1364 .0

Symantec Backup Exec™ 12 for Windows Servers
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Last Updated: January 11, 2008

Copyright © 2008 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved. Symantec, the Symantec Logo, and Backup Exec are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

The Licensed Software and Documentation are deemed to be "commercial computer software” and “commercial computer software documentation” as defined in FAR Sections 12.212 and DFARS Section 227.7202.

This document contains release notes for Backup Exec and contains information that may not be in the Administrator's Guide. The information in this document is more current than information in the Administrator's Guide. If information in this file conflicts with the Administrator's Guide, the information in this file is correct.

For the most current information on Symantec Corporation products and services, please visit our Web site at http://www.symantec.com/. All hyperlinks in Symantec products and documentation lead to English-language Web sites.

Contents

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What's New in Backup Exec 12

Backup Exec for Windows Servers 12 includes the following new features and capabilities:

Support for Microsoft Windows Server 2008

Lets you do the following:

Support for the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008

Lets you install the Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Systems on the Server Core installation for backup and restore operations. The Remote Agent also installs the Remote Agent Utility command line applet. This applet lets you monitor Backup Exec operations on the remote computer. You cannot install Backup Exec media servers on Server Core computers.

The following Backup Exec Agents are not supported on a Server Core installation:

VSS snapshot availability for Windows Vista/Server 2008 volumes

Performs a VSS snapshot backup, by default, for volume resource data on Windows Vista/Server 2008 computers. You are not required to configure the snapshot for the Advanced Open File Option (AOFO).

Support for Microsoft Virtual Server

Backs up Virtual Server data by using Microsoft’s Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). Backup Exec takes a snapshot of the Virtual Server Host while applications and services run. The host in turn takes snapshots of all the guest virtual machines it contains.

Support for the T10 hardware encryption standard

Provides additional options to secure your data.

Support for hardware failure trending

Provides a new report named Media Errors. You can use this report to detect a failing tape or tape device.

Support for larger block sizes for select tape devices

Provides the ability to choose a block size that is larger than 64K for select tape devices. This support may increase performance in the devices that are designed to support this capability.

Evaluate options after installing Backup Exec

You can add license keys or evaluate Backup Exec agents and options at any time after the core product has been licensed. Each agent and option has its own independent evaluation period.

You can also view which agents and options are available for evaluation and how much time is left in each individual evaluation period.

Integration with Symantec Endpoint Protection

Lets Symantec Endpoint Protection users monitor the Security Summary in the Backup Exec Job Monitor. You can configure Backup Exec to automatically back up important data when the Symantec ThreatCon level is elevated.

Link to the Symantec Technical Support Web site from alerts

Provides access to the technical notes that are related to alerts. A Unique Message Identifier (UMI) code, which is a hyperlink to the Symantec Technical Support Web site, appears on some alerts.

History of operations on each media

Enables additional device and media audit log categories by default. The Device and Media audit log lists operations that have been applied to a piece of media. This information can help you to understand how Backup Exec operations have affected a particular piece of media. It can also help you to track and maintain your media.

The following Device and Media audit log categories are enabled:

Improved Calendar view

Provides the following features through the Calendar tab on the Job Monitor:

Alert to renew your Backup Exec support and software maintenance contract

Sends an alert to remind you to renew your Backup Exec support contracts, which provide technical support and upgrade assurance, before the contracts expire.

If your support contracts expire, your entitlement to phone support also expires. Automatic upgrades of software versions are no longer sent automatically for the products that protect your critical business information.

Backup Exec License Assessment Tool

Helps you determine if you have sufficient licenses for your Backup Exec configuration. The License Assessment Tool creates a report that lets you compare the number of resources with the number of license keys.

Advanced Open File Option (AOFO) and Intelligent Disaster Recovery Option (IDR)

The Advanced Open File Option (AOFO) and Intelligent Disaster Recovery Option (IDR) are now included in the core version of Backup Exec and the Remote Agent for Windows Systems. You do not need separate license keys for AOFO and IDR. You can disregard the topics in the Administrator’s Guide that reference license keys for AOFO and IDR. After you install AOFO, restart the computer.

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What's New in Backup Exec 12 Agents and Options

Backup Exec 12 agents and options include the following new features and capabilities:

Backup Exec Agent for Enterprise Vault

Backup Exec 12 includes a new agent for Enterprise Vault. The Backup Exec Agent for Enterprise Vault provides robust data protection for key Enterprise Vault items such as sites, servers, databases, indexes, and vault partitions. The Enterprise Vault Agent can help provide a disaster recovery solution for Enterprise Vault archived data. Recovery of the archived data is not dependent on the archive source, such as Exchange Server or a specific file system. The Enterprise Vault Agent supports Symantec Enterprise Vault versions 7.0 SP1 and later with service packs as applicable.

Advanced Disk-based Backup Option Enhancements

You can enable the Backup Exec Granular Recovery Technology (GRT) option for offhost backups of Exchange resources. When you select the GRT option for a backup, Backup Exec collects additional information for the catalog. This information lets you restore individual mailboxes, mail messages, and public folders from Information Store backups.

Desktop and Laptop Option Enhancements

Support for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 lets you do the following:

Support for Microsoft Windows Vista lets you do the following:

New pre-defined folders for backup selections accommodates the following folders in the Windows Vista Backup Selections dialog box:

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Backup Exec Installation Notes

Installation Messages and Tips

The following notes provide information about installing Backup Exec 12:

The SQLBrowser.exe can be found in the following path:
 C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Shared\sqlbrowser.exe. 
Note: You may have a different installation path depending on where you installed SQL Server 2005.

Ensure that you start the SQL Browser service on the SQL Server computer, and that the service startup type is set to Automatic.

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Features No Longer Supported by Backup Exec

The following features are not supported by Backup Exec 12:

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Settings Not Migrated when Upgrading Backup Exec

The following settings are not migrated when you upgrade Backup Exec to version 12:

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Hardware and Driver Notes

The compatibility lists contain the latest information about supported and unsupported hardware and software and is updated regularly. Before installing or upgrading Backup Exec, review the current compatibility list to confirm the compatibility of your hardware and software. You can find the current compatibility list on the Symantec Support Web site at:

http://entsupport.symantec.com/menu_ddProduct_BEWNT_view_CL.htm

If you don't find your hardware or software listed, or if you have questions about the information in the compatibility list, please contact Symantec Support.

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General Backup Exec Notes

The following notes detail general information about using Backup Exec 12

To resolve this issue, update your Storage Foundation for Windows software using the following link:

 http://entsupport.symantec.com/umi/v-79-57344-34110

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/842411

           http://entsupport.symantec.com/umi/V-269-11
 

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Backup Exec Utility (BEutility.exe) Notes

The following notes detail information about using the Backup Exec Utility (BEutility.exe) with Backup Exec 12:

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Cluster-aware Backup Exec Notes

The following notes detail information about using cluster-aware Backup Exec 12:

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Backup Exec License Assessment Tool

 https://licensing.symantec.com

The following Backup Exec options are not supported for license key scans:

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Backup Exec Agents and Options Notes

Exchange Agent Notes

Currently, Microsoft does not provide a Microsoft Exchange Server MAPI Client and Collaboration Data Objects (MAPI/CDO) package for Windows Server 2008. Therefore, if you enable the Granular Recovery Technology (GRT) option for an Exchange 2007 server backup, keep in mind the following:

When Microsoft provides an updated MAPI/CDO package, these operations will be supported.

For more information, see the following link:

http://entsupport.symantec.com/umi/V-79-57344-4615

On Windows Small Business Server 2003, the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 VSS Writer is disabled, which causes snapshot backups for Exchange 2003 to fail. To successfully perform an Exchange 2003 snapshot backup, review the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q838183

This issue must be resolved to perform a successful restore job using the Intelligent Disaster Recovery option.

When you install Microsoft Exchange Tools 2007 and Backup Exec together on a media server, Exchange Tools 2007 must be installed first. If you install Backup Exec before Exchange Tools, you must restart the media server after you finish the Exchange Tools installation.

To back up a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 CCR cluster database from the passive node, you must enable remote streaming backup in the registry on both the active and passive nodes. Refer to the following topic in the Exchange 2007 SP1 Help file for instructions on how to enable remote streaming backup:

    Using Backup to Back Up and Restore Exchange Data

To back up a CCR cluster database without enabling remote streaming backup, select the 'Back up from the active copy only (job fails if not available)' option from the Microsoft Exchange  tabbed page of the backup job or template properties.

 

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Central Admin Server Option (CASO) Notes

The following notes detail information about using Central Admin Server Option (CASO) with Backup Exec 12:

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Intelligent Disaster Recovery (IDR) Option Notes

The following notes detail information about using Intelligent Disaster (IDR) with Backup Exec version 12:

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Oracle Agent Notes

The following notes detail information about using the Oracle Agent with Backup Exec 12:

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DB2 Agent Notes

The following notes detail information about using the DB2 Agent with Backup Exec 12:

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Desktop and Laptop Option (DLO) Notes

The following notes detail information about using the Desktop and Laptop Option (DLO) with Backup Exec 12:

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Remote Agent for Linux or UNIX Servers (RALUS) Notes

The following notes detail information about using the Remote Agent for Linux or UNIX Servers (RALUS) with Backup Exec 12:

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Remote Agent for Macintosh Systems (RAMS) Notes

When the system location is set to a non-English language character set on the destination server on which you want to install RAMS, some characters may not appear correctly in the terminal session during the installation. You can try changing to another location setting of the same language to try to resolve this issue.

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Advanced Open File Option Notes

The following notes detail information about using the Advanced Open File Option with Backup Exec 12:

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Advanced Disk-based Backup Option Notes

The following notes detail information about using the Advanced Disk-based Backup Option with Backup Exec 12:

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Remote Agent for Windows Systems Notes

The following notes detail information about using the Remote Agent for Windows Systems with Backup Exec 12:

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Enterprise Vault Agent Notes

You must use either the Enterprise Vault service account or its Windows Domain Admin account when you configure Enterprise Vault backup or restore jobs. The Enterprise Vault server and related computers reside in the domain that is associated with these accounts.

To configure the Enterprise Vault service account, see your Enterprise Vault documentation.

If the Enterprise Vault backup or restore job fails with an access denied error, check the account credentials that you use for the job.

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NDMP Option Notes

Select the option Restore without writing data to disk (Verify data without doing a restore) to test the validity of the data that you select for the restore job. This option does not write the data to the hard drive (applies to NetApp devices only).

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Using Backup Exec, CPS, and DLO with Symantec Endpoint Protection

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