Release Notes 4.4.3 Beefalo V2

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Draft.png WORK IN PROGRESS
This article is in the initial stage and may be updated, replaced or deleted at any time. It is inappropriate to use this document as reference material as it is a work in progress and should be treated as such.
Information sign.png Note
SEP AG is pleased to announce the beta release of SEP sesam 4.4.3 Beefalo V2. If you are interested in testing the beta version, please register as a beta tester by email to beta@sep.de. Before installing the beta version, make sure that you understand the beta release version status and conditions, available at Hints for beta testing.

About SEP sesam 4.4.3 Beefalo V2 beta

Beefalo V2 beta is provided together with a service pack (SP1) for 4.4.3.74. SEP strictly recommends to install SP1 immediately after the installation of Beefalo V2; for more details, see Known Issues. To install the beta version, download the SP package 4.4.3.74 from beta download to SEP sesam Server and install it. Before installing the beta version, make sure that you understand the beta release version status and conditions, available at Hints for beta testing.

What's new in SEP sesam 4.4.3 Beefalo V2

SEP sesam Beefalo V2 brings new remarkable features that help improve managing and protecting data in your SEP sesam environment.

Now you can use flexible and scalable HPE Cloud Bank Storage as a Catalyst copy target where you can replicate or restore your data.

Support for the database modules is extended with MS SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups (AOAG) and SAP HANA housekeeping features.

SEP sesam 4.4.3 Beefalo V2 introduces support for the VMware sandbox restore via its enhanced (web) Restore Assistant. Additionally, SEP sesam web Dashboard and Restore Assistant have been completely redesigned to provide an intuitive detailed overview of the SEP sesam environment and a simple wizard that walks you through the restore process, where the availability of restore options depends on the used UI mode (basic or advanced).

GUI enhancements include a new Install/Update tab (in the Configuration -> Defaults) that ease the update process and simplifies the deployment of clients. Schedules provide a more intuitive and responsive calendar.

Technical improvements include the possibility to set the device block size for LTO Ultrium tape drives.

SEP sesam RHV module also provides support for oVirt-based platforms within OLVM (Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager) in the same way as for RHV environments.

Changed behavior:

  • Managing failed backups (EOL) has changed. SEP sesam now keeps failed backups according to the media pool retention time (previously: 3 days), but allows you to customize your backup retention policy by using retention-related keys.
  • The exclude pattern range has been increased for SEP internal exclude patterns.

New supported systems

SEP sesam Server 4.4.3 Beefalo V2 now also supports the following systems:

For a complete list of supported OS and databases, see SEP sesam Support Matrix.

Discontinued systems

Information sign.png Note
In SEP sesam Beefalo, SEP announced that it would no longer support:
  • SEP sesam Server on Windows Server 2008 R2
  • SLES 11 SP2, SP3, SP4

This desupport has been revoked. SEP sesam Server packages 4.4.3.70–7x Beefalo V2 can be normally installed on Windows Server 2008 R2 and all SEP sesam packages 4.4.3.7x Beefalo V2 (Server, Client, etc.) can be used on SLES 11 SP2, SP3, SP4.
However, Beefalo V2 is the last supported SEP sesam Server version for Windows Server 2008 R2 and the last supported SEP sesam version for SLES11 SP2, SP3, SP4.

For details on discontinued systems, see Unsupported OS. For a complete list of supported SEP sesam Clients, see SEP sesam Support Matrix.

SEP sesam Server requirements

Java xx
No changes since last (Beefalo) release. For details see Java Compatibility Matrix, same requirements as for Beefalo.

Installation and upgrades

SEP sesam 4.4.3 Beefalo V2 was released on xxth of xx, 2019. Direct upgrade for versions 4.4.3.X to version 4.4.3 Beefalo V2 is supported.

Latest released versions are:

  • SEP sesam 4.4.3.xx Linux Tux.gif – released: xxth of xx, 2019.
  • SEP sesam 4.4.3.xx Windows Win7.gif – released: xxth of xx, 2019.
Win7.gif Windows specific

The 4.4.3 Beefalo V2 installation package on Windows also includes:

SEP sesam Server and Client components should be upgraded to the latest version during the upgrade process. This ensures that SEP sesam Clients are fully protected. Customers with a valid license are eligible for a free upgrade of SEP sesam to any new release for the duration of the license. See also Updating SEP sesam and Remote Installation of Windows Clients.

Previous release

Known issues and limitations

Information sign.png Note
Antivirus programs may disrupt network communication and cause SEP sesam processes, such as backup and replication, to fail. One program that is known to cause SEP sesam processes to terminate is Sophos Firewall with IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) enabled. Make sure that there are no antivirus, firewall, IDS or IPS programs preventing interaction with SEP sesam.
4.4.3 Beefalo V2 known issues:
SEP sesam v. 4.4.3.74 – The new Install/Update feature might not work as expected
  • The newly introduced SEP sesam software update feature might not work as expected, e.g., it may not perform the automatic updates during SEP sesam NEWDAY as selected in the update mode.
Workaround: Control your updates manually.
Resolution: SEP is working on this issue and will provide a fix as part of the SP2 Beefalo V2 release.
SEP sesam v. ≤ 4.4.3.74 – VMware VM backups might fail due to a new vCenter Server version: 6.7 Update 3b
  • Due to a change in the VMware latest vCenter 6.7 Update 3b (6.7.0.42000), no VM backups can be performed by SEP sesam. This applies to all SEP sesam versions.
Workaround: Add the the exclude keyword ALL to the exclude list of the affected vmware VM task. If one or more VMDKs are already excluded, add the value separated by a comma (without spaces) at the end, for example: [vmstore] myVM/myVM_1.vmdk,ALL. For details, see VMware Backup - Creating a backup task.
Resolution: Will be resolved with the next SEP sesam major release version.
SEP sesam v. 4.4.3.74 – Cancelling a Citrix XEN backup task does not abort the backup execution
  • Aborting a Citrix Xen backup task does not prevent the backup job from running as SEP sesam does not pass a cancel request to the running sbc_proxy and sbc process. Therefore the backup process will be running without interruption. Be aware that killing the sbc_proxy or sbc process manually will keep the snapshots; in this case, snapshots must be released manually.
Workaround: Only if you have aborted Citrix XEN backups manually by killing the sbc_proxy or sbc process, don't forget to release these snapshots as they are not managed by SEP sesam automatically. SEP is working on this issue and will provide a fix as soon as possible.
SEP sesam v. 4.4.3.74 – Windows Client major update may lead to problems
  • Installing SEP sesam BSR Pro for Windows together with SEP sesam during a major update requires a chained installation, which may lead to problems. A chained installation is not supported during a major update. Thus it is not possible to perform a major update when SEP sesam BSR Pro for Windows is being installed/updated at the same time.
Resolution: SEP is working on this issue and will provide a fix in the next Beefalo V2 release. Either install newly or update from 4.4.3.X to the current version.
SEP sesam v. 4.4.3.74 – Hyper-V backup on cluster resource may fail
  • When performing a Hyper-V backup on cluster resource, the hosting Hyper-V server may not be retrieved and backup fails with Failed to get Virtual Machine ID.
Workaround: Perform Hyper-V virtual machine backup on the serving Hyper-V server node.
Resolution: SEP is working on this issue and will provide a fix as part of the SP2 Beefalo V2 release.
SEP sesam v. 4.4.3.74 – Hyper-V restore with relocation and restore to original VM fails
  • When performing a Hyper-V restore either with relocation or to the default location (original VM), the restore fails.
Resolution: Will be fixed with a service pack (SP1 for Beefalo V2), available under http://beta.sep.de/servicepacks/4.4.3/.
SEP sesam v. 4.4.3.74 – LDAP user authentication does not work when no group search base is specified
  • SEP sesam can be configured to use LDAP authentication, however, LDAP user authentication does not work when the group base is not defined.
Resolution: Will be fixed with a service pack (SP1 for Beefalo V2), available under http://beta.sep.de/servicepacks/4.4.3/.
SEP sesam v. 4.4.3.74 – Some minor GUI issues exist
  • There are some minor known issues in the GUI, including problems with VM task generator.
Resolution: Will be fixed with a service pack (SP1 for Beefalo V2), available under http://beta.sep.de/servicepacks/4.4.3/.

Enhancements and changes

HPE Cloud Bank Storage

As of v. 4.4.3 Beefalo V2, it is recommended to set up HPE Cloud Bank Storage as a Catalyst copy target for replicating your data. HPE Cloud Bank Storage stores data to public or private cloud storage and is ideal for long-term retention and archiving of backups and offsite backup copies for disaster recovery. For details, see HPE StoreOnce Replication.

MS SQL AlwaysOn Availability Groups

SEP sesam currently supports backups of MS SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups (AOAG) on the primary replica via the listener. AOAG provide various options for better database availability. For details, see Support for MS SQL AlwaysOn Availability Groups.

SAP HANA housekeeping

Now you can use SAP HANA housekeeping to delete (purge) SEP sesam backups that are no longer needed or can no longer be used for recovery. To perform SAP HANA housekeeping, the relevant commands should be executed on the SAP HANA server. For details, see SAP HANA housekeeping.

VMware sandbox restore

SEP sesam introduces an online VMware sandbox restore which can be performed via a Restore Assistant. SEP sesam sandbox restore for VMware is performed in an isolated environment where you can recover and start one or more virtual machines (VMs). It is useful for checking the VM environment, testing backups, and troubleshooting issues. For details, see VMware Sandbox Restore.

Redesigned SEP sesam Dashboard and Restore Assistant

SEP sesam web Dashboard and Restore Assistant have been completely redesigned to provide a detailed overview and improved monitoring of the SEP sesam environment. Restore Assistant is structured as a simple wizard that guides you through the restore process. It also offers some additional options when compared to GUI, such as VMware sandbox restore (see above). The availability of restore options in the Restore Assistant depends on the used UI mode (basic or advanced). Switching between Restore Assistant, Monitor and Dashboard is easy. For details, see SEP sesam Web UI and Restore Assistant.

GUI enhancements

  • The sm_update_client command has been extended. Now you can check in the SEP sesam GUI whether an update is available for your clients and select to update automatically or manually. You can update all clients within the location at once or update only the selected client. You can also exclude a specific client from the update or install SEP sesam component(s) on new Windows clients. For details, see Updating client(s).

Technical improvements

  • It is possible to change the default write density for tapes to achieve better tape performance by using a new Device Block Size option in the drive properties. You can increase the tape block size if you are using LTO Ultrium tape drives and your backup environment supports larger tape blocks; see Setting device block size.

Managing failed backups (EOL) has changed

How SEP sesam manages failed backups depends on its version. Starting with Beefalo V2, SEP sesam keeps the failed backup(s) according to the media pool retention time together with the last successful backup or migration saveset (in previous versions failed backups were automatically deleted after 3 days). At the same time it introduces retention-related keys that allow you to customize your backup retention policy and control how long the failed backup(s) should be kept. For details, see Customizing retention policy.

Increased exclude pattern range

With Beefalo V2 the exclude pattern range ExcludePattern900 and higher is used for SEP internal exclude patterns. Now the lower numbers should be used in order to define specific exclude patterns. For details, see section Using sm.ini to completely exclude files from backups on the client.

End of maintenance and support

Obsolete SEP sesam Server version

No changes since SEP sesam version 4.4.3 Beefalo.

Discontinued SEP sesam Server OS

The following table lists the last available version of SEP sesam Server or RDS components for specified operating systems. You can continue using the last available version of SEP sesam on these operating systems, but SEP AG no longer provides updates or fixes for the specified versions.

For SEP sesam Client versions, backward compatibility is maintained and the last available versions for a platform are continuously supported. On older platforms you can use older versions of SEP sesam Client component, but it is recommended to combine such clients with the latest versions of SEP sesam Server and RDS components.

SEP sesam Release Versions

Operating system Last available version Release Notes
Windows Server 2012 5.1.0.7 Apollon 5.1.0 Apollon
RHEL 7 5.1.0.7 Apollon 5.1.0 Apollon
Debian 9 »Stretch« 5.0.0.15 Jaglion V2 5.0.0 Jaglion V2
SLES 11 SP2, SP3, SP4 4.4.3.x Beefalo V2, see notes 4.4.3 Beefalo V2 SEP announced that it would no longer support SLES 11 SP2, SP3, SP4 with SEP sesam Beefalo, but has re-established support for Beefalo V2, where all SEP sesam Beefalo V2 packages (Server, Client, etc.) can be used. However, Beefalo V2 is the last available SEP sesam release for SLES 11 SP2, SP3, SP4 .
Windows Server 2008 R2 4.4.3.x Beefalo V2, see notes 4.4.3 Beefalo V2 SEP announced that it would no longer support SEP sesam Server on Windows Server 2008 R2 with SEP sesam Beefalo, but has re-established this support already in Beefalo. This actually means that the last available SEP sesam Server release for Windows Server 2008 R2 is Beefalo V2.
Ubuntu 16.04 4.4.3.84 Beefalo V2 4.4.3 Beefalo V2
RHEL 6 4.4.3.64 Grolar 4.4.3 Grolar
Debian 8 »Jessie« 4.4.3.64 Grolar 4.4.3 Grolar
Debian 7 »Wheezy« 4.4.3.64 Grolar 4.4.3 Grolar Version 4.4.3.64 only available for sesam-cli on amd64
Windows Server 2008 4.4.3.64 Grolar 4.4.3 Grolar
Windows 7 4.4.3.64 Grolar 4.4.3 Grolar
Ubuntu 14.04 4.4.3.48 Tigon V2 4.4.3 Tigon V2
All 32-bit operating systems 4.2.2.40 4.2.2 For some operating systems SEP sesam client is still available in 32-bit.
SLES 10 4.2.2.40 4.2.2
RHEL 5 4.2.2.40 4.2.2
Debian 6 »Squeeze« 4.2.2.40 4.2.2 sesam-cli also available in version 4.4.1.22
Windows Server 2003 4.2.2.40 4.2.2
Debian 5 »Lenny« 4.2.1.34 4.2.1
SLES 11 ≤ SP1 4.2.1.34 4.2.1 Initial SLES 11 Release and Servicepack 1


Major fixes and changes

See also

SEP sesam Release Versions