Can Firestreamer backups be mounted as filesystem?

[oliverhausler]

How can disks be accessed without Firestreamer software? Is there a command line tool to make content visible without the backup server? My question targets two problems: Legal retention, where there is a requirement of being able to make archived data visible easily, and complete failure of DPM where it might be required to restore data manually without reinstalling DPM first. What if we don't use Firestreamer anymore a few years down the road? Would it then still be possible to read old drives? Are you using a common file format which can be mounted somehow?

[jsf]

There is no "common file format" applicable to virtual tapes. Even if there was one, and you "mounted" virtual tape, you'd get access to the data stream produced by Microsoft DPM. Only the original backup software (Microsoft DPM) would know how to convert that data stream to actual files.

You will not be able to restore data without working server hardware, a working operating system and working Microsoft DPM, regardless of whether you used DPM's raw disks, physical tape or Firestreamer. To restore data from Firestreamer virtual tapes, you will also need Firestreamer. Exactly as if you used a physical tape library, you'd need a working physical tape library, even if you stopped using tapes many years ago.

The bottom line, to restore your data from any backup, you not only need just the backup itself, but also all the hardware and software required to restore that backup.