InMage for SharePoint enables the implementation of cost-effective DR configurations that leverage asynchronous, IP-based replication to support long distance solutions. Comprehensive recovery capabilities include the ability to fail over the entire SharePoint server farm to a remote site at the push of a button in such a way that SharePoint applications and web servers work seamlessly after the failover.

1. Data Sheet
InMage for SharePoint
Scalable, Reliable Recovery across
SharePoint Server Farms
• Centrally managed, disk-based Microsoft SharePoint provides a comprehensive content management system that ac-
commodates a variety of common data types, providing a secure way to easily share
recovery which supports rapid,
content across the enterprise using a single, centrally managed repository. Users store
reliable SharePoint recovery either critical business information in SharePoint repositories, and expect that information to
remotely (for disaster recovery) or be adequately protected as well as highly available. SharePoint deployments tend to
locally grow rapidly, a fact which can present difficult data protection challenges. Conventional
approaches which leverage periodic backups and tape-based infrastructure inevitably
• Enables the restoration of begin to impose unacceptable business impacts as SharePoint grows, particularly around
SharePoint data to any previous the topic of “backup windows” and lengthy recovery times. SharePoint’s multi-server
architecture, while providing scalability advantages, can also complicate recoveries
point in time, and SharePoint
using conventional data protection technologies. Unless both SharePoint database and
application recovery that includes application servers are protected, and recoveries can be synchronized, recoveries can be
all associated SharePoint services, time-consuming, manually intensive, and potentially require a complete re-build of the
including automatic SharePoint user front-end infrastructure.
re-direct
InMage: A Single Solution for DR, Backup, and SharePoint Failover
• Single solution which eliminates InMage provides a software-based solution that leverages the advantages of disk-based
backups while at the same time data protection to eliminate backups and provide comprehensive recovery capabilities
replacing backup, replication, and for SharePoint server farms that can meet remote (DR) and/or local requirements. Using
unique hybrid recovery technology, InMage for SharePoint captures changes to Share-
clustering agents and products
Point data stores in real time as they occur and offers flexible recovery to any previous
• Provides SharePoint-specific point in time, a feature which ensures fast, reliable recovery that can be synchronized
across all SharePoint servers. Automated recovery of SharePoint services can be config-
functionality leveraging the ured to meet either remote or local requirements, going above and beyond the protec-
Windows VSS API to support simple, tion offered by conventional backup, replication, and clustering products.
reliable, and synchronized recovery
across SharePoint server farms Scalable, Cost-Effective DR
InMage for SharePoint enables the implementation of
InMage for Share- cost-effective DR configurations that leverage asyn-
chronous, IP-based replication to support long distance
Point allows applica- solutions. Comprehensive recovery capabilities include
tions and websites the ability to fail over the entire SharePoint server farm to
a remote site at the push of a button in such a way that
to work seamlessly SharePoint applications and web servers work seam-
after the failover. lessly after the failover. This fully automated capability not
only speeds the recovery of application services when
it is required, but can also be used to simplify DR testing by providing non-disruptive,
one-button SharePoint service migration. Using InMage for SharePoint to automate DR
testing and failover also improves the reliability of recovery processes by removing room
for operator error and providing a baseline from which to incrementally improve failover
processes over time.
Eliminate Backup Windows. Improve Recovery Granularity
InMage for SharePoint captures changes to SharePoint data stores continuously as they
occur, completely moving away from the “periodic” nature of conventional backup.

2. InMage doesn’t shorten the backup win- LOCAL SITE REMOTE SITE
dow, it completely eliminates it. SharePoint Server
Farm Source(s)
As InMage captures data from the servers
in a SharePoint server farm, it tracks it so Sources can be
either physical or
that administrators can retroactively select virtual machines
AppShots – application-consistent recovery
Web Application
points – from which to base recovery op-
erations. Because InMage for SharePoint
uses the Windows Volume Shadowcopy
Services (VSS) API and an included VSS AD + DNS SQL
requester to mark AppShots, it supports InMage CX Web Application
rapid, reliable recovery. InMage for Share- LAN WA N
Point ensures that these recovery points
are synchronized across the database and
All transmission occurs across
application servers in a SharePoint instance. cost-effective IP networks AD + DNS SQL
When a recovery is required, an adminis- Remote Recovery
trator may view the entire continuum of Server Target(s)
available recovery points and select the Local Recovery
Targets can be either physical
ServerTarget(s)
or virtual machines
most appropriate point to meet recovery
requirements. Because they represent Data taps
application-consistent points in time,
AppShots will support the fastest recovery Figure 1. Data is granularly collected from servers in a SharePoint server farm and sent to a local CX, which can then store the data locally
times, but all other points (each of which and/or remotely (using InMage’s asynchronous replication). If bi-directional and/or one-button application failover is desired at the remote
site, an optional second CX could be deployed there.
represents crash-consistent points in time
that support reliable recovery) are available
Over time, servers in a SharePoint server Unique Hybrid Recovery
as well and may provide value to admin-
farm can change, and if changes in source Technology
istrators performing root cause analysis
servers are not reflected on target serv-
against failures. InMage’s
ers, recovery operations may not work InMage for Share-
as expected. InMage for SharePoint not unique hybrid
Application Awareness only collects changes to the underlying Point is cost recovery tech-
Supports Fast, Reliable, and nology lends
Comprehensive Recoveries
SQL databases that store SharePoint effective for low itself to cost-
content, but also tracks changes made to
InMage for SharePoint includes SharePoint- the SharePoint application and front-end end and larger effective, low
end configura-
specific functionality that speeds deploy- web servers. As new SharePoint modules configurations tions as well as
ment and enables recovery capabilities that are added, configuration data on the web
servers generally changes, and InMage larger configu-
are tailored for SharePoint environments
for SharePoint captures these changes, re- rations that can handle extremely large
but managed through the centralized In-
flecting them on the targets to ensure that SharePoint deployments. As write volumes
Mage management paradigm. SharePoint-
existing recovery processes will continue grow, the two key software engines on the
specific functionality includes installation
to work reliably. CX – the control and process engines – can
templates, AppShot creation and usage,
be separated out and hosted on separate
SharePoint farm configuration discovery, Recovery requires no effort on the part of Intel-based servers which are connected to
and automated SharePoint failover/failback SharePoint users – they are automatically the SharePoint server farm by IP networks.
processes. routed to the recovery servers targets due Control stays centralized to ensure that re-
Data taps on each SharePoint server farm to automatic changes in Active Direc- covery points across SharePoint database,
server can stream changes to targets on a tory and DNS entries. This solution does application, and web servers stay synchro-
shared CX. InMage for SharePoint keeps not just enable data recovery. InMage nized as higher write volumes are serviced
abreast of changes in the database, appli- for SharePoint can provide for end-to- by adding separate process engines.
cation, and web servers, so that recoveries end recovery that restores the data from
the most recent (or any selected) point, InMage minimizes the amount of data
can be synchronized. Through this ap-
restarts SharePoint and its associated ser- that needs to be sent across networks to
proach, InMage for SharePoint eliminates
vices, and transparently re-directs Share- enable DR or backup through the use of
lengthy manual efforts associated with
Point users. capacity optimization techniques like send-
trying to recover SharePoint using conven-
ing only data changes, bandwidth-shaping,
tional data protection technologies.
compression, and delta differencing on
resync (during failover from a DR site back
to the primary site).
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