Guardian OS Information

The Guardian OS, powering the Guardian line of Network Attached Storage servers, is enterprise-ready software, designed to provide reliable, robust file storage for your business-critical data. The multi-platform support for mixed Microsoft, Linux, UNIX and Macintosh environments, plus support for HTTP and FTP, provides an ideal storage solution for today's demanding heterogeneous environments.
 
 
Manageability

Administration and management are cornerstones of Unylogix NAS servers. The Guardian OS continues to expand those capabilities by providing support for Microsoft Active Directory Service (ADS) and UNIX Network Information Service (NIS) to allow easy integration into existing environments. In addition to user quota management for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX/Linux, the Guardian OS also supports group quota management for UNIX/Linux. SNMP support allows easy integration into enterprise-wide environments via management tools such as HP OpenView, CA Unicenter and Tivoli NetView.

Security

Security has been addressed with features such as Kerberos v5 authentication in Microsoft ADS and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL v3) support. File and folder security is assured through support of Access Control Lists (ACLs), which maintains access control at both the group and user level.

Data Protection

The Guardian OS provides a wide array of features focused on data protection.
  • Snapshot Technology
    Snapshots allow a consistent, point-in-time copy of data without administrator intervention or time-consuming restores from tape. Online volume backups are background operations that are non-disruptive to normal operation, thus avoiding server downtime.
  • Backup Agent Support
    The Guardian OS supports VERITAS NetBackup/Backup Exec, Legato NetWorker and CA BrightStor ARCserve remote push agents that significantly improve backup performance.
  • Load Balancing and Failover of Ethernet Ports
    The Guardian OS utilizes dual gigabit Ethernet NICs to support stand-alone, load balancing and failover network bonding modes. Stand-alone mode is customarily used in multi-homed environments in which network storage resources must reside on two separate subnets. Load balancing mode enables the even distribution of network traffic across multiple network interfaces for optimal network performance. Failover mode, the shipping default, enables one network interface to operate as a backup for the primary interface and is designed for high availability.
  • PowerQuest DataKeeper Software
    Desktop and notebook client PC backups are no longer a worry. Every Guardian server includes--at no charge--an unlimited user license version of DataKeeper client software, which provides continuous, automatic backup of Windows files. Laptop files are even backed up locally while disconnected from the network and then are automatically saved to the Guardian server when the laptop is reconnected to the network.
  • Integrated local tape backup software
    Backup Express for Guardian is a comprehensive backup solution from Syncsort Inc. Included with all Guardian servers, it supports backup and restore operations of data between the Guardian server and a local tape drive. The server component of the Backup Express software is preinstalled on the Guardian server and additional Backup Express features may be purchased from Unylogix.
  • Server-to-Server (S2S) Synchronization Software
    Included with the Guardian OS is Unylogix Server-to-Server Synchronization (S2S) software, which enables one or more NAS servers to synchronize its contents with one or more NAS servers. The S2S Synchronization software can be used as part of an overall backup strategy to provide quick disaster recovery of important data.
Expandability

The Guardian OS also provides a foundation for the development of applications based on Java technology. These applications can enhance the capabilities of a Guardian server as a file server or transform it into a dedicated application server appliance.