I was reading, this article (subscription required) by Ben Worthen on WSJ about a study on how well companies are prepared for a disaster. I was not at all surprised by (one of) the findings (paraphrased):

…While 70% of 189 tech leaders surveyed by Forrester Research Inc. said that their companies are prepared for a disaster, the reality was quite different…

We run into this all the time, in talking to (prospective) customers. People “think” they are prepared for a disaster. The truth hits them when you start peeling the layers of the supposed plan. Some things to keep an eye on are

• Is it robust and reliable?
• Do you have the right resources engaged in the plan - both design and implementation?
• How often are the plans tested?
• How well is the plan documented?
…

Community version 1.2.1 of Zmanda Recovery Manager (ZRM) for MySQL, a robust and intelligent solution for backup and recovery of MySQL databases is available for download at Zmanda downloads page.

Changes in this release:

1. Bug fixes
2. Source tar ball (including debian package files)
3. Help from ZRM online sites

For documentation see, ZRM for MySQL users manual. Please use bugzilla to report bugs and feature requests. If you have questions or feedback, please post them in forums.

The role of data stored in MySQL database in today’s world is already known - it powers business and mission critical apps. Protecting this data is of utmost important to any enterprise. Before you actually have a backup in place, that are some very important things to think about the backup implementation. Like for instance, how soon would you want your data recovered after a user or system error? This article provides an indepth analysis about the basics of what needs to be considered while planning a Backup and Recovery solution for your MySQL database.

Zmanda’s MySQL Backup and Recovery Solution is the only comprehensive backup solution that addresses the unique needs of MySQL databases — such as multiple database storage engines. Zmanda Recovery Manager (ZRM) for MySQL now features graphical tools to simplify the process of protecting MySQL data.

This free presentation from experts in open-source backup and recovery of MySQL will demonstrate Zmanda Management Console for ZRM , which is a web based service integrated with Zmanda Network. It provides management and visualization tools for defining all backup activities of a MySQL DBA:

•  what to backup, e.g. all databases or just the selected tables

• where to store the backup images

• when to perform backups, e.g. schedule daily, weekly or monthly full and incremental backups

…

One of the candidates for a marketing position (btw, we are looking for a very technical marketing talent, drop me a line at dj at zmanda dot com) asked me if Zmanda wants to change the world. The way I see it, our job is just opposite to changing the world. We want to keep the world the way it was. If your hardware dies or a user drops a table, we give you the ability to go back in time and to recover your file with Amanda Enterprise or your MySQL database with Zmanda Recovery Manager (ZRM).

How do we actually accomplish going back in time? Are we talking here about super-expensive and complicated Continues Data Protection (CDP) technologies? Our solution delivers the same result, but without the cost and complexity of CDP. ZRM incremental backups result in a copy of the MySQL …

Check out  this short demo of Management Console of MySQL backup 

tk

Could not resist the title after reading what Matt wrote. Sexy and exciting, indeed. Most of the crew here have their heads buried with the upcoming releases of Amanda Enterprise and Zmanda Recovery Manager (ZRM) for MySQL. We are continuing to enhance the Management console for Network backup. And with the next release of ZRM for MySQL, backup of MySQL database will never be the same. Dmitri already wrote about how easy it will be to manage MySQL backups from Iphone. Additionally we are fixing stuff in the Management console for ease of use. You can see, touch and feel them at LinuxWorld. …

Given a chance, I always check www.zmanda.com on different gadgets with various browsers and form factors. As soon as iPhone became available, I was at the Apple store checking out the new device and especially its web browsing capabilities.

It took me a couple of attempts to type the URL, but then I got it right and I could see our web site, wiki and forums. Everything looked great. Surprisingly, I could see most of the page without too much zooming and moving the window. Our upcoming Management Console for backup and recovery of MySQL is built on a LAMP stack with a look and feel similar to our website. What if we could actually manage all or at least some frequent day to day backup activities of MySQL DBA via iPhone?

Here at Zmanda we are moving fast, and within a few days we presented to a couple of our customers how to manage MySQL backups via iPhone. Here is a use case. A …

Version 1.2 of Zmanda Recovery Manager (ZRM) for MySQL, a robust and intelligent solution for backup and recovery of MySQL databases is available at Zmanda downloads page.

Changes in this release:

• Code restructured into modules
• Snapshot plugin interface. LVM snapshots implemented as a plugin.
• ZRM should be run as user belonging to mysql group.
• Numerous bug fixes

Documentation is available at ZRM for MySQL wiki. Ask questions and provide feedback in Zmanda forums.

We are working on Zmanda Management Console for our MySQL backup product line: Zmanda Recovery Manager (ZRM) for MySQL. ZRM for MySQL is an enterprise backup and recovery solution for MySQL.

We are looking for MySQL administrators in San Francisco bay area who would be interested in providing functionality and usability feedback for the user interface. We are particularly interested in MySQL administrators responsible for implementing backup solution for their MySQL databases. Please send an email to me (paddy-at-zmanda-dot-com) with your availability and why you would meet our requirement. We will pay a small stipend for your time.