Backup Exec 12.5 and Backup Exec 2012

[Mark_Borchers]

Hi all,

Backup Exec 12.5 has a fatal flaw. 

I create a backup job to run each day at the same time, backing up the same resources, day after day. If the resources become unavailable because the server on which those resources reside has crashed, I lose the backup-to-disc backup.

This has happened to me. One of my Domain Controllers crashed for reasons beyond my control, so when Backup Exec 12.5 went to backup that server, it could not connect to it. However, before it connected to the server, it erased the previous day's backup! Is that not arse about? Shouldn't the backup job first connect to the resource and then erase the previous day's backup?

OK, so that's a real problem. I can work with that, but before I go and get Backup Exec 2012 with SP1, I'd like this question answered.

Does Backup Exec 2012 have the same erase-first-then-connect-to-resource process as Backup Exec 12.5?

If it does, Backup Exec 2012 offers nothing new for me. I'll stick with 12.5.

Mark

[CraigV]

Hi,

In ANY version  of BE, if a server isn't available it would fail the job...now if your job is erasing the previous day's *.bkf files, then your Append/OPP settings are incorrect. There is no reason for BE to erase the previous day's job unless your job is set to overwrite the B2D files, and your Append/OPP settings allow this...

Can you please post those settings?

Thanks!

[pkh]

For BE 2012, disk storage (B2D folders) are managed by DLM and one of the rules of DLM is that it would not erase the last recovery point, i.e. the last backup.  See this blog for more details on DLM.

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/blogs/data-lifecycle-management-be-2012

[phillu83]

I wouldn't touch BE2012 with a barge pole, sadly we've done a few server deployments lately and installed it, I now have more backup failures than ever before.  What's worse is the errors I get on the failures are useless, such as a vmware avvi backup of a linux machine fails because it can't connect to the remote agent for windows.  I have a VMA backup failing because backupexec says it can't backup a BE server inside a virtual machine, when BE runs on a seperate physical box and the VMA couldn't run backupexec anyway, it's completely the wrong operating system.  I also have non-vmware windows backups failing to complete for various useless reasons when windows server backup and ntbackup can do complete backups without a hitch.  I've spent more time troubleshooting backups lately than I have anything else, and as usual, the only thing worse than the product is their technical support, under current maintenance contracts I still hear, every single time, without fail "It'll be fixed in a future version".  This is such a standard lazy response that I've managed to continue and fix things myself in the past without these magical future versions, so it's not even like the response they give is correct.

I actually re-registered here to post another issue myself but saw your post, seriously, BE2012 will consume all of your administrative time unless you're very lucky, I do have two servers which backup regularly without issue, physical SBS 2011 boxes, but all of the others fail at least one job every single day.