Handy Backup is a backup and disk imaging software developed by Novosoft LLC. Handy Backup creates backup copies of data stored on computers working under Microsoft Windows OS or Unix-like systems like as Linux. With this software, a user can create backup, restoration and synchronization tasks through a graphical user interface. It is a unified backup solution allowing backing up files, folders, libraries, disk images, popular databases, virtual machines, FTP and cloud content and any other data existed, in a fully automated mode.
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Overview
Introduced in 2002 by Novosoft, Handy Backup is a backup software targeted for use in home and small business environments. The program was originally designed for backing up individual files and data and settings of popular software applications. Modern versions of Handy Backup allow users saving and restoring copies of all types of information, including popular database formats, websites, servers, virtual machines and a content of different cloud accounts. All functions of the program are controlled via the comprehensible, intuitive graphical interface.
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Features and options
Handy Backup has a Wizard driven interface and a task-based architecture which allows creating and scheduling three types of operations: backup, restore and synchronization. Program supports all known backup types and is suitable for heterogenous networks. It also allows notifying users, logging events or viewing in details any task attempted to run by the program.
Supported data types
Handy Backup can save any type of information in automated mode. For most data types, the program allows a "hot" backup functions (saving data without stopping an appropriate data-processing software). These are some most popular options among the data types processing by featured instruments of Handy Backup:
- Any files and folders found by a mask of the name or by manual selection;
- User folders and Windows libraries, Windows registry;
- A whole image of a system or data drive (with a possibility of using it as a bootable drive image);
- Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange Server;
- All popular SQL-type databases including Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, IBM DB2, Lotus Notes and Oracle;
- Any other database type existing, via the pre-installed ODBC driver appropriate to the database;
- FTP, SFTP and FTPS server content, including static website content;
- Commercial cloud accounts, including Amazon S3, Box.com, 4shared;
- Clouds with synchronized local folders, such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox clouds;
- Any other cloud accessible by a WebDAV interface;
- Arrays of virtual machines, including Hyper-V.
Supported storages
To store backups, users of Handy Backup can select among many options available:
- Local drives and external USB-plugged devices, with a possibility of automatically start a task by connecting a particular USB device to a PC;
- Network-attached drives, NAS units and data servers visible as remote disks;
- FTP, SFTP and FTPS storage servers;
- Commercial clouds, accessed both through specialized data-storing options (Amazon S3, Box, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive);
- A dedicated and well-protected Handy Backup cloud storage vault HBdrive.
Supported backup types and options
For any data backup, Handy Backup allows some options making the backup process fully controllable and allowing it to fit perfectly to the specific needs of any user:
- Full, incremental, differential and mixed (full/differential cycle) backup types;
- Versioned backup, with selected quantity of versions simultaneously kept;
- Encrypting and compressing backup data;
- Scheduling tasks by a period from minutes to months, as well as starting tasks by some events (system logon/logoff, inserting a USB device linked to a task);
- Running other programs or batches before or after executing a main task.
Supported file systems
File systems supported by the software include NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, Ext2, Ext3, ReiserFS, Reiser4 and other. This variety is achieved through the use of disk imaging module which allows performing sector-based backup which does not query the file system. Though this feature is not primarily designed for hard disk cloning, it can also be used for this purpose.
The Native Storage Format
Preserving native data formats when backing up the information is a part of the philosophy making Handy Backup a unique solution among the different backup software available. Instead of a "backup-restore" cycle, using the conception of native format allows users of Handy Backup to copy, move or even process data just from backups, without a need for obligate restoration.
Thus, data stored in backups can be simply sorted, arranged, viewed or even restored manually, without a need to reverse the backup process totally. This feature can even be used for making perfect copies or mirrors of data sets by the place, where the term "data backup" will mean just "copy data to a selected destination in a fully automated mode".
Handy Backup .HBI format
Handy Backup stores information about each backup task in index files of its own .HBI format. Each index file contains the list of files, their sizes, time of creation, time of last modification, file attributes, and other data. It also includes a reference to the previous index file and is renewed with each execution of the task, which enables doing incremental and differential backup and save only changes. In Handy Backup, incremental backup is made on file level and differential backup is made on byte level.
Available Editions
Handy Backup comes in three editions designed for individual PCs: Standard, Professional and Small Server. Also, there is an enterprise backup edition called Handy Backup Network Server which includes all features of Handy Backup Small Server and allows backing up data of networked workstations. The editions have different sets of features and are targeted at different market segments. All programs are distributed as shareware and have a full-featured 30 days trial period.
Reviews
Many reviews mention Handy Backup as the light, fast and unified solution for backing up, restoring or synchronizing data. For example, The Top Ten Reviews marks a Small Server edition as a good server-level solution.
Another review by PCMag appreciates a Small Server edition as one of Best Small Business Apps for 2012, almost universal solution for backing up server-level business data
Copyright ownership
An actual, stable and constantly developed branch of Handy Backup is owned by Novosoft LLC and available through the Web from an address handybackup.net. All data described previously in this article, including features, references and links, belong to the Handy Backup software solution provided by Novosoft LLC. Novosoft LLC is a dynamic, constantly growing company providing newer versions and upgrades of Handy Backup. The ownership of copyright on Handy Backup held by Novosoft LLC is legally registered, as well as the trademark "Handy Backup" for Novosoft LLC in Europe.
handybackup.net vs handybackup.com
Novosoft LLC was partnering with Novosoft Inc. in the field of software development. In 2003 the companies decided to make their businesses independently. On May 29, 2003 the copyright of Handy Backup was transferred to Novosoft LLC. After that Novosoft Inc. re-registered a website handybackup.com on some unknown person. For now this website contains an obsolete version of Handy Backup that cannot operate under Windows 7 or newer systems, as well as lacks many actual features and technologies. In May 2008, the Texas District Court acknowledged that the Handy Backup copyright had been transferred to Novosoft LLC, so it is illegal for Novosoft, Inc. to sell Handy Backup products. Users who want to acquire a legal and modern product must use the website http://handybackup.net.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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