Compressing Tape Archiver - CTAR

Compressing Tape Archiver, CTAR, is a simple to use rock-solid backup and recovery solution for a single UNIX system and UNIX-only networks. CTAR is compatible with most versions of Unix/Linux.

Features and Highlights

  • Totally Automatic Unattended Backups easily defined
  • Complete Hard Disk Crash Protection
  • Fully Verifies Backup to insure Restorability
  • Comprehensive User-intuitive color menu interface
  • X Window Motif User Interface
  • Installs in 5 minutes
  • Network Ready - Remote tape drive support
  • Preconfigured Commands are Easily Defined
  • SCSI Tape Commander - Allows complete control of SCSI tape drives
  • Password Protection Available
  • Error Recovery
  • On-line Trouble Shooter
  • With CTAR's Speed Option, your Backups will fly
  • Over a Decade of Enhancements and Reliability
  • You have over 90 options at your fingertips to control your Backup, Verifiy, or Restore

Backup Feautures

  • Understandable Master and Incremental strategy
  • Data Compression - Reduces Network traffic and doubles the capacity of any storage device
  • Raw partition support available(Oracle, Sybase, Informix)
  • True virtual file support
  • Include or Exclude NFS mounted filesystems
  • Include or Exclude Read-only mounted filesystems
  • Entire System including device files, symbolic links, named pipes, empty directories
  • Locks files (against writing) when backing up (2 levels: Enforced or Unenforced)
  • Backs up in multi-user mode or in background
  • Can be initiated by Server or Clients through Menu (CTAR:NET)
  • Character Interface, through command-line, or through cron.
  • All File Information recorded including date, time, size, attributes, permissions, owner, and group
  • Non-proprietary industry standard TAR format
  • Handles bad spots on hard disk
  • Multiple Backups stacked on one tape
  • Backups can span multiple tapes
  • Three reporting methods to System Administrator
  • Double Buffering - for faster backup speeds
  • Dual Tape Drive Capability with Automatic Switching
  • Can limit backup from a specified date
  • Restart backup feature
  • Accepts filenames to archive or restore through a pipe via command-line access
  • Large blocking factor (limited only by CPU bit size)
  • Very fast (250% faster than Dump)
  • Wildcard matching on backup and restore

Restore Features

  • Error Recovery Mode - Skips Over Corrupted Data
  • Quick File Access - Start restoring any file within 25 seconds
  • Non-Destructive restores
  • Update Restore - can update files on hard disk out of date with archive
  • FLAT file restores, date limited restores
  • Preserves file access times, allowing easy file grooming
  • Select Filenames from lists
  • Volume number checking on restoring files
  • Can override absolute pathname to restore files to any directory.
  • Selective file restore by name or wild card
  • Byte swapping capability

Integrity checking

Bit Level Verification on All Data   Reports the following information about the Verification:
    Total files checked Total files not checked Details for differences on file size changes & modification date changes Bit Level Errors - Special files, Symbolic Links Hard disk read errors

Devices supported

  • DLT's (Digital Linear Tapes)
  • 4mm DAT DDS1, DDS2, & DDS3
  • 8mm Helical Scan tape units
  • Tape Autochanger Libraries/Juke Boxes - 4mm, 8mm, DLT's
  • Magneto Optical Storage
  • SCSI, RAID, QIC, IDE, Floppy tape units

Specific Platforms Supported

SCO UNIX 3.x, ODT, OSR5.x UNIXWARE 7.x
SCO UNIXWARE 1.x, 2.x IBM RS/6000 AIX
Data General AViiON DG/UX Data General MV AOS/VS
SUN/OS Solaris (Intel, Sun)
HP-UX 9000 Series SVR4.x UNIX
Digital Alpha OSF Clipper (CLIX)
Silicon Graphics, IRIX PTX/DYNIX
NCR Hybrid NCR SVR4
ULTRIX AUSPEX
LINUX BSDI
DOS and More...

CTAR NET

CTAR NET is an extension of the base CTAR product, specifically designed for UNIX-only small networks (2-15 systems).
CTAR NET has all the features of CTAR, plus the following capabilities:
  • Data Compression across the network
  • Remote file copy and restore
  • Ability to schedule backups of all machines on the network to run unattended
  • Stack backups of all machines onto one or more tapes
  • Ability to backup to most tape drive(s) on the network