Alike F.A.Q.

What are the system requirements for running Alike?

Alike is certified to run on Windows XP Pro, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. It is compatible with both 32 and 64 bit Operating Systems. See the administrator's guide for a complete set of deployment recommendations.

What versions of XenServer does Alike work with?

Alike requires at least v5.5 or later. XenServer 5.0 will also work if your SR backend supports snapshots.

What guest VM Operating Systems does Alike support?

Alike will work with any Operating System that can run on XenServer. As long as it's supported by Xen, it's supported by Alike.

Do I need to install anything on XenServer in order to run Alike?

No. Alike connects to XenServer via the XenServer API. Unlike other products and solutions, there's nothing required to install on your host or pool.

What's Enhanced Backup?

Alike offers an additional mechanism for backing up larger VMs that skips the XenServer VM export process. This mechanism uses a tiny virtual appliance that runs on your XenServer pool as a VM and helps Alike obtain its data more efficiently. This VM uses very few XenServer resources and will not take up much memory, CPU, or disk. Enhanced Backup is not available in Alike Free.

Does Alike work with other virtualization technology like VMWare or Microsoft's Hyper-V?

Currently our focus is helping Citrix customers. Stay tuned for new features and products.

Can my virtual machine be online during the backup window?

Yes. Your virtual machines can be powered on and running during a backup, and they will not experience any interruptions. Because standard Xen snapshots are used, backups are performed against the snapshot data, which is a single point in time of the actual VM.

What's a Quiesced Snapshot? Do I need one?

Alike can request quiesced snapshots of your XenServer VMs. Quiesced snapshots attempt to send special instructions to supported applications to cause them to save their state in a crash-consistent manner. Many transactional applications, such as SQLServer, may require quiesce in order to guarantee consistent restores. Many other applications do not benefit from quiesce.

Is Alike really free? Is there a catch?

Alike comes in a couple of editions: Free and Standard. Alike Free is absolutely free, meaning you can download, install, and use Alike Free at no cost. Alike Free can connect to only a single XenServer host, and has a few other limitations as well. But there is no catch. We hope you find it useful!

I'd like to try Alike against my XenServer pool. How can I do this?

Alike trial licenses will let you connect Alike to several XenServer hosts, including all hosts in a pool. Request a trial license by contacting sales@quorumsoft.com or your authorized QuorumSoft reseller.

Why should I choose Alike to protect my XenServer environment?

Alike offers an unmatched combination of features, support, and overall value. Because Alike comes in a Free edition, it's easy to download it and compare it to other solutions.