2008-07-28: New PoINT Archiver version integrates existing hardware
Siegen. At DMS Expo (booth A032) the storage specialist PoINT Software & Systems GmbH presents its latest version 3.1 of PoINT Archiver – a software solution for automated document archiving. The new release includes additional options to integrate existing hardware. Thus, for example any network server can be involved into the archiving process via TAFS (Tiered Archive File System) agents. Another novelty is the support of NetApp-Appliances and tape based StorageTek products as archive medium.
Moreover, the new PoINT Archiver offers a wizard by which the user can define rules that determine the files to be archived. For example the creation date, the file name or the file size can be such criteria. Finally, PoINT Archiver can access media in a CD/DVD/BD production system randomly. This way, on the one hand storage capacities are fully used and on the other hand, coherent files are stored on one single medium.
PoINT Archiver enables an automated, secure and cost efficient archival of relevant documents even in times of steadily growing data volumes. Therefore it controls network directories and archives those files which have been determined by filters beforehand. Now, even the server directories can be included with full functionalities by TAFS agents. For this purpose, agents are installed on all Windows network servers. Archival and migration of files is carried out through PoINT Archiver and the connected hardware. The version 3.1 enables archiving of files even on NetApp appliances and tape based StorageTek solutions.
Via the new wizard the user defines rules for archival, migration or deletion of files. They can for example be the creation date, the file name or the file size. Additionally, the user defines the type of storage medium on which the data shall be written – be it hard disk, tape or optical media. PoINT Archiver 3.1 can now even access media randomly in a CD/DVD/BD production system. This way, various images can be written to one medium. The software automatically places the medium into a drive, writes the image and places it back on the stack. In case, another image shall be written to the same medium afterwards, the medium will be made accessible by moving the stack. Consequently, 2.5 TB of data can be archived with 50 media and one production system.
The archived files can be replaced by a link (reparse point) on the primary system. This reduces back-up and recovery times. By means of a digital fingerprint PoINT Archiver checks if storage media or files have been manipulated. This digital fingerprint, which contains information about the data integrity, is stored in an encrypted way on each data medium and additionally in the data base. Thus, deleted or manipulated documents can be identified. The optional encrypting mechanism protects the archived data against unauthorized access. By using a combination of a system key and various archive keys the unauthorized access to all files stored on a medium outside of the PoINT Archiver installation is ensured. This way, the advantages of removable media and the security features of closed systems are combined.
About PoINT
PoINT Software & Systems GmbH, Siegen, is specialized in the development of software products and system solutions in the field of optical storage media (CD, DVD, MO, UDO, PDD, BD) and magnetic tapes (e.g. AIT, LTO, DLT, StorageTek). Besides these complete solutions PoINT also offers its know-how in the form of software-development-kits, which can be easily integrated into other applications. PoINT products are distributed by 50 partners in more than 25 countries world-wide and have been installed successfully in about 2 million installations. The product portfolio ranges from publishing of CD/DVD/BDs, professional audio- and video-recording to business critical network solutions, e.g. in the DMS-environment or in complex storage hierarchies, which are based on automatic systems (e.g. jukeboxes or CD/DVD/BD production systems) with optical media or magnetic tape.