Avamar Overview

Avamar is an end-to-end backup solution consisting of hardware and software.  It provides source-based deduplication which is global in that data found on several clients gets sent over the wire only once.  Avamar uses Variable Block Granularity deduplication, which is an intelligent scanninga nd segmentation of data along logical boundries.  It uses RAID, RAIN, replication and checkpoints for systematic fault tolerance, and uses standard IP connectivity in a lightweight fashion so no dedicated backup network is required.  It is scalable by adding shelves of storage and supports a large number of client OS and applicatins

Terminology:

An object is a variable-sized unit of deduplicated data, also called a "chunk."

A stripe is a unit of disk space, or rather a "file" that stores objects.

A node is an Avamar server component running SuSE linux.  There are utility nodes that manage connections and system operations and storage nodes that simply put data to disk and handle the deduplication.

A server is all Avamar nodes and the network, also called a "grid."

A system is the Avamar server and all clients.

Backup and restore are standard terminology in that they are a point-in-time copy of data and the returning of that data, respectively.

Initialization is the first backup.  Typically takes longer due to seeding of data.

Transmission encryption on the Avamar is self-explanatory and can be configured for none, medium or high.  See the Avamar documentation for current encryption levels and definition.  Avamar will also encrypt data at rest using the same encryption protocols.

Retention and Replication are also standard terms in backup common to Avamar.

Avamar Administrator is the main configuration tool for Avamar systems.  The Avamar Enterprise Administraotr is not the same product as the Data Domain Enterprise Administrator, and gives a less feature-rich subset of configuration but gives teh ability to review multiple Avamar systems in one spot. 

Avamar's PostgreSQL database stores data relating to the system, is read-only but queriable for reporting.  Avamar also provides a command-line-interface along with custom commands and scripts for managing and configuring the Avamar system.