R1Soft Introduces Windows Server Bare-Metal Restore With CDP

R1Soft, a developer of Continuous Data Protection products for Linux and Windows, has released a new version of its CDP Server product that introduces a quick and easy Windows Server restore using Linux Live CDs.

R1Soft’s new Bare-Metal Restore process does not require Windows Pre-Execution or Remote Installation Services and is a first of its kind. R1Soft provides its customers a bootable Linux Live CD ISO image compatible with most popular Windows Server storage and network devices. Administrators can initiate a restore by simply inserting the CD, powering on, and then selecting a point-in-time virtual full backup to restore from in the R1Soft CDP Server web interface.

Previously, before any data could be restored, Windows server administrators had to first re-install the Windows operating system and any backup software. Recent Bare-Metal Restore alternatives, such as products released by vendors like Symantec, IBM, and EMC, still require the customer to use either the Windows Pre-Execution Environment (Windows PE) or Windows Remote Installation Services (RIS) during restores. Windows RIS and PE can be complicated processes and these systems add hours of wasted time during a critical server restore.

“Bare-Metal Restore has been a real thorn in the side of software makers when it comes to Windows servers. It has proven difficult to boot Windows without using a hard disk for restore. Windows PE, for example, requires a separate Windows license for every instance that is booted and is very complicated and time consuming just to get it to work. The nearest alternative is RIS, and that can take days to get working, especially in a large data center,” said David Wartell, Vice President of R1Soft, a subsidiary of BBS Technologies. “With our new release of CDP for Windows, we have finally solved the problem. Bare-Metal Restores on Windows servers from disk backups can now be completed by simply inserting a CD in the tray.”

R1Soft also supplies media and configurations for DHCP and TFTP servers to allow Windows Server restore over the PXE network boot protocol supported by all modern network interface cards. R1Soft has previously been offering Bare-Metal Restore in its CDP for Linux product.

R1Soft