Key information and guidelines for Backup Exec upgrades

This article is intended to provide access to information covering prerequisites and instructions for planning and performing upgrades to Backup Exec.

Veritas now offers Professional Service for Backup Exec™ — the Backup Exec Installation, Migration and Upgrade Service — this service will help you implement the latest version of Backup Exec.

The service includes the following three options:

Option 1: An installation of the current version of Backup Exec or a previous version if required.
Option 2: An upgrade of the Backup Exec Server to the latest version of Backup Exec
Option 3: A migration of the data from an existing Backup Exec server to a new Backup Exec server

To purchase the service, contact your local software reseller or Veritas account representative today. Click here for more details.

You may also reach out to Authorized Veritas Distribution Partner using following link:
http://partnernet.veritas.com/portal/faces/PartnerLocator

Prequisites for Upgrades

Backup Exec Administrators should not start an upgrade without taking action on these points.

• Review the best practices information for upgrades (which also provides information pertaining to environments running on older hardware or using older versions of Backup Exec: Upgrading Backup Exec - Guidelines, Best Practices and Available Support
• Check our Software and Hardware Compatibility Lists (against the configuration of the Backup Exec server AND any operating systems or applications that will be subject to backup operations.) To access these lists visit: backupexec.com/compatibility
• Ensure that the individual responsible for the upgrade is able to access the Veritas Licensing Portal (Veritas Entitlement Management System / VEMS) and is able to see their Backup Exec entitlements.  A guide to this portal is this article and its attached  PDF documents: VEMS Guide
• In advance of the upgrade download the required version of the Backup Exec product installer and appropriate Backup Exec license files from the portal. After the download, extract the ISO file, for the installer from the ZIP and make sure it and the license files are available on the server(s) being upgraded. The steps to retrieve the Backup Exec installation and licenses are provided in Article 100044376
• Check that the licenses, available in and downloaded from the portal do provide the same functionality as licenses in use on the existing Backup Exec installation.
• Check that that the server concerned has enough disk space for the upgrade (upgrade attempts for installations on drives with limited space may experience problems, especially if the existing installation is on the C: drive.)
• Check the free space of any existing Deduplication Storage Volume. Note: It is recommended that a Deduplication Storage Volume has over 20% free space (minimum is 12%) for the conversion process.
• Check the credentials used to start the key Backup Exec services (that is the Agent Browser, Device & Media, Job Engine, Management Service AND Server services). These services should all be using the same administrative account and the individual performing the upgrade MUST know  the account name and password. IMPORTANT : these services should NOT be set to start as 'Local System' even though other Backup Exec services do start as 'Local System'
• Evaluate the current job activity to identify when there is a suitable period (preferably with no job activity) to perform the upgrade.
• Plan for a possible requirement to reboot the Backup Exec server during the upgrade process. Note: a reboot may not always be necessary.

Upgrade & Migration Guides

The guides in this section provide step-by-step details of specific upgrades or and information on Migration Scenarios. More complicated scenarios may require extra steps.

• Article 100044369: Step by Step Upgrade of Backup Exec
• Article 100044370: Steps to Upgrade Backup Exec in a CAS-MBES environment
• Backup Exec Migration Assistant Administration Guide