For the love of God, fix SP4

[Peter_Johsn]

Well, since the best response Veritas could make was to DELETE MY THREAD I'm here reposting in a way which I'm hoping will get through to some of them.

I am of course, even more frustrated now, more out of pocket, and very annoyed at this product.

Now, simple question for any Veritas employee.

DO YOU ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR SERVICE PACK IS BROKEN?

I have seen the responses in other threads from the PUBLIC, which have worked in my test environment. However, until you put out a technote illustrating that, managment aren't going to let me go ahead deleting registry keys based on a forum post of someone nonauthoratative (no offense to the poster, you did great work).

Now please, I have already paid through the nose for someone in Bangalore to pick up a phone and give me this website address.

The above question has a yes or no answer. The answer "it's environmental" puts the blame back on us when from all accounts the "environment" in question is the Veritas Backup Exec product itself.

I have already called your support staff back (since posting) and insisted that your tech note refers to a known problem with the Veritas product and your forum support staff have indicated this will not be a charged fix.

They have responded by telling me they cannot answer anything until I crack open a credit card.

He did however answer one direct question.
Question: If I pay for support and you don't know how to solve this problem, are you likely to refer me to a website forum?
Answer: Yes

So please, don't insult my intelligence by asking me to go for another round of increasing Symantec's profit.

Now, if you have a problem with the language in this post, please inform me what language I should put in the "To" field when I copy and paste it into Babelfish for you.

[Renuka_-]

Hello,
We apologise for any difficulties you had during the SP 4 installation. This service pack works without any issues, during installation if you face any issues you may contact us by mail or on the forum.

NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked assumed answeredand would be moved toanswered questions pool.

[Justin_Guidroz]

So has a new version of the Service Pack been released, because the last one I tried had issues with installation.

But you are right because it did not have any issues on a BRAND NEW install, and no we do not reinstall Backup Exec everytime a new Service Pack is released.

[Sebastien_Lecle]

What about this article, if it's not a problem with SP4?
http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/279747.htm

[Dennis_Chow]

I've also heard of similar horror stories. I'm tempted just to stay on 9.1 w/o any SP installations.

[Ken_Putnam]

If you have not already downloaded another service pack, you have no choice but to wait until SP4 is fixed. All the previous ones have been withdrawn

[Peter_Johsn]

Hi Renuka,

As I understand your message, you are stating:

"Service Pack 4 is not broken, it works fine, let us know if you have any problems and we'll work out what's wrong with your machine"

If this is incorrect, please let me know.

Otherwise, please actually read the forum on which you post. Because when you do, you'll see 3-4 posts every single day involving people unable to install this service pack.

If so many people have issues, "This service pack works without any issues" is clearly an incorrect statement. If you can dispute this please let me know how.

With regards to your statement:

"if you face any issues, you may contact us by mail or on the forum"

Please let me know how I can contact you by mail. Because I have so far received nothing useful on these forums and would like to try any alternate arrangement possible.

Otherwise, consider this a forum post. You yourself suggested posting here, so please don't just refer me on to telephone support and then asking me to pay for it.

Please don't tell me telephone support will be free, because I have already forked over the money to your "support" and as stated, only got sent here.


Service Pack 4 does not install. It asks for Service Pack 1 when you do so. I have seen the responses from the general public, but unless something sanctioned by Veritas is shown I will not be alowed to do it on a production server.

Note: You do not have a working "answered questions" pool. I can see from other posts this has been pointed out to you several times. There's no point discussing it.

[c_p_2]

Clearly there is a problem that Symantec is hoping will be resolved by requiring folks to renew their support contracts:

Failing to install SP4 (or SP3) for Backup Exec for Windows Servers v9.1.4691, asking for SP1 or SP2 when already installed <>


Details:
Symantec acknowledges that this is an issue in the released versions listed below.

To correct this issue and enable an installation of Service Pack 4 (or SP3) for Backup Exec for Windows


FWIW: Check out Simon's thread titled, "Here's how you can get SP3 or SP4 to install" <>. I tried it, and it works. Note: To make the VERITAS Update icon disappear from the system tray, I had to import all the Installer values back into the Registry AND modify the two REG_MULTI_SZ settings to include the SP4 GUID .

[Peter_Johsn]

Hi CP,

It indeed seems you are right, there is most obviously a problem with the product, and these sort of responses can only verify that.

If the tech note says "Symantec ackknowledges that this is an issue" then the previous Veritas moderator's reponse was clearly inaccurate.

I have read Simon's thread, and it has worked successfully in my lab environment. However, in the enterprise world, we have change control, and managers who will want to see references to officially sanctioned fixes. Whilst Simon's answer is correct, a reg hack from somebody with no authority at Veritas ddoes not satisfy said managers.

I realise it is getting to look like all I can expect, because Veritas, despite insisting I have only two days to follow up on a thread, have dragged this out themselves far longer than that.

[c_p_2]

THANK YOU!

Finally, somebody that understands...

Would somebody from VERITAS, or Symantec, or whatever the dang "Corporation" name is these days PLEASE make a statement about what the !@#$%^&*() is wrong with SP4 and/or MS Installer? There are ~20 independant threads in this Forum that are dedicated to this stupid issue... and probably countless other lost souls that are struggling to figure out why SP4 won't install.

There's a relatively simple workaround for folks that are comfortable with playing in the Registry, however, I know a lot of places where their change-control policies won't allow "hearsay" style solutions in production environments. If SP4a is really in the works, it would sure be nice to let people know... especially since it appears that all the previous SPs have been yanked from the FTP site AND this particular SP contains some significant security patches.

Does nobody freakin care that support for BE has vaporized now that Symantec is part of the equation?

[Peter_Johsn]

Hi Renuk,

You have insisted upon a response within two days.

I did my part.

It has now been a further four days. Will you please make it worth my while and respond?

You did after all state I may "contact us ... on the forum"

[priya_khire]

Hello Peter,

We understand that it must be really frustrating to have problems with the product and also see other fellow users with the same unresolved problem.
Do update us if the issue with SP 4 is now resolved? Have you tried installing SP 4a which has now resolved the issues that were present in SP 4. If you haven't still installed, it you can download it from the following link:

Title: VERITAS Backup Exec (tm) 9.1 for Windows Servers revision 4691 - Service Pack 4a - Includes Critical Security Update
http://support.veritas.com/docs/280008

Hope this helps.

Note : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked ‘assumed answered’ and would be moved to ‘answered questions’ pool.

Regards.

[Ken_Putnam]

The following error messages may occur when attempting to install Backup Exec 9.1 4691 service packs 3 or 4:
WARNING! The following patches need to be installed before this patch can successfully continue. Be4691Rsp1.exe
or
WARNING! The following patches need to be installed before this patch can successfully continue.Be4691Rsp2.exe
or
WARNING! The following patches need to be installed before this patch can successfully continue.Be4691Rsp3.exe


This is a quote from the Article, so SP4a obviously does NOT fix the problem.

[Travis_Rabe]

I agree. It is not fixed. I just installed SP 4a on all of my servers. As a result they all now say that they need Service Pack 3 installed as an available update. Furthermore, when I try to install them thinking I need to now install Service Pack 3 to make thigns better, the links says that Serve Pack 3 is no longer available.

What is wrong? Why is this such a hard issue to fix? Why aren;t you testing these in an environment where you upgrade an produciton server instead of a clean install?

This is really amazing to me that this is not fixed yet.

[Thomas_Bianco]

i'd like to throw my support in here:

we have a repeatable problem, the patch will not apply resulting in the below error, with a repeatable solution, modifying the installer registry.

Veritas has stated:
a) there is no problem (per above)
b) this error (per the KB)
c) it's an environmental problem that can't be reproduced (per multiple threads in this forum)

can't have it both ways, and it's not environmental if it's repeatable.

i've had this happen consistently on 2 production servers and a test server. applying any of the three service packs then applying SP4 causes this error

if not for the hard work of the person who posted the workaround, we still wouldn't have a solution, even an unofficial one.

[John_Lemm]

I also TRIED to install SP4A and got the error that SP1 needs to be in stalled. I have the software pached up to the current level of SP4 but neither SP4 of SP4A will install. Obviously we are mistaken and the software is functioning correctly! If i didn't have so much invested in Veritas, i'd be gone. Maybe this is Symantec's way of promoting upgrades to 10.0.

[Travis_Rabe]

Agreed. I guess I am just baffled that Veritas/Symantec is completely ignoring this problem. I mena just baffeled. I cannot in my experience, remeber last when a company so blatantly ignored a cry for help. For crying out loud who knows what else is wrong!!

[Peter_Johsn]

HI Priya,

At this point I will ask you to cease and desist with the indecent discussion. Because to ask me to update you on whether you have "resolved" an issue where you have offerred absolutely no help whatsoever is nothing short of insulting.

To address your issue, I have just tried applying Service Pack 4a, which clearly has not resolved any issues.
Furthermore, your statement "issues that were present in SP 4" clearly ackknowledges that such issues are present. Why was it so hard for you to do so originally?


Please allow me to put two arguements forward:

1. Veritas has known problems. I t has many, as the list of bugs fixed in SP4 is quite large, and I have seen you yourself often post words to the effect of "this bug is fixed in the latest service pack".

2. Service Pack 4 is broken. Please don't tell me otherwise. You'll just embarass yourself again. Service Pack 4 is the only fix for such bugs as previous packs have been removed from your web site.

If either of these issues are incorrect please let me know how.

Otherwise, I will propose that the only logical conclusion from this is that Veritas Backup Exec is not fit for the purpose for which is was sold - to perform backups. Heirgo, it is in violation of Australian Trade Practice laws.

Please, if you feel I am incorrect, I would appreciate an actual discussion rather than a "no, Veritas is cool man" type response.

No, you did not help.

And once again, you do not have a working "answered questions" pool, so why finish all your posts this way?

[WAL_NAIMAN]

I agree with all the thread above
I got the same erro and i even tried all the answers

and i can't install the SP4
AND I NEED IT becouse the remote agent isn't working whit xpsp2

HELP ME 2!!

[WAL_NAIMAN]

I agree with all the thread above
I got the same erro and i even tried all the answers

and i can't install the SP4
AND I NEED IT becouse the remote agent isn't working whit xpsp2

HELP ME 2!!