Jump to content

Backblaze

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by VivaLaPandaz (talk | contribs) at 04:42, 21 June 2015 (→‎Technology). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Backblaze
Developer(s)Backblaze Inc.
Operating systemWindows 8, Windows 7, Vista, XP, Mac OS X 10.5+
PlatformWindows, Mac
Available inEnglish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean
TypeOnline backup service
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.backblaze.com

Backblaze is an online backup tool that allows Windows and Mac OS X users to back up their data to an offsite data center. The service is designed for end-users, providing unlimited storage space[1] and supporting unlimited file sizes.[2]

Overview

Backblaze allows the user to back up data continuously, manually, when the computer is idle, or on an hourly schedule. The service makes use of AES encryption for security, and uses data compression and bandwidth throttling to reduce upload and download times. Files that need to be restored can be delivered in the form of a digital download,[3] on an external USB hard drive up to 3TB or a USB flash drive up to 128GB. [4]

Technology

Data replication

Data uploaded onto Backblaze's data center is sharded into 17 data shards plus three parity shards for each file. Parity shard bits are computed by the Reed–Solomon error correction algorithm. The shards are stored in 20 storage pods, each in a separate cabinet to increase resilient to a power loss to an entire cabinet. While Backblaze only has a single data center, Backblaze states that its Vault architecture is designed with 99.99999% annual durability.[5]

Encryption

Backblaze utilizes a combination of AES and SSL encryption to protect user data. All data is stored on Backblaze StoragePods encrypted with the user's private key, which is secured with the user's password and username. Users desiring additional security and privacy wishing to take a [[Trust no one (internet security)] approach may also use the passphrase system which encrypts the private key with a passphrase not stored on Backblaze servers. However, decryption of private keys is done server side, this level of security is unlikely to protect against a government subpoena or serious data breach.

StoragePod open design

A server case using the open design of the StoragePod.

In 2009 and 2011, Backblaze released CAD drawings of the computer case used by the storage servers in its datacenters. With commercial off-the-shelf components such as x64 processors, disks, and motherboards, high-density storage servers can be built at a lower cost than commercial ones.[6]

In February 2013 version 3.0 of the pod was introduced with increased storage capacity and other upgrades. [7]

In March 2014 version 4.0 of the pod was introduced which is faster, simpler and less expensive. [8]

References

  1. ^ Review by Ars Technica - Making off-site backups brainless: hands-on with Backblaze
  2. ^ Review by TechCrunch - Online Storage Service Backblaze Now More Unlimited Than Unlimited
  3. ^ Review by TechCrunch - Backblaze: Online Backup With Time Machine’s Finesse
  4. ^ "Data Restores: More, More, and Even More!". BackBlaze. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  5. ^ Backblaze Vaults: Zettabyte-Scale Cloud Storage Architecture
  6. ^ Petabytes on a Budget v2.0: Revealing More Secrets
  7. ^ 180TB of Good Vibrations – Storage Pod 3.0
  8. ^ Storage Pod 4.0: Direct Wire Drives – Faster, Simpler and Less Expensive
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Backblaze&oldid=667871965"