Restore ALL

RestoreAll definitively resolves all problems connected to the use of PC's on networks available to the public such as classrooms and libraries.

Computer laboratory managers and librarians know how much time it takes to reset the configurations on PC's that they have in custody after students and improvised users have used them.

Suitable for PC's with DOS, Windows 3.1, and Windows 95; it can be used even by non-technical persons after its installation.

• Compatible with PC's running DOS, Windows, Windows 3.1, and Windows 95 (with FAT 16 and FAT 32 partitions)
• Backup of network data on NT server, Windows 95, or SAMBA
• Optimises space, archiving identical files only once, even if present on different PC's
• Efficient compression of archived data
• Fast restoration of missing or corrupted data
• Functions even if network configurations are corrupted, or with substituted disk (after formatting and attribution of disk name)
• Allows launching of more backups or restorations; the speed only depends on the network
• Personalized restoration, for every network PC
• Activation procedures with automatic startup diskettes: one for saving and one for recovery

Operating principle

This backup/restore system differentiates itself among others for being optimised for use in local networks with many PC's with very similar software installed.

Conventional backup software make copies of each PC, by compressing data and storing them on tape or on a network server disk; the compression factor is 1:2 or 1:3 on average.

So if we have a network of 100 PC's and 1 GB each in occupied space, we will need 100 backup tapes or 50 GB of space on the server.

With RestoreAll, we williinstead need (statistical values) 1 GB for common data and about 5-10%, that is, 50-100 MB for each PC, for a total of 6-11 GB.

In the case of classrooms, the space needed diminishes further as PCs are even more similar to each other (real world statistical values).

Each file present on the PC to be copied is compared to the file already in the archive: if the file is already present, copying will not be performed, resulting in substantial savings in space and network transmission time; additionally, the data on the network is compressed.

The file comparison is done through fingerprints using the public domain MD5 algorithm, which ensures an almost absolute impossiblity that two files will have the same fingerprint (enormously small statistical values).

During the restoration phase, the same technique is used to verify the integrity of the file present on the disk, which otherwise is restored with the copy on file; that then has anti-virus features with nearly 100% verifyable capability (in this version, the disk boot sector which may contain a virus or be damaged is not verified).

Download source code

• Subversion File: https://guest@www.leader.it/wsvn/restoreall/