Jungle Disk Blog

We’ve got a lot of great stuff happening this week, including the planned launch of the new Jungle Disk Server Edition and Jungle Disk Simply Backup products, the release of Jungle Disk 3.0 Desktop and Workgroup Editions, as well as a whole new website redesign. As part of this rollout, we are making some changes to our pricing structure that I wanted to explain here first.

Before I get into the specific pricing, I want to make it clear that this pricing only applies to new subscriptions. We’re not changing pricing on existing subscriptions retroactively and have no plans to do so going forward.

After the 3.0 rollout, the pricing for new Jungle Disk subscriptions will be:

• Jungle Disk Simply Backup: $2/month, with 5GB of free storage
• Jungle Disk Desktop Edition: $3/month, with 5GB of free storage
• Jungle Disk Workgroup Edition: $4/month, with 10GB of free storage
• Jungle Disk Server Edition: $5/month, with 10GB of free storage

Although prices are increasing for Desktop and Workgroup edition, we’re including free Cloud Files or managed Amazon S3 storage that mostly offsets the pricing difference. The free storage is pooled across the entire account, so if you have multiple Workgroup or Server subscriptions the included storage can be used by any of your computers.

So why are we changing prices, and why include free storage with each subscription? There were several reasons for making the change:

• We’re beefing up our support operation, moving from 5 day a week business hour support to 7 day a week business hour support. We plan to expand support options further going forward. The new pricing structure helps us ensure we can continue to improve our support for all customers.
• We’ve found that many less technically savvy users have no idea how much online storage space they will need. Often times the only point of reference is that their computer has a 500GB or 1TB hard drive, so they think the service is more expensive than it really is. In reality, most Jungle Disk users have 10GB of storage or less. By including a healthy amount of free storage we help casual computer users better understand the amount of space they may expect to use.
• Many Workgroup administrators have complained about lack of predictable monthly costs for the service, due to the variable pricing on storage. While this change doesn’t eliminate that, it helps control it for many situations. We’re looking at offering quota support and other features in the future to give Workgroup admins more control over their storage costs.

While changing prices is never an easy decision, it’s important for us to have a pricing structure in place going forward that keeps the business healthy and addresses the needs of both customers and the business.

Jungle Disk has always attracted a technically savvy user who has a good understanding of storage concepts like backup, network drives, and sync. While most competing online storage services offer just one of those features, we’re proud that our software is unique in its ability to combine all three features in a single product and user interface.  However, we recognize that robust feature set and perceived complexity turns off some potential users – and, makes our customers hesitant to recommend the software to less tech savvy friends and family.

Online backup is critical for all computer users today with the growth of digital personal assets – pictures, music, and files. To help address the needs of a more casual computer user, we are introducing Jungle Disk Simply Backup. As the name implies, Simply Backup is a new version of Jungle Disk for home users who just need a simple, secure, and inexpensive online backup service. The Simply Backup software is built on the same core backup engine that underlies Jungle Disk Desktop, Workgroup, and Server Editions but eliminates the complexity of supporting multiple online disks and network drives.

As with our Desktop Edition software, Simply Backup supports multiple computers at no additional cost, making it a very compelling option for multi-PC households versus other online backup services that charge per computer. If a user decides to move to the full Jungle Disk Desktop Edition in the future, the process is simple and all their data moves with them.

Pricing and availability for Jungle Disk Simply Backup will be announced soon.

One of the features we’ve mentioned several times in the new backup engine that powers Jungle Disk Server Edition (and is also present in Desktop/Workgroup 3.0) is “extended filesystem metadata backup”. But what exactly does that mean?

The previous versions of Jungle Disk focused on backing up your file data, which is the most important part of your files. On Mac, we also backed up resource forks which are a method of storing additional data alongside a file. However on modern filesystems, there is a lot more than just file data on your filesystem. There is lots of metadata information that goes along with your files and can be important to backup and restore in many situations. One example is security information – most desktop users don’t really know about file ownership, security information, and ACLs, but on servers that type of information is important and if lost it could lead to a security leak or permission issues. On multi-user Desktop systems it can be important as well to prevent other users from getting access to your files.

The new Backup Vaults in Jungle Disk 3.0 were designed from the outset to be able to backup and restore virtually any type of filesystem metadata information. Among the metadata that we can backup and restore:

On Windows:

• NTFS alternate streams
• File creation, modification, and access time
• File attributes like compression, hidden, and system files
• File and directory ACLs and ownership information
• Junction points, symlinks, and hardlinks

On Linux:

• File and directory owner, group, and permissions
• Symlinks and hardlinks
• File modification, and access time
• xattr attributes, including ACLs
• Devices nodes and other special files

And on Mac? Well, let’s say that Mac is among the most difficult systems to backup and restore correctly. Fortunately there is a great tool called Backup Bouncer that can be used to verify metadata backup and restore for Mac backup software. I’ll let the output of that tool speak for itself:

Legacy backup and restore from Jungle Disk 2.62:

Verifying:    basic-permissions ... FAIL (Critical)
Verifying:           timestamps ... FAIL (Critical)
Verifying:             symlinks ... FAIL (Critical)
Verifying:    symlink-ownership ... FAIL
Verifying:            hardlinks ... FAIL (Important)
Verifying:       resource-forks ...
   Sub-test:             on files ... ok (Critical)
   Sub-test:  on hardlinked files ... FAIL (Important)
Verifying:         finder-flags ... FAIL (Critical)
Verifying:         finder-locks ... FAIL
Verifying:        creation-date ... FAIL
Verifying:            bsd-flags ... FAIL
Verifying:       extended-attrs ...
   Sub-test:             on files ... FAIL (Important)
   Sub-test:       on directories ... FAIL (Important)
   Sub-test:          on symlinks ... FAIL
Verifying: access-control-lists ...
   Sub-test:             on files ... FAIL (Important)
   Sub-test:              on dirs ... FAIL (Important)
Test dir '/Users/mrhodes/Desktop/bbouncer/backup-bouncer-0.2.0/Src/90-fifo' does not exist
Test dir '/Users/mrhodes/Desktop/bbouncer/backup-bouncer-0.2.0/Src/95-devices' does not exist
Verifying:          combo-tests ...
   Sub-test:  xattrs + rsrc forks ... FAIL
   Sub-test:     lots of metadata ... FAIL

Backup Vault backup and restore from Jungle Disk 3.0:

Verifying:    basic-permissions ... ok (Critical)
Verifying:           timestamps ... ok (Critical)
Verifying:             symlinks ... ok (Critical)
Verifying:    symlink-ownership ... ok
Verifying:            hardlinks ... ok (Important)
Verifying:       resource-forks ...
   Sub-test:             on files ... ok (Critical)
   Sub-test:  on hardlinked files ... ok (Important)
Verifying:         finder-flags ... ok (Critical)
Verifying:         finder-locks ... ok
Verifying:        creation-date ... ok
Verifying:            bsd-flags ... ok
Verifying:       extended-attrs ...
   Sub-test:             on files ... ok (Important)
   Sub-test:       on directories ... ok (Important)
   Sub-test:          on symlinks ... ok
Verifying: access-control-lists ...
   Sub-test:             on files ... ok (Important)
   Sub-test:              on dirs ... ok (Important)
Verifying:                 fifo ... ok
Verifying:              devices ... ok
Verifying:          combo-tests ...
   Sub-test:  xattrs + rsrc forks ... ok
   Sub-test:     lots of metadata ... ok

That’s a bit better! There are only a few Mac local backup products that can pass the full Backup Bouncer test (Time Machine doesn’t even pass it). To my knowledge, Jungle Disk 3.0 is the only online backup product that passes every test, something the Jungle Disk Mac team can be proud of.

Now when you backup with Jungle Disk, you know you’re getting the whole enchilada, not just the filling!

We’re coming down the home stretch and are releasing a second Release Candidate version of Jungle Disk 3.0 Desktop, Workgroup, and Server Editions. A number of issues that were found in the last release candidate have been fixed in this version. You can find a detailed list of changes in the Desktop & Workgroup Edition Release Notes, or the Server Edition Release Notes. We recommend all existing beta testers upgrade to the new Release Candidate release, and any of existing users who haven’t tried the beta but want to get an early look at 3.0 should try the new versions now!

You can download the new release candidate (2.96a) below:

• Jungle Disk Desktop Edition Beta Download
• Jungle Disk Workgroup Edition Beta Download
• Jungle Disk Server Edition Beta Download

We’ll also be turning on automatic updates for beta customers today (this will only offer the update to customers already running a beta/RC version).

If you experience any issues running the Release Candidate, please post to our Desktop/Workgroup beta forum or Server Edition beta forum.

Testing of the Jungle Disk Desktop/Workgroup 3.0 and Server Editon releases continues to go well and today we’re pleased to make “release candidate” versions available for download. These versions address all of our outstanding issues and we do not expect any major changes between now and the final releases.

This release (2.95a) includes a large number of fixes and improvements, particularly in performance and robustness. You can find a detailed list of changes in the Desktop & Workgroup Edition Release Notes, or the Server Edition Release Notes. We recommend all existing beta testers upgrade to the Release Candidate release, and any of existing users who haven’t tried the beta but want to get an early look at 3.0 should try the new versions now!

One immediately obvious (but purely cosmetic) change you’ll notice in this release is our new logo and icon. We’re getting ready to re-vamp our website design for the final release and have a new logo and color scheme to go with it. I’m not going to spoil the surprise here – you’ll have to check out the software if you want a sneak peek.

You can download the new release candidate (2.95a) below:

• Jungle Disk Desktop Edition Beta Download
• Jungle Disk Workgroup Edition Beta Download
• Jungle Disk Server Edition Beta Download

We’ll also be turning on automatic updates for beta customers today (this will only offer the update to customers already running a beta version).

If you experience any issues running the Release Candidate, please post to our Desktop/Workgroup beta forum or Server Edition beta forum.

We’d like to thank all of the Jungle Disk users who have been helping us test the new releases. Since the first set of betas we’ve found and fixed a number of issues, improved performance across the board, and even found time to implement some additional features. Today we’re releasing an updated set of beta releases (2.94a) for all 3 products.

In this beta the Server Edition gains the ability to run pre and post backup scripts, allowing server administrators to customize their backups and integrate with other tools such as mysqldump. For the full list of fixes and features, please see the release notes for the Server Edition or Desktop/Workgroup Editions. Some of the key fixes and features are listed below:

• Added ability to run pre/post backup scripts (Server Edition)
• Added support for connecting to Cloud Files over Service Net for Rackspace datacenter customers (Server Edition)
• Significantly improved performance of Remote Management client (Server Edition)
• Sync now puts files in the Trash if possible instead of immediately deleting them
• Improved ability to restart sync operations after a machine wakes from a sleep state
• Sync Pause now stops both download and upload operations
• Wildcard exclusions in Sync now work properly
• The configuration dialog will display better on small screens like netbooks
• Fixed several misc crashes and performance issues

You can download the new beta release below:

• Jungle Disk Desktop Edition Beta Download
• Jungle Disk Workgroup Edition Beta Download
• Jungle Disk Server Edition Beta Download

We’ll also be turning on automatic updates for beta customers today (this will only offer the update to customers already running a beta version).

We’re pleased to announce that the first beta of the highly anticipated Jungle Disk 3.0 (2.93a) is now available. This release adds several heavily requested features including Sync and a new backup engine based on the backup technology built for our Server Edition. You can read more about 3.0 in our previous blog post. The 3.0 beta is free to all Jungle Disk users (as will the final 3.0 upgrade). If you’re not a Jungle Disk subscriber you can sign up on the Jungle Disk Site then download the beta software below.

This is the first beta for 3.0 and there may be some rough edges. There are also some known issues so we recommend you read through the release notes. A couple of the issues to be aware of:

• If you want to migrate to the new Backup Vault feature, which supports compression, de-duplication, large files, and extended filesystem metadata you will need to re-upload your automatic backup data. The Legacy Backup feature is still available if you prefer to keep your existing backups.
• The Mac version currently requires OSX 10.5 or later. We are evaluating support  for 10.4 in the final release, however it is missing some of the APIs that we use for the new Sync feature.

If you do run into issues with the beta that are not addressed in the release notes, please post to our Beta Support Forums. We’ll do what we can to help and get any issues fixed for the final release.

Once you’ve read the release notes you can download the appropriate software below:

• Jungle Disk Desktop Edition Beta Download
• Jungle Disk Workgroup Edition Beta Download

Last week was certainly exciting, first with the announcement of the new Server Edition of Jungle Disk and then the release of the Server Edition beta. And it only gets better. Today we’re releasing the first details on what many of you have been waiting for – Jungle Disk 3.0 – and later this week we’re planning on making the first beta available. Read on for more!

Jungle Disk 3.0 is the next major release for Jungle Disk Desktop and Workgroup Editions. We’ve listened to your feedback and incorporated the most requested new features for both consumers and businesses. Here’s what you’ll find in the new release:

• A new multi-way Sync feature that allows you to synchronize folders on your local computer with your cloud-based network drive, and with local folders on other computers
• An all new backup engine, built on the same technology we created for the Server Edition, and incorporating features such as compression, de-duplication, and large file support
• Faster notifications of changes on your network drive made from other computers
• A new web interface, which we’ve already launched in beta
• Ability for Workgroup Administrators to lock-down the functionality available to their users (Workgroup Edition Only)

We’re particularly excited about the new sync feature which is easy to use and a powerful companion to our existing Network Drive. With Sync, you can keep a local folder synchronized with a folder on your network drive, allowing you to work out of your local directories and have everything instantly stored in the cloud. If you go offline, you can keep working and have your changes sync back up when you come online. You can sync the same folder on multiple PCs, allowing you to seamlessly share files with all your PCs through the cloud. You can still access your files via the Network Drive, allowing you to access and update your content from PCs where you may not want to sync everything locally (like a netbook). Changes you make on the Network Drive are instantly sync’d back to your other PCs when they are online. Unlike other sync software, you can sync any folder on your PC from its existing location, and you can keep multiple folders in sync at the same time.

Jungle Disk 3.0 also introduces the concept of Backup Vaults, which provide a more robust backup experience than our previous automatic backup feature. With Backup Vaults, your automatic backups are stored in a separate, secure area of your Online Disk, distinct from the Network Drive. Backup Vaults support many of the efficiency and performance features we developed for the server edition, such as compression and de-duplication which reduces the amount of data in your backup, especially for large files like E-mail. Backup Vaults also have an easier to understand data retention policy that allows you to restore from your backup as it was at any time within a configurable period of time. For users who prefer to stick with the legacy automatic backup feature, it is also available in this release.

Later this week we’re making a full beta of Jungle Disk Desktop and Workgroup Editon 3.0 available to paid Jungle Disk customers (and any new customers who sign up now!). The final release will follow the beta period once we’re confident any issues have been worked out. Thanks for all your feedback and support, and we can’t wait to show you 3.0!

Yesterday we announced the new Jungle Disk Server Edition. Today we want to show it to you. A free beta version of the Jungle Disk Server Edition is now available for download. The software will be free to use until at least 30 days past the final version’s release date giving you plenty of time to try it out and decide if it works for you (and hopefully give us some feedback in the process). Note that normal cloud storage fees still apply.

To get started, please read the Release Notes, which includes information about the Server Edition as well as installation instructions. We don’t have a full manual available but the software should be familiar to existing Jungle Disk users.

You will need a license key for each server you plan to install the software on. You can get a license key from this link. If you need multiple keys, just use the link again. License keys are visible on the Jungle Disk Subscriptions & Purchases page. You may be asked to provide payment information, which will be used for your cloud storage fees.

Once you’ve signed up for a license key, you can download the software. We’ve got 32 and 64-bit versions for Windows, and on Linux we have packages for the most popular distributions as well as our standard tar package.

Note that there are two parts to the software. The Server Edition Software runs on your server machine, while the Server Edition Management Client runs on your desktop and is used to manage your servers. You will need to download both parts, depending on which operating system your server and desktop run. Any platform of the management client can be used to manage the Server Edition.

Please post questions, comments, or support requests to the Server Edition Beta Forum. You may want to review the existing posts if you have trouble in case it’s an issue that another user has encountered already.

We’re pleased to announce a new addition to the Jungle Disk family – Jungle Disk Server Edition. While Jungle Disk was originally designed for desktop usage, a few intrepid users started using it for server backups as well. However the Desktop Edition’s limitations, including a local management GUI, a 5GB max file size, and a single upload connection make it ill suited for serious server backups. We received strong feedback from users who’d like to see a more robust server backup solution, so we decided to develop a new product to help make server backups amazingly fast, easy, and inexpensive.

The Jungle Disk Server Edition builds on the core online storage technology of Jungle Disk with an entirely new Backup Engine designed from the ground up for handling large, complex backup jobs. The Server Edition is also designed to be managed completely remotely once installed, allowing administrators to easily manage multiple servers from their desktop. Storage efficiency is critical for large server backups, so the Server Edition includes block-level data de-duplication within and across multiple files and versions of files as well as compression for all data. To give you an idea of how much savings this can provide, for our internal database backups we keep 60 days of backups, a total of 210GB of data. With the Jungle Disk Server Edition this has been cut to only 21GB, a savings of 90%! Our nightly backup time went from 30 minutes to just 6.

A full list of the features for the first release of the Server Edition is below:

• Provides automatic, online backup for Windows and Linux servers
• Full remote management GUI for Windows, Mac, and Linux clients
• An entirely new, highly efficient backup engine designed for server backups
• Block-level de-duplication across an entire server’s backup set, including previous versions
• Compression for all backup data
• No maximum file or backup set size
• Optimized backup for large directories and small files
• Block-level incremental backups means that data already backed up is never transferred again
• Support for multiple backup jobs with their own schedule, file set, and retention policy
• Full support for backing up and restoring extended filesystem information:
  • Windows and Linux security attributes and ACLs
  • Junction points, symlinks, hardlinks, and device nodes
  • Alternate data streams, xattrs, and directory metadata
• Multiple simultaneous uploads, for high bandwidth server connections
• Robust AES-256 encryption with a user-controlled key
• Backup status and error reporting via desktop management client, web, e-mail, and RSS
• Supports multiple cloud providers – Amazon S3 and Rackspace Cloud Files

We’re in the final stages of internal testing for the Server Edition right now and a free public beta will be available tomorrow. We haven’t finalized the pricing for the final release yet, but we expect it to be around $5 per machine per month. As with the desktop versions of Jungle Disk, we’re not marking up the cloud storage price at all – only $0.15 per GB, a huge savings compared to other server oriented online backup services, and an even better value when you consider the amazing space savings the new backup engine provides.

Finally, I know many of you have been waiting for more news on Jungle Disk 3.0, and we’ll have more information on that release later this week. One tidbit to share – many of the improved backup features we built for the Server Edition will be making their way into the Desktop and Workgroup Editions as well. Keep an eye on our blog for more information on the 3.0 release soon!