Backup Exec - Upgrading from 12.5 to 2010

[sykoserkus]

I'm currently running 12.5 on a Windows Server 2003 SP2. It's installed on the C: partition, and I would like to upgrade to 2010, but have it installed on my E: partition. Any suggestions on best practices in doing so would be much appreciated. Also, do I need to be concerned with the exisiting license keys for my 12.5 Remote Agents? Do I need new license keys or will they work for 2010 Remote Agents as well? Thanks in advance.

[pkh]

You can follow the instructions in this document http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/319367.htm

You will need new licence keys for BE 2010 and you would need to push out the remote agents again.  The BE 2010 remote agents are different from the BE 12.5 remote agents.

[pkh]

If you don't have the license key for the BE 2010 remote agent you may continue to use BE12.5 remote agent as BE2010 is backward compatible. The backup jobs will complete successfully with an exception that you are using an older version of remote agent.

No quite correct.  If you don't have the licence keys for BE 2010, it will run for 60 days in trial mode and then stop.  BE2010 can run with BE 12.5 agents, but this is meant as an interrim measure for those installations with many remote servers and do not have time to update the remote agents.  It is not meant to be a permanent solution.  Furthermore, the BE 12.5 will not have all the features of the BE 2010 remote agent.  For example, dedup will not work with BE 12.5 remote agents.

[AmolB]

PKH I agree with you that its not a permanent solution but its useful if you don't have the license key for "BE2010 REMOTE AGENT" 

Offcourse you need the base product license otherwise the product is of no use after 60 days.

[pkh]

If you don't have a remote agent key, then you cannot backup a remote server, regardless of which remote agent is installed on that server.  A remote agent does not have a licence tagged to it.  All licence are installed on the media server.

[AmolB]

Well that makes sense, Thanks PKH I have removed that point from my post.

[AmolB]

Hello

For changing the installation directory refer to Point #13 of this link http://support.veritas.com/docs/341837

When you run the installation of BE 2010 you will get multiple options, one of them will be destination. Simply click on browse and select E:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec, all the files from C drive will be moved to the E drive. 

Note: Before running the upgrade, stop the SQL Service and  take a backup of DATA & CATALOGS folder from X:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec.

[sykoserkus]

PKH & Amol, thanks so much for your prompt advice.

The licensing issue became moot, as my boss forwarded me the keys for the 2010 upgrade.

As for the installation, the support doc pkh linked made a specific point about having to install the new software in the same installation path where the previous software once resided.  Do either of you really think it wouls be a problem if I opted to change it, per the link sent by Amol?

[Ken_Putnam]

Sorry, that only applies to a new installation

The original document says you can't change install directories  because the installation path is included in multiple registry keys, and restoring the registry is one of the steps.  (This is the same reason you can't move to a different OS )

[sykoserkus]

Thanks Ken.  So, what if I were to back up the Data & Catalogs folders, uninstall 12.5 and then install 2010 (onto the different installation path, but same computer) and copy the files from the original Data & Catalogs folders into the new ones.  Would this work in resurrecting my catalog and/or backup jobs?

[pkh]

No. It will not work.  I tried to substitute the BE 12.5 data folder in a BE 2010 installation and BE 2010 will not start.  I think this is because the database schema for BE 2010 is different from BE 12.5. 

The catalog folder substitution is o.k.  I can see my old joblogs.

[sykoserkus]

scheduled to kick off the upgrade today, will give a status update and detailed log of events

[sivananduri]

Hi i am getting following problem.

I have configure automatic schedules and using from last 4 users without any errors. Then we configured NDMP in our environment and configured automatic schedule for this. NDMP version is 4.

Present my setup details:

Backup Exec12.5 +sp3 +13 latest updates. NAS and SAN backup using NDMP.

Shift wise schedules details:

SHIFT-A details:

even schedule1/even schedule2 will execute only on even days 2/4/6/8............ (problem with schedule1. even schedule2 working fine).
odd schedule1/odd schedule2 will execute only on odd days 1/3/5/7............ (This is working fine)

shift a schedule configured for taking snapshots backup from NS120 storage box.

SHIFT -B details:

backup1/backup2 schedule. This will execute every day night. (This is working fine.)


Problem is first time this job executing and completing without errors.  But some times even after completing successfully it is starting again.  This is not happening daily basis. some time it is happening 15days once or 1 month later or some time 1 week gap.

i am not able to understand what could be the problem.