console and Zmanda Clients and Agent under a commercial license.

Amanda Enterprise is sold as an annual or multi-year subscription per protected system and per protected application. For example, if you have 12 Linux clients , 1 Exchange, 1 Oracle on Solaris and 25 Windows desktops you need the following subscriptions:

  • 1 backup server
  • 12 Linux clients
  • 1 Solaris client and 1 Oracle agent
  • 1 Windows client and 1 Exchange agent
  • 3 Windows desktop/laptop packs (each pack provides support of 10 desktops)

Yes, we provide a discount. For more details, please contact: Zmanda Sales

Each Zmanda Client subscription allows up to 5 virtual machines (VMs). All VMs must have the same operating system as the client subscription purchased. For example, if you have 2 physical machines running 3 Linux and 3 Windows VMs on the first machine and 5 Linux VMs on the second machine, you need to purchase subscription to 1 Zmanda Client for Linux, 1 Zmanda Client for Windows for the first machine and 1 Zmanda Client for Linux for the second machine.

First you buy subscriptions for backup server and all clients that you want to protect. If you want to backup to Amazon S3, you simply buy a separate Backup to Amazon S3 option. You would buy your S3 certificate directly from Amazon, and pay Amazon on a monthly basis for actual usage of storage and bandwidth.

We support mixing Amanda and Amanda Enterprise only through Professional Services engagement.

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