Moving to a new BackUp Exec Server running different OS

[DSAI]

Hi,

We are planning the migration and upgrade of BackupExec. We are moving from BackUpExec 15 (on Svr 28K R2) to BackupExec 20.3 (on Svr 2016 Std). We will also be using a new SAN storage. The plan is:

1. Install BkpExec 20.3 on new server and complete all tests.

2. Uninstall BkpExec 20.3 on new server and install BkpExec 15.0

3. Migrate DB and Catalog to New Server and then Upgrade BkpExec to 20.3 and repeat the tests

The reason for doing it this way is that if something breaks during the upgrade or migration, we can immediately rollback to the old server. 

1. I'd like to confirm that the old agents (RAWS, Hyper-V, Exchange) would work on the new server. This would allow side-by-side testing.

2.  The catalogs are currently on a different drive to the system drive however on the new server the catalogs will be relocated back to the C: drive. Are there any issues will moving and merging catalogs into a different directory. Is it correct to assume I would have to repoint catalogs back to the C: drive on the old server and then run the migration tool on the database.

3. Does the migration of the DB automatically handle the different disk-based storage. I understand it will automatically ask to repoint jobs to the new storage?

thanks for your help.

[Colin_Weaver · Accepted solution]

1) Side-by-side testing shodu be possible - hwoever as you cannot install the program files for both 15.x and 20.x agents on the same server you wil either have to use 15.x agenst while testing with 20.x or be prespared to upgarde an agent for testign and downgrade it again afterwards

2) Catalogs can be moved between drive letters or paths during server migrations without issue, you don't have to put thme in the old path on te new server at all.

3) You may have to take manual actions to repoint jobs to specific devices after the migration of database and catalogs etc to new server (before upgrading it to 20.3) Bascially for disk devices even if you give them same name and and path they will have a different host server and a different GUID so seen as a different devices. Same with tape drives. When you delete an old device (disk or tape) that has jobs associated with it, then there is usually a prompt to move jobs to a new device which may help with this.

[DSAI]

thank you for the information.

We have hundreds of jobs that point to "any available disk pool". On the new server, will the prompt to repoint to a new device (new disk storage) apply to each job individually or would it prompt once and apply globally?

[Colin_Weaver]

if jobs point to Any Available <pool or device type> then there won't be any problem as long as those types of device still exists

where you would have issues is where the jobs were set to specific devcies (libraries B2D folders etc) as these might change their IDs.

[DSAI]

great

thanks