NBU v7 compatability

[Kev_Lamb]

Hi,

Just checked the compatability list for NBU v7 on HP-UX and it shows that the support for HP-UX11.23 on PARISC is no longer supported for the Master Server and that HP-UX11.31 IA64 is the only supported option, does anyone know if there is support for HP-UX11.23 on IA64 as this configuration is not shown as supported or not.

Thanks

[Marianne]

If it's not listed, it's not supported.  Symantec will only support O/S versions that the O/S vendors support.

Only HP-UX 11.31 IA64 is listed... 


**** EDIT ****

Also have a look at NetBackup 6.x Operating System (CL) for Client,Server,NOM,NDMP,BMR,SAN Client,MSEO:   http://support.veritas.com/docs/325328

p. 14 - note regarding HP-UX 11.23 IA64

4. NetBackup 7 does not support this OS version. A newer version of the OS version will replace it. This status could change if market and/or vendor support positions change.



 

[Kev_Lamb]

Thanks Marianne, not sure about the O/S vendors not supporting hp-ux11.23 IA64 as this product is not end of life until Dec 2013, it will no longer be offered for sale after Dec 2010 but is supported for a further 3 years.

[Ed_Wilts]

I'm confused.  You started with "Just checked the compatability list for NBU v7 on HP-UX and it shows that the support for HP-UX11.23 on PARISC is no longer supported for the Master Server" so I'm assuming you have PARISC hardware. You then said "does anyone know if there is support for HP-UX11.23 on IA64 as this configuration is not shown as supported or not."  If you have to acquire a new IA64 hardware platform for your master, why not run the current OS?  What am I missing?

[Kev_Lamb]

Ed, unfortunatley some of our legacy applications will not 11.31 IA64 so we cannot upgrade from 11.23 IA64 we could of course move the Master Server and Media Server onto another platform or indeed upgrade other servers to the latest release of HP-UX, which from looking at the client compatability guide we will have to as we havec 13 clinets running HP-UX11.23 IA64, again some of these contain legacy applications which could prove difficult.

As I stated HP-UX11.23 IA64 is supported by HP until Dec 2013 so why have Symantec pulled the support of the latest release of NBU on this platform???

Kev

[Ed_Wilts · Accepted solution]

Symantec's OS support is rather difficult to understand at times.  They supported Win2000 for long after Microsoft pulled support but dropped support for 32-bit Unix clients that the OS vendors still ship and support.

What it basically comes down to, from what I can see, is what Symantec has the resources to support.  Continuing to develop and test for older releases just isn't worth it to them depending on the OS.  Some operating systems have fantastic upwards and downwards compatibility (see my VMS comment below).  Some have next to none.

For clients, it is a bit easier for Symantec to support them but even those will drop off sooner than the vendor drops support (unless you're a Microsoft client in which case Symantec seems determined to support it no matter how old it is).  For master and/or media servers, support gets dropped a lot sooner.

A Windows 2003 32-bit client is fully supported by NetBackup 7.0.  A 32-bit Unix system bought at the same time has no 7.0 client available.  Both are supported by the OS vendors but only one gets updated Symantec support.

And then there's the OpenVMS client.  There actually is official support for the 32-bit VAX client for OpenVMS 5.5.  This release shipped in January of 1992!  

[Kev_Lamb]

Ed, it certainly is confusing, looks like we have to upgrade all our 11.23 IA64 servers to 11.31 even before we can think about upgrading NBU, oh well just think of the overtime