The University of Florida maintains for an enormous amount of data -- including academic records, research databases and business systems -- like personnel, payroll, purchasing, accounting, general ledger, and a host of other types of records.
To safeguard the University's critical data, UF Computing & Networking Services (CNS) has implemented a service based on IBM's Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM). In conjunction with the hardware and personnel to make it all work, we call this service "Network Storage and Archive Management" (NSAM).
The CNS NSAM service may be used to back up any type of data--from individual user workstations, office file servers, database servers--up to and including enterprise-scale dedicated storage solutions. We are currently transferring an average of more than 1.5 terabytes / day to our backup systems, with approximately 1000 terabytes total data currently stored. How it worksTSM is a client-server-based application: you install a small application on the device(s) you wish to back up. This runs in the background (as a "service"). You also create a list of the directories/files you wish to have backed up. You can selectively back up individual files or groups of files; individual directories or directory trees. Your list may use "wildcard" INCLUDE and EXCLUDE specifiers to give you total flexibility in what you choose to have backed up. |
 CNS's robotic tape libraries are at your service |
On the server-side, CNS will assist you in setting up automated back-up scheduling according to your needs and preferences. Backups may be scheduled at any interval you choose. At the appointed backup-time, our servers contact your devices and the backup transfer is accomplished.
Because the backup process is handled by our server talking to the background service on your device(s), the only requirement for the backup to occur is for your device(s) to be booted up, connected to the network, and running the client service.
Because the backups are made across the network to CNS's enterprise-scale storage facilities, you don't have to have someone available to supervise the process, change tapes, file, organize, retrieve, and mount tapes.
For added security and functionality, you can specify how many generations of backups you wish to retain. Whether you prefer to specify retention policy in terms of time (number of days/weeks, etc.) or in terms of number of generations, CNS's NSAM service has the flexibility and capacity to accomodate your needs.
NSAM users have 24-hour access to our robotic tape system for uploading and downloading backup files. Whether it's the middle of the night, or a long holiday weekend, if you need a file, a database, or a whole system restored from backup, if you used CNS NSAM service to back up your data, you can initiate a restore immediately.
The restore process, like the back-up, is completely automated. No intervention by CNS staff is needed for you to restore your data from backup storage.
We all know the importance of Off-Site backups; a physical catastrophe at your work-site could destroy both the working-copy and any backups stored at the same location. CNS's NSAM solution ensures that your backups are automatically and instantly stored away from your primary site, in CNS's secure, climate-controlled, 24-hour x 365-day staffed data-center facility.
Of course, when CNS backs up data which resides on servers at our primary physical site, we need to store our off-site backup copies at another location. To accomplish this, we have a large-scale storage facility in Atlanta, Ga. where our off-site backups are stored.
Clients of our NSAM service benefit because their data is also backed up at our Atlanta facility.
With CNS NSAM, you pay only for the data you move and store. There is no requirement to purchase, install, manage, and maintain expensive dedicated back-up hardware.
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| Leverage CNS's extensive facilities for your backup needs |
| Upload to Server: | approximately $0.20/GB |
| Download from server: | approximately $0.20/GB |
| Storage: | approximately $0.44/terabyte/day |
For technical documentation on the CNS NSAM service, see the CNS Open Systems Group's NSAM (Backup) Service Description page.
Please contact us if you can't find the information you need.
Send your questions to consult@lists.ufl.edu, or call 352.392-2061.
UF Computing & Networking Services is located on the campus of the 
This page was last updated Sep. 13, 2012 by CNS Information Services
