I have DiskSync installed and it seems to be running well doing what it is supposed to be doing. I had some questions that were not answered well in the docs so I contacted support. I received a bit of a run around that is only noteworthy because thePlanet support has always been prompt, attentive and knowledgeable for all my other issues. Either that or I just didn't like the answers I was hearing.

Untested backups are not backups and to be on the safe side I wanted to recover some files to my home machine rather then directly to the server. I found a 12 point how to section in one of the docs that left me with more questions then answers:

REFERENCE:
"3.2 Restore from Another Computer"
http://downloads.theplanet.com/disksync/do...overy_Guide.pdf


So I called support and the answer was "we only provide support for installation and configuration" not recovery. This answer was repeated often enough that I figured I must be trapped in some kind of phone script loop so I clarified that I was not looking for free support and that I would be willing to pay for help. After talking to three agents I still don't know if I will even be able to pay for help or not. I am sure that in the long run I will find someone that says "Hell ya you can pay $100/hour for help. Which I will pay for answers to my questions.

I decided that I shouldn't wait and I cautiously attempted to recover some files to my home machine. I installed the "DiskSync Agent Console" on my home machine and managed to connect to my vault. There are two restore wizard to choose from "Restore" and "Restore from another computer". Both wizards only offer server drives as possible restore locations and there was no option to restore to any of my local drives. ( *I guess thats why the other wizard is not called "Restore TO another computer"

So my question is:

Is there any way to perform ad-hoc file restores to any computer other then the source machine of the backup? (while leaving the source machine backup system untouched and operational)

In seems weird to me that anyone would write a backup/restore system that requires the source machine since losing access to the source machine is a darn good reason to have "off site backups" in the first place.

So perhaps it does not require the source machine but rather the source agent? Maybe I just need to install the "Agent" on my home machine and configure it in such a way so I could restore to it on my home machine? This is not answered in the docs and at this time I don't know if I can even pay someone at thePlanet to tell me.

So either:

a) I can't recovery files to a different machine so I shouldn't be using DiskSync
or
b) I can restore to a different machine but since thePlanet only supports installation I'll never know how so I shouldn't be using an UNSUPPORTED RECOVERY SYSTEM.

If anyone has every recovered files from their vault to a computer other then the backup source system, please let me know.

In the meantime I think I'll write a zip and FTP system for at least my database backups so I can pull them off nightly.


**
At first I figured that DiskSync was a third party product provided by thePlanet, so if I needed support I could purchase it from the DiskSync vendor themselves. However it turns out that thePlanet owns DiskSync. So apparently the owner of this backup/recovery software answers questions about how to backup files but NOT about how to restore them. That simply makes no sense.

I trust and hope that this turns out to be a simple front line training issue rather then the true state of affairs.

Any information from anyone appreciated.

Greetings,

I apologize for the delay in response on this posting.

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for your getting "stuck in the loop" with support. This product is 100% supported, even to the point of assisting with restoration, if needs be. You are completely correct that an untested backup is not a backup at all, and what good would it do if you couldn't test or make a legitimate restoration if you required assistance?

I will make sure that our support managers advise their staff of the error in the way your queries were handled. It is true that first level support only handles issues with installation and initial connection to the vault, but the backup group supports everything else, and your queries should have been promptly escalated to my department.

To the point of your restoration questions- the system running "Agent Console" is not an agent on the backup system, therefore it cannot have files restored to it. The option "Restore to another computer" does not work with our setup. This is used in alternative deployments where multiple servers all share the same vault account. This option was added after we began offering DiskSync, and is not compatible with the way we provide the accounts. This may change in the future. Additionally, it *is* possible to restore to another computer, but that computer must A) be running DiskSync Agent, and B) must "re-register as a previously registered computer" with the vault. This can be potentially dangerous, in so much as the fact that you could accidentally cause the second computer to "re-seed" the backup of the first computer, because the Vault cannot tell any difference between the two computers at that point. This is the same procedure one would use to handle disaster recovery should the original server fail outright.

To prevent issues when using "re-register", it is advisable to immediately delete all schedules on the second system and NOT execute a backup on any task on the second system. Only use the "re-register" to restore items to a second system, unless you are 100% certain that the first system will never be used again.

Finally, DiskSync is not owned by The Planet, but is wholly licensed and supported by The Planet. The OEM does not provide any support to our end users except through our established procedures and channels.

If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to reply to this posting, or open a support ticket (and request escalation to the backup group if there's any "loop" issue).

Thanks!