Abstract: A method of automatically authenticating clients on a computer system network enables clients on the network to be automatically logged in and added to a backup database and assigned for backup. The method employs a public key/private key encryption system in which clients have a public key and the backup server has a private key. The backup server interrogates new clients to determine client status and whether the client supports the public key/private key certificate. If it does, the backup server uses key values from the client decrypted using its private key to generate encryption keys which are employed in an algorithm for securely communicating with the client to log the client into a backup database. Otherwise, the backup server uses a password entered by a user in the client for generating the encryption keys. Additionally, the method enables backup software and public keys to be automatically push installed on the clients.

Abstract: A backup method for a computer system network avoids generating hashes from data that may be inaccurate due to network errors affords verification of source data written to backup media includes reading at a network client a portion of the source data from a source storage volume and generating a hash of the source data at the client. The source data and hash are transmitted to a backup server and written to the backup media. The hash is written to the backup media is associated with the backup data corresponding to the source data from which the hash was generated. Verification of the backup data is performed by reading the backup data from the backup media, generating a hash from the backup data read, and comparing that hash with the hash originally stored on the backup media.

Abstract: A backup method for a computer system that affords fast verification of source data written to backup media includes reading a portion of the source data from a source storage volume and generating a hash of the source data. The source data is written to the backup media as backup data, and the hash generated from the source data is written to the backup media and associated with the backup data corresponding to the source data from which the hash was generated. Verification of the backup data can be subsequently performed by reading the backup data from the backup media, generating a hash from the backup data read, and comparing that hash with the hash originally stored on the backup media. This enables the backup data to be verified as corresponding to the original source data without the necessity of rereading the source data from the source volume, and enables faster, more accurate off line verification subsequent to the backup process.