NOT ABOUT TO REST on its laurels, the longtime leader in Mac backup software sports a new look and a plethora of new features for individual as well as for networked users. Retrospect, whose complex interface has been its only blemish, now has a friendlier face, with dialog boxes and menus that are easier to work with and understand. This is no small achievement, considering that version 3.0 is packed with new features.
Off-Line but Not Forgotten
Retrospect can automatically back up files on all networked Macs at regular intervals to tape or other media if the Macs have the Retrospect Remote control panel installed. In previous versions, the contents of PowerBooks, which weren't necessarily on the network at backup time, were neglected, but the new Backup Server feature in Retrospect 3.0 polls the network, looking for files that need to be backed up. When a computer whose contents haven't recently been backed up connects to the network, the Backup Server feature finds it and Retrospect backs it up. You can also request a backup via the Backup Server feature, and Retrospect will either back up your computer's files immediately or will back them up at the next backup time designated by the administrator. The Backup Server feature can poll continuously or only during times when you want backup to take place.
Locating and managing backups for a large number of users can be a challenge, especially if you need to change the backup schedule. With Retrospect 3.0, you can create backup groups. A backup group consists of users whose backup needs are the same, such as traveling salespeople whose PowerBook contents should be backed up instantly when the machines connect to the network. When you want to change the backup schedule, you have to change only the script for the group. Any new users added to a group will have their files backed up automatically, according to the group's schedule. You can also create backup folders that let you back up specific files -- for instance, you might create a folder for your finance department's spreadsheets and schedule the folder for frequent backup. Retrospect scripts can back up folders or all of a group's files just as they do a single volume's or user's files.
If you check the new Remote Desktop option, Retrospect 3.0 will back up the files in any volume mounted on a networked user's computer, rather than backing up volumes by name. In previous versions, if a volume's name was changed, it would not be backed up until the administrator reconfigured the backup script. All these new features make backing up a workgroup's data more manageable, especially in large organizations.
Scripting Made Easy
Novice users will appreciate EasyScript, which takes a step-by-step approach to automating backup. A series of dialog boxes explains the backup process and asks questions about how you want to protect your data. The result is a set of backup options and a schedule that will back up your system at regular intervals. Once you've answered all of its questions, EasyScript creates a backup script optimized for your needs.
Far from creating bare-bones backup scripts for individual users only, EasyScript can set up network backup and can automatically create scripts that rotate your backup media. Creating scripts that back up data onto certain sets of backup media on, say, alternating days or weeks is much simpler with EasyScript than it used to be with earlier versions of Retrospect, with which you had to create them from scratch. Once you have created an EasyScript backup script, you can use and modify it just as you would any other backup script. And you can still create your own scripts from scratch if you need to use advanced features, such as the Backup Server feature, that EasyScript does not support.
With the new Duplicate feature, you can back up one volume to another as if you were copying it via the Finder and you can restore a volume in the same way. All other Retrospect backups create backup files that are accessible only with Retrospect. Using Duplicate is a great way to copy a large folder onto a SyQuest cartridge or to synchronize files on your desktop machine with those on your PowerBook after a trip. Duplicate is especially useful for single backups, since it enables you to take advantage of Retrospect's speed and scripting features without having to use a file format that requires dedicated backup media.
The Bottom Line
Retrospect dominates the Macintosh market -- no other backup utility can match its breadth or depth. And it just keeps getting better, with the addition of features that please network administrators as well as individual users. Dantz's tech support is top-notch. The company seems determined to make sure Retrospect works with all known backup media: The list of tapes and cartridges that Retrospect supports continues to grow. Furthermore, Retrospect 3.0's new modular architecture lets Dantz write and distribute plug-ins -- such as the recently released CD-R plug-in -- that let users quickly and inexpensively adopt new technologies without having to give up their backup software.
