The Mirra Personal Server - The Best Backup System Available and Remote Access too!

The Mirra M-80 Personal Server is a standalone file backup and remote file sharing/access system for home and small business networked computers running Windows XP or Windows 2000. Mirra developed this product for PC users who recognize that the data they store on their PC is more valuable than the PC itself, and want an ultrareliable way to backup their data, and use that data even when they are away from their PC. The $400 Mirra M-80 Personal Server system consists of three components, the hardware, software installed on each PC connected to the server, and Mirra's web interface for file sharing and remote access. The hardware is a very small PC case containing an 80gb hard drive (120gb and 250gb versions are also available) with Linux operating system (stable and virus resistant) which is attached to your network via an ethernet cable. The Mirra software is installed on each networked PC where files needing to be backed up exist. Mirra just doesn’t just backup the last version of a file, it saves the 8 most previous versions. After the software is installed on a PC, you'll want to register for an account on the Mirra website, through which you'll be able to choose which files you want to share with others via a password protected account, and to be able to access your files when you are away from your PC.

"In the box" you'll find the Mirra server hardware, a PC case that is 12" high, 4" wide, and 10" deep which can be stored vertically (tower) or horizontally (desktop). Also included is a software cd, an excellent quick start guide, a glossy card summarizing support options, an 8 page "30 Minute Guide to Using Mirra", a set of release notes, and cables. The choice of a PC case is interesting, as it includes the standard connectors on back, sound, USB, video port, etc, but you will only be using the power connection and ethernet connection. The Mirra power supply has a fan, but it is fairly quiet, and makes much less noise than my desktop's fans.


Setup

The Mirra Server is a new product, which was recently supplied (at no cost) by Mirra for use in our home, where we have several networked PC's, both ethernet and wireless, and a shared cable internet connection). Setup was very easy. I installed the Mirra software on 3 PC's connected to the network in my home. Two are connected to the network via ethernet cable, the third is connected by a 802.11b wireless connection. All are running Windows XP. The key steps include:

1. Plug in the electrical outlet, and connect the server to your network with the included ethernet and power cables. The server can be connected to a router (wired or wifi) or hub.

2. Turn on the server, takes a couple of minutes for it "boot up", at which time a green and yellow led next to the on/off button glow steady.

3. Install the software on each PC that you want to tie into the Mirra Server for back ups. The software installation includes Microsoft's .NET Framework 1.1. The key step during the installation is to enter the license key. This key must be accepted/approved by the Mirra website. I had a bit of trouble with this step. When I installed the Mirra software on my first PC, the License key was not accepted, and the software just "held up" at that step, waiting for verification. After trying to get it to work for a few minutes, I gave up and installed the software on two other PC's, where the software installed flawlessly, and the license key was accepted. When I went back to the first PC and tried again, the license key was finally accepted.

At this point you're ready to choose which files to back up to the Mirra Server.

Using the Mirra Software and Server to Backup Files

The Mirra software runs continuously in the background on each PC, and is launched from the system tray. Launching brings up a window split into two parts. On the left are drop down menus. On the right is either the Mirra status window or lists of files and folders being backed up. The first option in the first drop down is called Welcome to Mirra, which brings up the options for monitoring and using your server. These include:

- Mirra Status – This window provides and text and graphic view of your server, telling you how many computers and files are backed up, how much disk space is still available, the status of your connection and Mirra account, and how many folders you have made available for remote sharing. This view provides a terrific snapshot of your server’s status.

- Backup and Restore - This is the meat of the Mirra software. Here you select which folders to back up and which folders to drop from your back up list and remove from the server. Selecting “add a folder” brings up a list of recommended folders to backup (Outlook, Outlook Express, My Documents, Favorites, Desktop), as well as a button to navigate to any other folder on your hard drive to select it for backup. Individual files can not be selected for backup, only folders. Once a file is selected and confirmed, its copied to the Mirra Server. It can take a little while to transfer files to the server, a few mb or so will only take a few seconds, but if you choose to back up a folder containing a full gigabyte, 20 minutes or more will be required to make the initial backup. From then on, whenever you add or modify a file, a copy is instantly saved to the server. If a file is modified, the latest version is saved on the Mirra server along with 7 previous versions.

I am currently backing up about 14,000 files from 3 computers to the mirra server, using just under 10gb of space on the Mirra. The Mirra server has been in operation for a month. Once an initial backup of a folder is made, I detect no slow downs or hesitation on my computer resulting from the Mirra software. The Mirra software, running in the background, requires less than 10mb of memory on each of the systems it is installed on. Note that Mirra warns that additional memory may be required on systems where more than 100,000 files are backed up.

Selecting a file on the Mirra server changes the drop down menu to the available file and folder tasks, including copying files to new locations, viewing the file history (up to 8 version of a file are stored on the server), purging old version of files, and opening files in Windows. Opening a file launches the file on the server in its’ associated application on your PC. Files launch just about as quickly from the server as they do from a hard drive on your desktop. Copying a file allows you to restore a file back to any folder on your desktop. Restoring files this way is easy and quick, as fast as copying a file from one PC to another over your network. Although you can copy a file from the backup set of any PC that is backed up on the Mirra Server to any PC, you can only "launch" files from the backup folders of the PC you are accessing the Mirra Server from. You can also restore or copy folders, purge all old version in a selected folder, or Share a folder.

Sharing a folder makes it available to be shared with anyone who has an internet connection. Selecting this option brings up a dialog which sends an email to the person you want to share the folder with. This email includes a web link, though the Mirra website, to the selected folder, through which the recipient can access the folder for 7 days, once he opens a free Mirra account by providing a user name and password.

Sharing files over the internet is not nearly so fast as sharing files over a network. In my case file upload speeds from my Mirra server to the internet are limited to about 28mb/hour by my internet service provider. Anyone I ask to share my digital images with will need to wait 30 seconds to a couple of minutes for the images to be transferred for viewing. On the plus side, anyone viewing digital images on a mirra shared folder can see thumbnails just as if they were using windows explorer, making it easy to select an image to view.

- Remote Access -- Via your password protected Mirra web account, you can access any of the folders on your Mirra server, assuming they have been enabled for Remote access, and the Mirra server is on and connected to the Internet. Though the speed at which you can access files will probably be limited by your internet connection, the ease with which you can get at your files from anywhere with an internet connection makes this feature available to even the most novice computer users. The Mirra connection employs 128bit SSL encryption, access is password protected, and the files are only stored on the Mirra server in your home or office and not on the web site, making the file access reasonably secure and private. In practice I’ve found this feature to work well with small and medium size files, though my internet upload cap is too slow to share or access large video files.

What’s Next?

The Mirra Server is a new product. Version 1 was released December, 2003. Version 1.1, the current version as of this writing, was released in February of 2004. Version 2 will be provided free to Mirra owners and will “likely” include the ability to not only be able to access files remotely, but will allow users to upload files to their Mirra server via the Mirra website. Mirra is using feedback from version 1 users to continuously upgrade their product. In future versions you may be able to “sync” files remotely with more than one PC. Mirra also plans to add other new services (which may or may not involve a fee), such as links to photo printing services. Even though the product is a version 1 product, I've found it to be very reliable and intuitive, better than many other products that are several versions older.

Points to Remember

The Mirra Server provides instant, automatic, and reliable backup of selected folders on networked PC’s. It is a great solution for anyone who has one or a few networked PC's.

Backups of up to 8 previous versions of files are saved.

Files on your Mirra Server can be accessed remotely via your Mirra website account, which is password protected and encrypted.

The Mirra Server does not make “image” backups of your PC, ie you wouldn’t be able to use the server to reinstall Windows with all the settings intact.

The Mirra Server is not a local file sharing server for your home network. You could backup a video file to the server, and others on your home network could open that file with the Mirra software, but you can’t access files using Windows explorer or other applications without going through the Mirra software.

The Mirra servers, with the Linux operating system, are reliable and not nearly so susceptible to virus attacks as PC’s running Windows.

The Mirra software only works with systems running Windows XP.

The intended market for Mirra servers are home and small office users with one or more PC’s, little or no tech support with a broadband internet connection.

There are a few limitations that I should mention, though none have affected me. Accessing folders with more than 5000 files remotely may not work. Backing up more than 100,000 files from one PC may require additional memory on that PC. Outlook files can only be backed up when Outlook is not running, so you'll need to quit Outlook occasionally to make sure it is backed up correctly. Only local hard disks can be backed up, not network drives.