Avamar RAIN

Avamar supports two basic types of standard Avamar server configurations, which are:

- Non-RAIN and 

- RAIN.

Non-RAIN configurations consist of a single stand-alone node. In single node configurations, both utility and data functions are provided. Non-RAIN configurations require replication. (Previous versions of Avamar supported 1x2 servers consisting of 1 utility and two data nodes).

RAIN configurations include one utility node, three or more data storage nodes, and a spare data node. Currently, the largest standard configuration consists of 16 data nodes, 1 utility node, and 1 spare data node. A minimum RAIN configuration is 1x3 server.

In a multi-node system, the nodes operate together as one server. The hostname and the IP address of the utility node are the identity of the Avamar server for access and client/server communication. Avamar load balances data across all available nodes in a server. With node architecture, Avamar can be easily scaled by adding more nodes.