Definition
The Hybrid+ in Polarbackup is a feature that enhances data protection and recovery efficiency by creating dual copies of backed-up files. It automatically generates a local copy of each backed-up file onto a local server, external drive, or network location in addition to storing it in the cloud. This dual backup approach ensures faster recovery times when files need to be restored. Moreover, the Polarbackup Restore application is intelligent, as it first checks the local Hybrid+ storage for the file before retrieving it from the cloud, minimizing both recovery time and bandwidth usage.
Advantages
1. Enhanced Protection: The Hybrid+ feature in Polarbackup doubles your backup protection by automatically creating two copies of your files. This redundancy maximizes safeguarding against data loss.
2. Instant Restoration: Experience zero restore time with Hybrid+ as it enables you to swiftly recover files from the local repository instead of relying solely on the cloud. This saves valuable time and conserves bandwidth resources.
3. User-Friendly: Activating Polarbackup’s Hybrid+ feature requires no additional configuration. Simply enable the feature and specify the desired storage size, making it convenient and hassle-free to implement. (Learn more)
4. Flexibility: Unlike other backup solutions, Polarbackup offers the flexibility to enable or disable the Hybrid+ option at any time, not just at the beginning of the backup process. This adaptability ensures that your backup strategy can be adjusted according to your evolving needs. (Learn more)
5. Size Management: Take control of your storage space with the ability to limit the size of your Hybrid+ backup. When the Hybrid+ backup reaches the specified size limit, Polarbackup automatically removes older files from the local repository to make room for more recent ones, optimizing storage efficiency and ensuring continuous backup functionality.
How to Enable Hybrid+ Backup Feature
For more information about how to enable the Hybrid+ option, please check this article.
File Handling in Hybrid+ Backup
When using Hybrid+, certain file types are stored in their original format, while others are compressed into .ZIP format based on their file extension. Below are the file types that remain unaltered during the Hybrid+ backup process.
→ Unaltered File Types
- General files: pst, iso, Bz2, Gz, Lz, Lzma, Lzo, Rz, Sfark, Xz, Z, 7z, S7z, Ace, Alz, Apk, Arc, Arj, B1, Ba, Bh, Cab, Cfs, Cpt, Dar, Dgc, Dmg, Ear, Jar, Kgb, Lzx, Pak, Partimg, Paq6, Paq7, Paq8, Pea, Pim, Qda, Rar, Rk, Sen, Sitx, Sqx, Tgz, Tbz2, Tlz, Uca, Uha, Wim, War, Xar, Xp3, Yz1, Zip, Zipx, Zoo, Zpaq, Zz, ipa, wmd, rp, exe
- Documents: docx, pptx, xlsx, odt, odp, ods, rt, ogm, qt, m1v, mpv2, mp2v, mqv, rv, ppsx
- Audio: mp3, m4a, 3gp, m4p, aac, flac, wma, ogg, oga, amr, ra, rm, mpc, tta, dvf, act, opus, mpa, rmi, aif, aifc, aiff, ram, mpga, m4b
- Images: jpeg, jpg, tif, tiff, gif, png, webp, bpg, jpe
- Video files: webm, flv, f4v, ogv, drc, rmvb, mp4, m4v, mpg, mp2, mpeg, mpe, mpv, m2v, 3gp, 3g2, wmv, mov, avi, 3gpp, mkv
Any file types not listed above will be automatically compressed into a .ZIP format, and this setting cannot be modified.
Accessing Files in Hybrid+ Backup
It is important to note that the Hybrid+ backup folder is not manually accessible via Windows Explorer or Finder. Due to the compression applied to certain files, direct browsing is not supported. To retrieve your files correctly, follow the restoration steps outlined in this guide.