LiteSpeed Backup and Recovery Comes to Oracle

fact sheet

Vendor: Quest Software, Inc. (www.quest.com)

Vendor's Information:
About LiteSpeed Engine for Oracle
About Quest Software, Inc.

Even before the economy took a turn for the worse, database backup and recovery presented challenges for database administrators (DBAs). As every DBA knows, there's been an explosion in the amount of data stored in databases, and it's not going to abate any time soon. Meanwhile, high-profile data breaches remind DBAs and IT managers alike that security of that data is more important than ever.

Adding to these challenges is an economic environment that requires IT organizations to do more with less, in terms of both budget and people, and to prove ROI for every hardware and software purchase decision.

Douglas Chrystall, chief architect at Quest Software, thinks his company's LiteSpeed® Engine for Oracle backup compression and encryption software can help DBAs meet the challenges they face with backup and recovery, and Quest's history in this market suggests he might be right.

Quest's LiteSpeed for SQL Server is the number one backup and recovery tool for the SQL Server database. It's been helping DBAs solve backup and recovery challenges for eight years.

"When we launched LiteSpeed many years ago, a lot of organizations were being pushed with regards to storage," Chrystall said. "They were asking 'Where can we save money and maintain our infrastructure?'"

With the launch of LiteSpeed Engine for Oracle in early 2009, Quest brings its experience to the Oracle database. LiteSpeed Engine for Oracle is available on the Linux, UNIX, HP-UX and AIX platforms, and it works with Oracle database versions from 8 to 11.

Until now, DBAs still running Oracle versions 8 and 9 lacked access to any real compression technologies. And while Oracle introduced online compression with its Recovery Manager (RMAN), RMAN can slow backups significantly. "A backup window of four to eight hours is unacceptable in most production environments," Chrystall said.

Now Oracle DBAs can use LiteSpeed Engine for Oracle to realize 70-90 percent compression, while maintaining complete control over the backup and recovery process. LiteSpeed Engine for Oracle integrates seamlessly into Oracle’s RMAN and Export backup utilities and can be installed in two to three minutes. It also offers direct integration with IBM Tivoli Storage Manager and supports Oracle's Media Manager architecture.

Moreover, LiteSpeed Engine for Oracle is designed to have minimal impact on the server. Its step-down technology slows down the backup process when queries are coming in and hitting the database, so LiteSpeed has very little impact on applications or the end-user experience.

Chrystall said that LiteSpeed users can measure their cost savings in multiple ways. The product saves time and labor by automating backup processes and reducing backup times, resulting in soft dollar savings. And LiteSpeed’s compression technology reduces storage costs for hard dollar savings.

For example, most database backups go to a SAN or NAS and then get archived to tape. Without LiteSpeed, backups to tape usually get only 2:1 compression. LiteSpeed compresses this data further, so backups cross the network are faster and require less disk space and fewer tapes. Chrystall said one customer saved $10 million on SAN costs alone -- thanks to LiteSpeed.

LiteSpeed Engine for Oracle also helps restore data from the backup. "Everyone talks about backup, but the reason we do backups is because someday we may need to restore data. Being able to do that quickly is absolutely crucial," Chrystall said.

Many DBAs must go to a full backup when they need to recover just one piece of data. Restoring a database using native tools can be very time-consuming, especially as databases as large as 1 TB or more are becoming the norm. The DBA then has to run SQL commands to find the particular data that is needed and the move it back to where it belongs.

LiteSpeed, on the other hand, can recover an individual table or rows in minutes, providing the kind quick recovery time that can save a business.

The encryption features of LiteSpeed Engine for Oracle can also prevent the expense and loss of goodwill that often accompanies a data breach. One little known fact about database security is that database backups are done in plain text. IT professionals spend significant time and resources to secure their databases, but most backups can be read by anyone who gets their hands on them. LiteSpeed Engine for Oracle offers embedded encryption to help keep backup data secure. Encryption is available according to the AES 128, AES192, AES 256, and 3DES standards.