We are a systems integrator w/probably a hundred BE installations. We have been using the BESR successfully on our small business Dell servers configured w/the RD-1000 removable disk solution. For clients under maintenance and entitled to upgrades, we have had to develop custom scripts for BE Server/SBS Edition and have a reliable scheme that ejects, overwrites, etc - but thus far BESR has been an easier and less costly solution for new installations.
However, after a day and long night, we have been advised by Symantec on a conference call thru Dell (Symantec would not provide any direct support as we "do not have a contract" - hundreds of clients and years of support, apparently does not qualify!!!) that the RD's are no longer supported, and that the BESR product is "moving in a different direction." Of note is that this "change in direction" appears nowhere in print.
Unreal, does "image based backup's" and "removable disk" not go hand-in-hand? There is a gap between the DAT72 and the LTO's, which given the scalable nature the RD fill perfectly. After ~20 years of supporting "tape" technology, we were very excited about the ability to utilize removable disks and replicate a typical rotation cycle. Clearly Symantec has lost vision of the market, and does not work with their partners - INCLUDING Dell.
So caution to any Dell sites/integrators, although it is as of right now possible to config a system w/System Recovery 8.5 and the Dell RD 1000, it will not work (and in fact when it is accessed by SR the server BLUE SCREENS!!!).
