Persistence aims at handling large-scale backups
updated 03:45 pm EDT, Thu March 12, 2009
Persistence backup debuts
A combination online and offline backup utility, Persistence, has launched in commercial beta form, its developer says. While able to back up to iDisk, external hard drives or USB flash sticks, the app is designed primarily to handle large file transfers, ranging into hundreds of gigabytes. All metadata is retained, including Finder data and Unix permissions, and signatures are assigned to each file for later verification during the restore process.
Transfers can be safeguarded with 256-bit AES encryption, and configured with compression, exclusion and scheduling settings, as well as executables set to run before or after a backup has been completed. Supported online protocols include AFP, SMB, WebDAV, Amazon S3 and FTP/FTPS/SFTP. The Basic version of Persistence costs $34, but imposes restrictions such as a 25GB data cap and a lack of S3, SFTP and external drive backups. The $59 Pro version unlocks all features; also available is Persistence Web, an online backup service based on Amazon technology. Prices start at $2 per month and rise with usage, but provide client software for free. Mac OS X Leopard is required for all three options.
