Backup Exec 2014 SP1 on Windows Server 2012 R2 ...

[DiWi]

Hello everybody,

please can anybody confirm that Backup Exec 2014 SP1 does not install (and does not need) Symantec tape drivers installed, instead the Operating System drivers (in this case from Hewlett Packard) are used?

Is this new in Symantec Backup Exec 2014 or do I miss something?

Regards

DiWi

[AmolB]

Its recommended to use Symantec drivers for the tape drive and MS drivers for the Tape Loader.

Refer to the below article to know more about BE2014 and the device drivers.

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO98943

[DiWi]

I use an Hewlett Packard Ultrium-5 LTO drive (single) and Backup Exec 2014 did not install tape drivers, so when I open the device manager, there is still HP mentioned as the manufacturer of the tape driver?

Furthermore, there is no tapeinst.exe available on my installation?

What's going on here?

[DiWi]

According to the HCL of Backup Exec 2014 my drive is supported, everything else would suprise me anyway.

[pkh]

Uninstall the tape drive from the console and add it again using the storage wizard

[DiWi]

Quote:

Symantec kernel-mode drivers and tapeinst.exe are no longer installed if Backup Exec runs on Windows Server 2012 or later.

What does that actually mean?

Do I need to install drivers from Symantec for an HP Ultrium 5 SAS tape device or not? The test backup works but maybe without Symantec drivers the performance might be degraded?

Could anybody sched some more light on this?

[DiWi]

I opened Backup Exec 2014 SP1 Console and clicked on the tab 'Storage'. There I can see the tape device (HP Ultrium 5 SAS drive), a B2D disk storage and the media sets.

I right clicked on free area and chose 'Configure storage', the wizard opened and I chose 'Tape Storage' and 'Next' and the only option I got was the 'Run the Hot-swappable Device Wizard'.

What a nice feature, don't know, if that's new to Backup Exec 2014. Everything went good but I still have an HP device driver, when I open the device manager and select the tape device!

What went wrong?

[DiWi]

I have another phenomena in Backup Exec 2014 SP1 that sometimes the media sets are not displayed, I have to restart the services and to close and reopen the Console?

Is that a known phenomena? Doesn't happen on Backup Exec 2012.

[Hemant_Jain]

You may want to check this one:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH216531

We have Backup Exec user mode drivers to work with devices. You do not need to install drivers for supported devices.

Check Hardware compatibility list to find out if your device is supported:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/library/BUSINESS/xCL/TECH214803/be_2014_hcl.pdf

Thanks

[DiWi]

Ok, I read your linked article once again and now I understand, that no Symantec tape drivers are installed with Backup Exec 2014 on Windows Server 2012 R2, correct?

Backup Exec 2014 uses the tape drivers, which come with Windows Server 2012 R2 or with a driver update from the manufacturer for this specific operating system, right?

That was my initial assumption here.

Regard,

DiWi