I am interested to know which software does a better job offering enterprise like functionality. In particular do any of the tools offer an interface for SQL Log Shipping.

MiniSQLBackup does not offer an 'interface' for log shipping, but does implement a log shipping functionality that we hope makes the task easier.  Basically, you can throw a bunch of log backups at MiniSQLBackup and let it sort out the order in which to restore the log files e.g.

RESTORE LOG pubs FROM DISK = 'F:\Backups\pubs_*log*.bak'

MiniSQLBackup will then pick up all files matching the pattern pubs_*log*.bak in the F:\Backups folder, sort them in the correct order, and restore them individually in turn.  Saves a lot of time and hassle when you have a lot of transaction logs to restore.

For more information, see http://www.yohz.com/articles_04.html.  The log shipping process explained there does not require linked servers to be set up, and can be used on any version of SQL Server 2000.

It appears that MiniSQLBackup (MSB) is spending a lot more time on the compression phase compared to writing the backups out to disk.  The I/O counters are extremely low in this case.

As Wes suggested, it is due to the compression method used.  MSB offers 2 distinct compression methods, where one is typically slower but compresses better compared to the other.  However, there are exceptions where the reverse holds true.

This may have been one such exception, where using the 'slower' method may have been faster.  The 'forced' randomness of the data may have been a factor here.

If you wait for part 2 of the shootout, you would see more comparable results.  This is because the database used is a CRM database containing real-world data.

They do but it is not very robust and i would not consider it an enterprise solution. It would also be nice if it was integrated into the gui.