NetWorker 8.2 was announced in April 2014 with many exciting new features focused on EMC’s commitment to delivering a data protection solution that includes a central catalog for various protection modes, end user self-service and critical support for protecting virtual environments. Highlights included centralized management of NAS snapshots, VMware Instant Access from Data Domain, and enhanced visibility and control for both Hyper-V System Admins and SQL DBAs.
NetWorker 8.2 Service Pack 1 expands on and enhances those user empowering features, with a few more added as icing.
NetWorker Snapshot Management for NAS
In NetWorker 8.2 we announced integrated snapshot management support for NAS devices, enabling the storage and backup admins to work cooperatively to protect data using array-based snapshots. See my deeper-dive blog on the topic last year for further details. With this Service Pack, we now support NetApp Cluster Mode deployments. We are also supporting NetApp SnapMirror and SnapVault for snap and replicate workflows important enabling faster RTO/RPO’s for operational recovery. All recovery options, including granular recovery, are supported from either the local or remote copy.
DD Boost over Fibre Channel for HP-UX
The benefits of DD Boost are well known. By supporting DD Boost in SAN-based implementations, we empower backup administrators to shed the shackles of complex tape-based VTL management workflows. And, with support of DD Boost over Fibre Channel, you gain the additional benefits of disk-based backup workflows including source-side deduplication, Client Direct, virtual synthetics, and clone-controlled replication. In this Service Pack we introduce support of DD Boost over Fibre Channel for HP-UX 11i v3 on Itanium platforms with support for DD Boost on the client or storage node for backup of file systems, enterprise databases, and SAP.
VMware and Hyper-V
You asked and we delivered… we are now supporting dual networks with the VMware Backup Appliance (VBA), enabling you to separate your production and protection networks to minimize the impact of backup traffic on the production environment. For VMware backups, the clone-controlled replication process with Data Domain has been further optimized to increase your backup performance by up to 10x. And, we have greatly streamlined the Disaster Recovery process of the VMware based Software Defined Data Center. With just a few clicks, a vCenter environment can now be seamlessly recovered to a secondary vCenter with minimal administrator interaction. This simplified process also enables operational recovery of individual VMs to a different vCenter.
In NetWorker 8.2 we introduced a plug-in for System Center Virtual Machine Manager that enables a Hyper-V system admin to run recovery operations. With Service Pack 1 we add an Overview page that enables you to quickly and easily visualize protected and unprotected VM’s with the ability to drill-down for further details–all managed with role-based access controls.
NetWorker Module for MEDITECH
NetWorker Module for MEDITECH 8.2 offered an industry-first in support of EMC arrays with MEDITECH’s next gen MBI/MBF API’s. Service Pack 1 advances that leadership with new support for VMAX VP_SNAP and VNX VNX_SNAP technology for IDR In-Frame snapshot workflows. We also added RecoverPoint support of VMAX (including VMAX3), VNX, and XtremIO All-Flash Arrays via VPLEX, addressing the growing use of flash technology in healthcare.
Localization and Currency
The last thing I’d like to highlight, but certainly not least, is our continued support for localization and passion for currency. Install Service Pack 1 and enjoy localized documentation and binaries in Japanese, French, Korean, and Simplified Chinese with the NetWorker Management Console, Server, Storage Nodes, and Clients. NetWorker offers the broadest support of heterogeneous implementations in the industry and we pride ourselves in remaining current. The Service Pack includes RHEL 7, SUSE 12, Mac OS X 10.10, and more. Always check the NetWorker Software Compatibility Guide when you have questions.
In Summary
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