Bontmia is a network backup software that incrementally creates snapshots of directories. It automates the process of backing up important data and ensures that all files are safely stored for disaster recovery.
The software includes a number of key features that make it stand out from other backup and storage applications. One of these features is cost. Tapes, which are a common form of storage, cost more than disks and require a tape-drive as well as a tape robot. Bontmia, however, utilizes disks, which have a higher MTBF than tapes. Additionally, disks can be connected together to form RAID, which increases their MTBF.
Reliability is another important feature of Bontmia. Incremental backup on a disk or a RAID volume does not change the MTBF, while incremental backup on tape drastically lowers the MTBF. Sometimes, tapes written in one drive are difficult to read in another drive. This is a silent error if you do not test the tapes no and then, but no such thing exists on file systems like ReiserFS.
Location is also an important feature of Bontmia. Tapes are removable media and therefore avoid the risk of localized disasters. Bontmia utilizes network connections to provide the same level of protection without the need for tapes.
Time is a crucial feature when it comes to backups. Bontmia copies only the changes, which provides a quick and efficient backup. Tape drives are typically slow and often slower than the network. Remote backup, therefore, usually goes faster to disk. Faster backup and efficient storage allow for the backup to be performed more frequently. This also means faster restore times, which is even more important.
Finally, space is an important consideration when it comes to backups. Tapes split the data needlessly since they cannot be used with RAID to form bigger volumes as disks can. Using hard-links on a file system gives excellent storage efficiency and availability as ordinary file systems with random access.
Bontmia offers a number of key functionalities. Each backup is a complete "snapshot" of the backed-up directories. Files that are not changed since the last backup does not take up extra space and is not transferred over the network. The software preserves a configurable selection of backups in a similar manner as tape rotation schemes. Remote backup is done encrypted over ssh for security reasons. Each backup is stored with absolute path. It is possible to limit the bandwidth to avoid affecting production systems. Additionally, Bontmia supports copying files, directories, device files, named pipes, symlinks, and hard-links.
In conclusion, Bontmia is a comprehensive backup and storage software that provides many benefits over traditional tape-based systems. Its key features include cost, reliability, location, time, and space. The software provides a range of functionalities that ensure a complete "snapshot" of the backed-up directories is achieved, while preserving only the changes. Additionally, remote backup is done encrypted over ssh to add a layer of security to the process. Finally, the software supports various types of files, preserves user id, group id, and permissions for all types of files, and includes the recent addition of support for specifying the directory for temporary files.
Version 0.14: N/A