News of my demise has been greatly exaggerated. The same can be said of Data Protector. We are both still here and doing better than ever!
A lot has happened since I last published in May 2016. Although Data Protector now belongs to Micro Focus, a strong synergy exists between HPE and Micro Focus. Engineering integration continues with ever-expanding functionality between HPE StoreOnce and Micro Focus Data Protector. HPE Pointnext remains the provider of implementation and consultative services for Micro Focus Data Protector. As a customer, you benefit greatly from Data Protector now being in the hands of a pure-play software house which has been hard at work pouring engineering resources and innovation into the product. At the same time, delivery of onsite or remote assistance with DP implementation, upgrades, migrations, expansions, etc. is still in the familiar hands of those who have assisted you in the past at HPE. It's the best of both worlds.
As for yours truly, I've been fairly busy delivering across the United States and Canada in addition to managing engineering ties and customer interests during the spin-merge of HPE software with Micro Focus. I even squeezed in a new cert during all the fun. Don't tell the Data Protector guys, but I'm now a Veeam Certified Engineer (VMCE). HPE Pointnext has added a full spectrum of Veeam implementation and consultative services to complement our traditional Data Protector and StoreOnce offerings. It's an evolutionary step toward ensuring that you the customer receive the right solution providing the best fit for your needs.
So about Data Protector 10.03. We learned many lessons from 10.00 and patch bundles 10.01 and 10.02. It has all been rolled into 10.03 which I'm happy to announce is a direct-installable release. You can upgrade directly from 9.0x to 10.03, and you can also use 10.03 for a greenfield install in new implementations. There is no requirement to go to 10.00 first!
Other measurable benefits of 10.03:
- New web-based Home "dashboard"
- Consolidated scheduler
- Scheduler pause (live or scheduled)
- Missed execution handling
- Schedule cloning
- Scheduling via CLI
- Improved LDAP user/group integration
- True 3-way NDMP for NetApp enabling Catalyst targets
- Certified interop with HPE Nimble and HPE Simplivity
- Amazon S3, CEPH, and Scality B2D devices
- Use of a single TCP Port (5565) for nearly all communication
The new Home context, consolidated scheduler, and use of a single TCP port actually appeared at 10.00, but I felt it was worth including in the list. Note also that beginning with 10.03, product documentation will not be delivered with the DP installation download. Micro Focus has wisely decided to host a single source for perpetually updated product docs at https://docs.microfocus.com/?DP where you will find the entry point for 10.03 documentation.
More 10.03 detail awaits you in this Micro Focus blog article. The official list of what's new is here. Data Protector 10.03 and Backup Navigator 9.90 software products are available from this handy download URL.
What Data Protector version are you currently using? It's important to know the End of Committed Support dates for Data Protector versions:
- v7.0x 30-Jun-2016
- v8.0x 30-Jun-2016
- v8.1x 30-Jun-2017
- v9.0x 31-Dec-2018 (Recently extended - was 30-Jun-2018)
- v10.0x 31-Jul-2020
To make a long story short, you need to be on v10.0x as soon as possible.
HPE Pointnex
Throughout my 10.5 years with HPE, I have made 266 trips to 156 cities in 2 countries covering 424,927 miles while spending 1,296 nights under a roof other than my own. Monday I leave for Tallahassee. The week after that, Augusta. Who knows? Maybe I'll be heading to your place soon!
Jim Turner
Master Technologist
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Jim Turner
Jim is a multi-disciplined engineering professional with 32 years of electronic and systems experience. For the past 19 years, Jim's primary focus has been enterprise backup, recovery, and archiving (BURA). As an HPE Master Technologist and Veeam Certified Engineer, he is recognized as a global authority on data availability and protection. Jim's consulting has stretched over 425k miles and 156 unique locations in North America during his 10 years with HP(E). When not traveling, Jim resides in Edmond, OK with his wife and three dogs.
