Tape Restoration Services

Where it all started for S2|DATA. There have been over 100 physical tape formats used to backup enterprise data, and over 35 enterprise backup formats, each with multiple versions, and S2|DATA has created software that enables the interrogation and restoration of data from all of them. We call this “Non-Native Restoration”, a term that covers the interrogation and restoration of data away from the original “native” environment. We do this with the creation of software that essentially mimics the functionality of the original software, without actually needing to use it.  

S|2 Data created its own software platform named TRACS (Tape Restoration And Cataloging System). TRACS allows us to travel to a customer location and quickly build an interrogation system to restore any one of a thousand combinations of tape & backup formats in any location and at a fraction of the cost of building a native environment. S|2 Data is also adding handlers and features to remediate data or post restoration processing data, like NDMP filers or MS Exchange DB’s, SourceOne email archives, Lotus Notes DAOS attachment repopulation, and many other complex data setups backed up by the originating environment. The core features of our tape restoration services powered by TRACS include:

  • Scan Reports
    • Header Scan – Takes seconds and provides tape header information
    • Session Scan – Takes minutes and provides Server names, Policies, and Backup Session ID with dates
    • Forensic Scan – Provides complete file lists with a plethora of Metadata
  • Restores
    • Complete restores – Lands all the data from the tape
    • Filtered restores – Include or exclude by filename, folder, file extension, MD5#, file dates, etc.
    • Duplication – Bit for bit tape duplication
  • Restore As A Container Image
    • .TMF – Tape Media File – contains all tape contents to one file. Ideal for archiving to cloud
    • .TDF – Tape Data File – as TMF but accompanied by a Forensic Scan added internally to the file.
    • .TSF- Tape Session File- an image containing targeted backup sessions only, allowing for the remediation of non-needed backup sessions
  • Post Processing of Restored Data
    • MS Exchange DBs
    • Lotus Notes (DAOS) – file re-attachment to email
    • .NDMP NAS filer dump file restores
    • SourceOne  and other email archives
    • EMC DataDomain
    • DB2 to .CSV conversions

Every process automatically creates and archives a detailed log of the specific function. This is maintained until the client instructs purging or the project has completed.