Galaxy Service Pack 4a

[jjjon]

Anyone using Service Pack 4a on Galaxy 7?
Any improvements / issues of note??

Thanks
Jon

 

[Commvaultdude]

I was going to install it today but recieved a critical alert email from dell. I would suggest researching and holding off for now, critical alert is below

SUBJECT: Critical Alert Notification

7.0 Customers,

The Following critical issues have been discovered with the Simpana 7.0 software:

1. Under certain conditions, file system archiver may not archive files correctly when the files are located on a UNC path over an unreliable network.
f
2. File system backups may fail intermittently in the archive index phase after installing service pack 4.


To correct the above problems, please follow one of two steps:
1. Install update955 and update970 on top of Service pack 4.

2. If you use service pack 4a instead of service pack 4, then you need to only install update 955 on top.

If you are using the automatic update feature, these updates are already available on the auto download site.

These updates can be downloaded via Maintenance Advantage or by using our auto download feature. For more information on the auto download feature please refer to the online documentation.

Any questions or prob lems send email to support@commvault.com

CommVault Technical Support




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Reminder: You can log into CommVault''s customer support site, Dell-CV Maintenance Advantage by first clicking on the link:

https://www.commvault.com/dell/support/login.asp

and supplying your assigned username and password. From there you will be able to access CommVault System''s Knowledge Base, Hardware Certification matrices for CommVault software and gain access to software patches and updates.

If you do not know your username and password for Maintenance Advantage, please contact CommVault''s support department via e-mail: support@commvault.com.

 

[jjjon]

I got that alert from Commvault this morning, but I have a problem that needs a few patches loaded, which are all included in SP4a.

 

[cabraun]

SP4 completely broke everything in my lab last week when I first installed it. The problem was #2 above, during the archive index phase.

Shortly after reporting the problem to CV, I was told that patch 955 had been released and to install it. Then on Saturday they release 4A which still requires 955.

I don't think it is possible that CommVault could have done any testing of this service pack in their own labs without having seen this problem themselves, which surely would have delayed that release of this SP. According to the tech that I was speaking with, the use of SP4 without patch 955 had the phones ringing off the hook.

I have noticed this behavior a lot with CommVault in the past year or so. More often than not, their patches, service packs and post packs have broken far more in my environment than they have fixed. I can only believe that this is due to their lack of a thorough QA process.

We use CommVault extensivly (Win FS backups, Exch DB and MB backups, FS and Exch Data Archiver, SharePoint DB and Docs, Oracle, SQL, AD and the list goes on and on.) I just can't afford to install anything from them until I completly test in my lab because I will inevitably need 2 or 3 new patches to fix whatever the lastest patch or SP broke.

Quite frankly I am tired of being their beta tester of new patches and service packs. They should be doing their own QA before unleashing crap to their customers.

 

[Commvaultdude]

Cabraun,

My greatest concern was the #2 above, hence my suggesting to hold off. I understand that patch 955 will fix the issues and I will probably give it a go next week but I do have a question for you.


We use the EXC DB and MB, the AD, and the sharepoint agents as well as the file system agents for all other backups (our DBA's use sqlsafe for disk backups so I get lucky and just get their flat dump files to tape ). My questions is what problems did you have with the other service packs as I experienced no issues at all with any of the previous service packs. I envy you for having a test environment, that is a luxary I do not have.

I would appreciate any problems that you can speak of with the previous service packs.

As for Commvault support, I am still pretty upset that they never posted the fact that when you upgrade to simpana v7 from 6.1 you have to upgrade your exchange agents or the mailbox agent will take down your media agent (lovely) everytime. I showed this to them multiple times and they still never posted any caveats about that one.

 

[jjjon]

Thanks for the replies. I've decided to go ahead and apply the SP. I haven't gotten to the stage of archiving so hopefully won't have any major issues, but i'll be applying 955 anyhow.
I'm going to install on CommCell & Media Agent in the morning and I'll post and let you know how I get on.

Thanks
Jon

 

[cabraun]

CVDude,

Most of the problems I have faced with service packs have been realted to Data Migrator/Archiver, in particular for Exchange.

I have had it break recalls from Outlook clients and OWA. Change the behaviour of messages that were recalled. I have seen the migration process break as a result of the SP2 post pack. Just all sorts of things.

Their usual response to me calling something in related to Exchange Archiver not working is to ask me to update my clients with the latest version of the Outlook Add-In. I have even had some tell me that they would not support me unless I updated our outlook add-in. In a small shop of 5 that might not be so difficult, but in a business of 2000+ users of their product, updating their plug-in is not so easily done at the drop of a hat. They never seem to get that through their heads.

It is as though Data Archiver is the redheaded stepchild of the Simpana suite and is always overlooked in their testing before releasing service packs.