One of the most frequent questions in the Symantec booth at VMworld 2010 was “When will NetBackup support vSphere 4.1?” Answer: NOW! If that’s not enough detail, here are some additional FAQs on the topic.
Q: What is VMware vSphere 4.1 and when was it released?
A: See the VMware vSphere 4.1 What's New for details. It was released in mid-July 2010.
Q: What NetBackup version do I need to support vSphere 4.1?
A: NetBackup 7.0.1, which was released on August 31, 2010.
Q: Will previous NetBackup versions support vSphere 4.1?
A: No. Before upgrading to vSphere 4.1, NetBackup must be upgraded to 7.0.1.
Q: Were any new NetBackup features or capabilities introduced for VMware protection?
A: Aside from supporting vSphere 4.1 and various continual improvements, NetBackup 7.0.1 for VMware does not introduce any new features.
Q: What are the known issues for NetBackup 7.0.1 for VMware?
A: See the NetBackup 7.0.1 Release Notes for details. Note that some of the issues are awaiting resolution from VMware. As always, please contact your support provider for assistance.
Q: Are Windows 2008 R2 and Windows 7 guests supported by NetBackup?
A: Yes, when using the vStorage APIs for Data Protection (VADP), introduced in NetBackup 7. VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB) does not support those guests. See the NetBackup 7 Virtualization Compatibility Guide for details.
Q: What is the future of VCB?
A: VMware has announced that VCB support will end after vSphere 4.1. The NetBackup release notes (above) also document our intent to discontinue VCB support in a future NetBackup release; only VADP will be supported.
Q: vSphere 4.1 is the last release to support ESX (hypervisor with a service console). In the future, only the console-less ESXi will be released. What impact does this have on NetBackup?
A: None. NetBackup has always supported both ESX and ESXi. No NetBackup changes will be needed when only ESXi is released.
Happy Virtualizing!
Brian Smith
NetBackup Product Manager
