GLENDALE, CA -- 12/12/07 --
File fragmentation, especially unchecked, can
greatly slow backup procedures due to the multiple I/Os necessary to
retrieve data from each file fragment; and, although systems like Vista
offer robust backup functionality, the advent of video and other
technologies have meant much larger files. Not only do all of those files
need to be backed up, but if they are to be backed up in a decent amount of
time,
defrag must first occur.
Since the earliest days of computers, backup of data has been crucial. The
necessity of backing up data has always brought a plethora of problems and
solutions for the data center. Questions relating to how often data should
be backed up, how quickly backed-up data should be accessible, what backup
technology would be most beneficial, and what backup medium is most
cost-effective for a particular site, are continuously asked by corporate
and IT executives in an effort to make sure company data is always secure
and recoverable in emergencies.
A common hindrance to backups, however, despite ever-advancing
technologies, is file fragmentation. Fragmentation already causes problems
in day-to-day file access, as a file split into hundreds or even thousands
(it's more common than you might think) of fragments is going to take
considerably longer to access. Multiply that by all the data files in an
enterprise's computer systems -- because a backup procedure must access all
of those files -- and it can be seen what a nightmarish problem file
fragmentation can be to backups in terms of backup time if defrag doesn't occur.
Numerous sites discovered some time back that defragmenting disks prior to
running backup greatly speeded backup times. The same holds true today.
Advances in defragmentation
technology have allowed defrag to be scheduled so that it would be done
prior to backups occurring.
But since these technologies were developed, disks have gained incredibly
high capacities, storing more active files than ever. Due to the sheer
volume of files and sizes, scheduled defrag may leave files still
fragmented after its timed run, and in addition, system resources and use
are impacted while the defragmenter is running, so that run time cannot
usually be expanded. The result: backup times are still impacted by
fragmentation.
The true solution is to have disks constantly defragmented, with no impact
on system resources, so that when backups occur they can run as fast as
possible. Fortunately, defragmentation technology is now arriving on the
market which meets these criteria.
A vital element to backups, however, is the same no matter the
methodologies used, and that is regular defrag.
Contact:
Lisa Zocco
Profusion PR
Email Contact
www.profusionpr.com
