Archive:Release Notes 4.4.1

From SEPsesam
THE CONTENT OF THIS PAGE IS OUTDATED
SEP AG has discontinued support for obsolete SEP sesam versions. Instructions are still available for these SEP sesam products, however, SEP AG accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies in the instructions or for the incorrect operation of obsolete SEP sesam software. It is strongly recommended that you update your SEP sesam software to the latest version. For the latest version of SEP sesam documentation, see documentation home.
Document update: 4.6.2014.

What's new in SEP sesam release 4.4.1

SEP sesam provides extended support for VMware vSphere that enables instant VMware vSphere recovery as well as single item restore. Si3 target deduplication for Linux is introduced. SEP sesam GUI has been enhanced to provide better overview of the configured tasks and clients. Additionally, new options for customizing the GUI are now available. For details, see Enhancements and changes.

Upgrades and licensing

Direct upgrade for versions 3.6/4.x to version 4.4.1 is supported.

Version 4.4.1 was released on July 16th, 2014.

Latest released versions are:

  • SEP sesam 4.4.1.48 Linux - Released: March 11th, 2015.
  • SEP sesam 4.4.1.48 Windows - Released: March 11th, 2015.

SEP sesam server and client components should be upgraded to the latest version during the regular upgrade process. This ensures the highest possible protection of the SEP sesam clients. Customers with a valid license are eligible for a free SEP sesam upgrade for any new release until the license is valid. See also Automatic Update.

Newer release

Release notes for SEP sesam 4.4.2

Former release

Release notes for SEP sesam 4.2.2

Known Issues and Limitations

Known Issues:
Possible data loss in all SEP sesam V4.4.1
  • In all SEP sesam V4.4.1, if the retention time (EOL) of the DIFF or INC media pool is smaller (e.g., 31 days) than the retention time of the FULL media pool (e.g., 365 days), you may experience data loss. The EOL parameter of an INC or DIFF backup incorrectly overrides the EOL parameter of the FULL backup, which may lead to unwanted deletion of a FULL save set that should remain protected.
  • Fixed: Version 4.4.2 or use SEP sesam server Windows Patch hotfix_diff_changed_eol_full_abddc1d2_x64_win-4.4.1.48.exe and SEP sesam server Linux Patches sm_backup_60bee10, sm_sms_copy_60bee10, and sm_sbc_com_60bee10
Critical Windows Lotus Notes data loss in V4.4.1.47
  • When backing up Lotus Notes on Windows clients using SEP sesam V4.4.1.47, all target mailboxes (.nsf files), which are larger than 4 GB, are deleted during the backup process.
  • Fixed: Version 4.4.1.48. Update all Windows Lotus Notes Clients.
Windows backup misses VSS Writer
  • During a VSS Windows backup VSS writers have not been included. This means only the VSS snapshot was triggered but none of the VSS writers (Hyper-V, Exchange, etc.) were activated during VSS backup. Since SEP sesam V4.4.1.47 all VSS writers will be triggered during a VSS backup.
  • Fixed: Version 4.4.1.47. This may lead to Warnings like VSS_E_WRITERERROR_INCONSISTENTSNAPSHOT during backup concerning the VSS writer. To exclude the writers again (like in SEP sesam version 4.4.1 smaller 4.4.1.47) insert the keyword all_writers in the exclude list of the backup task.
VMware vSphere backups EOL
  • Restoring from a differential or incremental backup of VMware vSphere CBT fails with error: E007-SBC_COM Missing mandatory save set identifier. For the VMDK save set, created by FULL backup, the End of Life (EOL) parameter is not adjusted correctly after running a differential or incremental backup. Consequently, especially in environments with short retention periods, the basic VMDK FULL backup is deleted once the EOL time period is reached.
  • Fixed: Version 4.4.1.47. Update the SEP sesam Server.
SEP sesam Si3 Deduplication
  • It is only supported to configure one SEP sesam Si3 Deduplication data store per SEP sesam Server or SEP sesam RDS.
SLES12
  • Disaster recovery using REAR isn't supported yes. SuSE is working on this issue.
VMware vSphere CBT backups
  • If the file system changes for a VMware virtual disk exceeds 2000 blocks, the VMware CBT backup will back up only the first 2000 blocks. The VMware vSphere COPY backup are not affected by this issue and are successfully backing up the entire virtual disks.
  • Fixed: Version 4.4.1.38. Update the SEP sesam Server. Note that the clients (data mover) should not be updated. Once your server is updated, execute the VMware vSphere backup for all configured backup tasks that might be affected by this issue. The first backup must run with level FULL to obtain an entire CBT block chain within the FULL, DIFF or INCR backup save sets.
Windows Update
  • An Error occurs when trying to update a Windows SEP sesam GUI installation package V4.4.1.14-4.4.1.23 with a GUI installation package >V4.4.1.23: Could not load table 'LaunchCondition' in SQL query: SELECT `Condition`, `Description` FROM `LaunchCondition`.
  • Workaround: Uninstall the SEP sesam GUI and re-install a newer version (V4.4.1.25 or higher) of the SEP sesam GUI.
  • Hint: It is not supported to update a Windows SEP sesam client installation package with a GUI or a server installation package. It is not supported to update a Windows SEP sesam GUI installation package with a client or a server installation package. It is not supported to update a Windows SEP sesam server installation package with a client or a GUI installation package.
Remote Update of Windows Server 2003
  • In SEP sesam V4.4.1, the command line based remote update (using sm_update_client or sm_remote_installer) of a Windows Server 2003 fails. Windows Server 2003 is not supported for SEP sesam V4.4.1. After the failed update, the services of the client are down.
  • Workaround: Connect to the Windows Server 2003 and start the services.
  • Fixed: Version 4.4.1.36: Windows Server 2003 will not be updated using SEP sesam V4.4.1
Side by side error executing Python executables (V4.4.1.22-4.4.1.25)
  • Side by side error occurs when trying to execute any python executable if msvcr90.dll with version 9.0.21022.8 was missing. The python27.dll is linked against a different msvcr90.dll than the one delivered by SEP. The msi installer installs the missing redistributable during the installation and update process.
  • Fixed: Version 4.4.1.26: installs the missing redistributable package during install/update
Maximum file size limit of file system exceeded
  • If a saveset exceeds the maximum file size limit of a file system, the data above the limit is lost during backup/migration on the datastore. The backup/migration is marked as successful even though the saveset is incomplete due to the resulting data loss from the saveset exceeding the datastore's file size limits (e.g. ext3 file system). In ext3, the maximum file size is between 16 GB and 2 TB. In order to guarantee a full backup saveset, those backups must immediately be executed on appropriate media (Data Store with sufficient file system limit or tape drive).
  • Fixed: Version 4.4.1.25 aborts backups and migrations that exceed the specified limits of the file system. To avoid this, file systems with sufficient file sizes, e.g. XFS with 16 EiB, must be used. If the file system is insufficient, the Data Store must be newly set up, on a new system for example, and the existing backup sets must be migrated or copied.
  • Note 1: This problem occurs only with version 4.4.1.14 and newer. In older versions of SEP sesam (3.6/4.0/4.2), storing operations exceeding the file limits will be aborted.
  • Note 2: Since version 4.4.1.25, SEP sesam provides a consistency check for a data store.
Path backup option 'VSS' is not selectable for 'Windows Server 2012 R2' clients
  • In SEP sesam V4.4.1.22, the 'VSS' option for 'Windows Server 2012 R2' clients cannot be set.
  • Fixed: V4.4.1.23. After the update to 4.4.1.23, the 'Path' backup tasks should be set up with 'VSS' option to allow a consistent backup.
  • Workaround: At the SEP sesam server execute to allow to set the 'VSS' option, after setting the SEP sesam environment

sm_db "INSERT INTO syntaxes (os,command,syntax) VALUES ('Windows Server 2012 R2','SNAPSHOT-cmd','vss')"

Update on Debian based system fails due to wrong java version
  • To fix update problems on Debian systems:
  • Before updating SEP sesam, install JRE 7 based Java version 7:

apt-get install openjdk-7-jre

  • make this Java version the default:

update-alternatives --set java /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-openjdk-amd64/jre/bin/java

  • update your SEP sesam installation via "apt-get upgrade"
Interrupted access to vSphere
  • Access to vSphere 5.5 using IBM JRE 1.7 might be interrupted due to missing crypto modules.
GUI does not start
  • GUI Jar files were reorganized. To start the GUI, check the target properties of the SEP sesam GUI shortcut. The syntax should be:
    java -classpath sm_ui.jar de.sep.sesam.gui.client.Frame -u<user> -S<servername> -p 11401 -v2
    Windows example:
    "C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin\javaw.exe" -Djava.io.tmpdir="%TEMP%" -classpath sm_ui.jar de.sep.sesam.gui.client.Frame -uAdministrator -Sdogmatix -lwindows -p11401 -P local -v2 -ren
Restore to Exchange Server 2013 DAG
  • Microsoft changed the restore logic for Exchange Server Replica Writer used in Exchange Server 2013 Database Availability Groups (DAGs).
  • Fixed: A patch for this issue is available.
vSphere
  • Virtual machines, which are located on a VMware data store with : (colon) sign, cannot be backed up in CBT mode.
Datastore license bugfix
  • Before updating to SEP sesam V4.4, please be aware that a previous bug in our license was fixed and version 4.4 recognizes the full amount of data stored on a deduplication hardware device, which may result in having to increase the disk based capacity license. Please contact support if you have any questions.
Datastore Si3
  • currently SEP Sesam supports only one Si3 Dedup datastore per Server or Remote Device Server system.

Enhancements and Changes

SEP sesam Server requirements

Java 7 or higher required
SEP sesam Server and GUI require Java 7 or higher to work properly. Java 6 is not supported.
64-bit OS required
SEP sesam Server requires a 64-bit OS.

New supported systems

SEP sesam Server 4.4.1 now also supports the following operating systems and applications:

Newly supported operating systems

  • SLES 12 (Version 4.4.1.42)
  • Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Path Backup and Restore of Windows 2012 Volumes on Storage Spaces (Disaster Recovery of Storage Spaces are not supported)

Newly supported applications

You can download SEP sesam from SEP sesam download center. For a complete list of supported OS and databases, see SEP sesam Support Matrix.

GUI Enhancements

New Clients and Tasks Overview

  • In the Components view, a new item Clients is available as an alternative view to the Components -> Topology. It provides an overview of all configured clients in a form of a list. See Clients table for further details.
  • In the Tasks view, a new item as List is provided as an alternative view to the Tasks -> by Clients. It shows all configured tasks by clients as a list. Tasks can be edited in the Properties dialog. They can be started immediately by clicking the Immediate Start button. See Tasks As List for further details.

The lists can be sorted, filtered, and printed. Optionally, additional columns can be added to get as much information about the configured Clients and Tasks as possible.

Customized Fonts and Lists

In the menu bar Configuration -> Defaults, a new tab Fonts and Tables is available in the Defaults dialog. You can change the font style, table striping and table row spacing of the entire GUI.

Changed GUI file name

GUI file name has been changed: GUI JAR files sm_gui.jar and sm_lib.jar have been replaced with sm_ui.jar.

Refresh Button in all Task Dialogs (since V4.4.1.25)

The Main Log tab of task/restore task/migration task dialog can now be reloaded using either the F5 button or the Refresh button on the lower left corner.

Deduplication for Linux

SEP sesam introduces Si3 target (Si3T) deduplication for Linux, improving your storage efficiency. See Configuring SEP Si3 Deduplication Store for further details or SEP Si3 Deduplication Store for specialized information. It is only supported to configure one SEP sesam Si3 Deduplication data store per SEP sesam Server or SEP sesam RDS.

Deduplication for Windows (since SEP sesam V4.4.1.47)

Since SEP sesam Version 4.4.1.47 Si3 target (Si3T) deduplication for Windows was introduced, improving your storage efficiency. See Configuring SEP Si3 Deduplication Store for further details or SEP Si3 Deduplication Store for specialized information. It is only supported to configure one SEP sesam Si3 Deduplication data store per SEP sesam Server or SEP sesam RDS.

Enhanced recovery for VMware vSphere

For VMware vSphere, single item recovery and instant VM recovery is introduced.

Single Item Restore
allows you to restore individual items without having to restore the complete saveset. See Single Item Restore for further details.
Instant VM Recovery
allows you to start a VM instantly and move it via vMotion. See Instant VM Recovery for further details.

Soft reset CBT

CBT soft reset is included in the virtual machine task definition of the GUI, providing an option to reset the CBT without shutting down the virtual machine. See Reset CBT for further details.

Included VDDK 5.5.1 for Windows

The new SEP sesam installation package already includes the Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK) version 5.5.1 for Windows. The VDDK 5.5.1 is packaged as a compressed archive (.zip) for Windows 64-bit OS. If a VDDK is already present on the system to which the SEP sesam software is going to be installed, the previous VDDK version will be uninstalled and the VDDK 5.5.1, included in the SEP sesam package, will be unpacked. See VDDK 5.5.1 for further details.

Data Store configuration

Optionally, positive values can be used to specify watermarks and data store capacity. Note that for Si3T data store only positive values can be defined, while negative values can still be used for non-Si3T data stores. See data store configuration for further details on how to configure a data store.

Data Store space calculation for space check and license check

The calculation of required disk space has been changed. It is possible to store non-sesam data on the same partition where the data store resides. Now, only the sesam data will be counted. For more information how the calculation works see the FAQ: Capacity calculation for data store.

Granularity check for Microsoft Exchange

The enhanced granularity backup level for Microsoft Exchange allows you to set and check the level of retrieved items during backup (Single Items, Mailboxes, or Databases), which may be used as a selection criteria during restore. Note that for the Exchange Server 2013, single item restore is not supported. See Granularity Backup Level for Microsoft Exchange Server for further details.

Microsoft Data Deduplication Enabled Volumes

Data Deduplication enabled volumes are now supported by SEP sesam. The backup of such volumes is done via Nonoptimized Backup and Restore. Client side data on these volumes are backed up with the native size (without deduplication).

HTTPS protocol support

In addition to the standard FTP protocol (2 ports required), HTTP/HTTPS protocol backup/restore is now supported (1 port required). See How to configure a client for further details.

Enhanced Migration Options

Migration of Migration
(Migration Task Dialog) allows to migrate previously migrated savesets to a different media pool. See Copy migrated savesets again for further details.
Deletion after successful Migration
(Execution Parameter of Migration Task Event Dialog) triggers the deletion of the original saveset after the migration of the saveset was successful. See Delete after successful migration for further details.

End of Maintenance and Support

Obsolete SEP sesam versions

The following product versions are no longer supported:

  • SEP sesam 4.0
  • SEP sesam 3.6
  • SEP sesam 3.4
  • SEP sesam 3.0

The support for the following product versions will end soon

  • SEP sesam 4.2.1 (December 31st, 2014)

Unsupported OS

The following operating systems are no longer supported:

  • All 32-bit operating systems
  • Windows 2003
  • SLES 10
  • SLES 11 SP1 (see Note!)
  • RHEL 5
  • Debian Squeeze

NOTE: SLES 11 SP2/SP3 is still supported. The limitation applies only to SEP sesam server systems and does not affect SEP sesam clients. For a complete list of supported SEP sesam clients, see SEP sesam Support Matrix.

Discontinued extensions

The following extensions are no longer supported and cannot be included in a backup:

  • Ingres
  • Marathon Everrun

Major fixes and changes

See also

SEP sesam Release Versions

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