FarStone Technology, Inc. announced the latest addition to the DriveClone suite of disaster recovery software products, DriveClone Server Edition. Designed to provide businesses with both instant relief from system and data disasters as well as backup solutions for long term data protection needs, DriveClone Server is based on FarStone’s patented disk imaging and snapshot technologies.

    Every time a sector-level change is observed, a copy of the change is stored in a hidden and protected partition on the local hard drive. This “secure area” is safe from malware attacks and accidental deletion by an end user. Snapshots are recorded at user-defined schedules as frequent as every hour and can be manually taken at any time. DriveClone Server loads before Windows and will run even when the server’s operating system does not.

    DriveClone Server also includes features based on disk-to-disk imaging and cloning to allow the user to make complete system backups and schedule incremental updates and store these backups on an external USB drive, a network share, or even to CD/DVD media. This off-system storage option is beneficial to quickly recover, replace, or upgrade a server hard drive and for adhering to any long term data storage goals. Regardless of who mandates the storage requirements, it is more readily available and more affordable than any tape backup mechanism when the need to replace failed system hardware arises.

    Andy Chang, FarStone’s vice president of marketing explained: “DriveClone Server is an all-in-one backup and recovery solution designed to protect small business Windows servers from a variety of system problems. As FarStone grows the number of solutions for the business computing environment, we aim to provide complete solutions that are affordable and easy to use for any business IT manager or end user. We want them to have access to tools to quickly restore a failed system because business continuity is crucial to maintaining a productive and profitable business.”

    DriveClone Server includes features based on snapshots for quick system recovery when any number of common “digital disasters” occurs, such as a malware attack, bad software installation, or user error like an accidental file deletion. In conjunction with disk imaging, DriveClone Server deploys a newly released Universal Restore capability which provides a business user with the ability to migrate an entire system to dissimilar hardware.

     “Providing a Universal Restore functionality means that the business user isn’t tied to only one hardware configuration or brand name. If they have a need to move to a new system from a different manufacturer for technical or monetary reasons, DriveClone Server provides for easy transfer options without complicated setup and configuration – it provides for the lowest possible cost of ownership when managing network servers,” said Andy Chang.

    The server’s files, installed software and settings will appear exactly as they were when the hard disk image was created. System administrators can deploy a disk image to multiple computer systems, reducing the time needed to install new software, configure settings and load data. DriveClone Server is now available from the FarStone website and a select group of value-added resellers at an MSRP of less than $600 per server installation.

    Users can also clone from a smaller hard drive to a larger hard drive or resize a partition on the destination hard drive. Cloning and disk imaging are done within Windows and do not require a system restart. All personal data, installed applications, operating system files, settings and configurations will be replicated on the destination hard drive. Image files can also be created as bootable images in the event that a user has to reinstall a system to a new and unformatted hard drive.