Backupexec USB Tape drives and Compression
We typically install HP Tape Drives & Symantec Backupexec. In 2010 we installed a HP USB DAT 160 with Symantec Backupexec 12.5. The backup would not compress. Symantec told us that Backupexec is capable of compression & HP told us that the tape drive is capable of compression. But we could not get any compression when used together. An engineer in our firm did some digging around & came back saying that Symantec Backupexec will not support compression on USB Tape devices. We finally gave up & purchased a HP SAS DAT 160 & compression worked. I am not looking for do this do that suggestions, trust me we have done it all. I am not concerned about how much compression & the factors that affect compression. As far as I am concerned 1MB over native capacity is compression My question is does anybody (would love to hear from Symantec) know for a fact if it is still true for the latest version of Symantec Backupexec i.e. It will not support compression on USB Tape devices?
Backup Exec 2012 Has Issues
To help someone who may be thinking about upgrading to Backup Exec 2012, be careful. Backup Exec 2012, while it does have a very nice user interface and much better view of the backup jobs, it has some major issues that are not yet resolved. We did an upgrade over a week ago and we still can not compete our backups. The issues today are: -- The upgrade got us into a look over the "deduplication" feature and needed to call support for a answer (we have placed the solution on the forum) -- The reports are not working at all. It appears it is using the old reports or is just broken. So no reports on media, or jobs, etc. -- We have run out of backup space and there is NO way to manage the "media". You can see media sets but you are unable to sort or figure out which ones you can delete. (other thanjust reading though theunordered list) NOTE: We can not run a report to view the media which was suggested as a work around. -- There is no way to change the "retention" date of a "media set". So we wanted to reduce the retention period for existing backups so the space on the backup to disk folder will be reclaimed. Well since there is no concept of a "media set" in this version, you can only change the date for future backups. -- It keeps doing "discovery" on computers we have already noted as not needed to be backed up. Discovery runs on its own and adds machines that it finds. Even if we delete the machine, the next time discovery runs we are deleting it again from the list. We need to run discovery but once we make a decision on the machine, it should stop showing up. We are committed to Backup Exec 2012 but are really in a bad way with the product right now. So if you thinking of an upgrade, it might be better to delete you old version and start from scratch. Or wait. Hopefully this will prevent another user from going through this nighmare.
Backup Exec 2012 Small Business Edition (SBE) tial software and documentation...
I am trying to get hold of a trial version of "Backup Exec 2012 Small Business Edition". However, when I follow the "Trial Software" link on the product page, log in and download the .ISO files. IT appears to be the full product and not the SBE. Now, I know there are very specific limitations on what agents are covered by the SBE licensing and that there are very specific installation scenarios that the SBE licensing and product will only support. I also recall, during the beta testing of the SBE product, that there was a SBE specific "simplified" interface. So, I'm kind of lost as to how I can get a trial of the SBE version of BE, when I only have the full product, which has none of these limitations/restrictions/benefits!? I also have another issue in that the Backup Exec Administrators Guide still has no information specific to these significant SBE product limitations or supported installation scenarios. For those of you in Symantec involved in the release of this product... I gave feedback on this issue, during the beta testing, and was told that it would be looked into. But it is apparent that this has not been done or deemed important enough. However, I am glad to see that you guys are at least giving some kind of version reference in your admin guide now. So, I have two questions: 1. Why can we not get a trial version of the real SBE product, with all it's relevant limitations and restrictions in place? 2. Why does the BE admin documentation not at least have a SBE appendix that covers the supported installation scenarios and agent licensing limitations This would at least reduce the need for the above specific SBE trial version of the software; as we would be able to install the full product as if it were the SBE product, following the limitations outlined in the documentation. Looking forward to your responses.New Symantec Desktop & Laptop. NEW?!!
Version 7 is just a value. I've recently had the chance to test the "new" Symantec Desktop and Laptop, formerly the well known product named D&L...Option. Really there's nothing new and the product is only available as separate software and it has mantained the same old graphic style (since 2004 when it was linked to NBU 5.x). After all when it was linked as option to BE something new in aspect of icons and menus was changed! Now the engine/console is available for Windows 64bit paltform too but I've measured no improvements in 64bit services versus the traditional 32 bit ones. After all the database repository of D&L is the same: on a SQL Express instance locally setup together with the server/console or on an external SQL 2005/2008. Some improvement has been made on PST backup with a real "delta" incremental transfer of only the changed part of the PST but this requires the presence of the local desktop area of the DLO backed up files. Do not forget that this product can "ideologically" conflict with Enterprise Vault that would remove the PST (or NSF too) from desktop at all ;-) Technologically there's nothing new...again! The "engine" is the same version 3 of the formerly NBU 6.x/BE 2010 option and the things it can do are basically the same. After all nothing is changed on the users' desktop to justify new features and locally saved data (including PST) are the same! Same policies, some user profiling and so on. Simple question: I can understand the installation of LiveUpdate software in the console server but why the setup push LiveUpdate on the client too? This can cause issues. Some really negative note: . browsing of PC is always done using Netbios (no W7 client detected) . DLO agent on client is always started using the Programs/Startup folder and not a service linked on registry of the current user .I've got several issue pushing the agent on client with several errors (the vxpush is the same old one...) while when pushed using the BE2010 console there were no issues forcing me to manually install or to use a GPO . .the error code are the same old one V-xxx-yyyy from Veritas paleolithic era ;-) and, worst, most of the Internet link to the current support site are broken with no result!!! .automatic user assignment using AD or LDAP does not work on 64bit version!
