How tightly managed is the V13 beta? I've done a sales request in the portal but am not sure if that's the right path.
For my part I'm trying to get a test environment set up to answer several internal questions surrounding both the move to web-based tools as well as the Linux VBR server (that would be the part we're most excited about).
Additional questions:
When can we start looking for documentation/tooling on migrating from Windows VBR to Linux VBR?
Will VeeamONE also be a Linux application, or if it's still going to be Windows will it still require MSSQL? If the only Windows environment we have to support is VeeamONE then we probably just won't have VeeamONE any longer as the cost/feature ratio of that one Martian may not be justifiable in an otherwise all-Linux environment.
Thanks in advance!
'If you truly love Veeam, then you should not let us do this ' --Gostev, in a particularly Blazing Saddles moment
Hi Mike, at this time I would not worry about V13 beta already as we're just a few weeks out to making the Supported Preview of V13 Veeam Software Appliance (VSA) generally available. I will write an FAQ about this release before it's becomes available, so please hold any questions about this special release until then.
Windows VBR to VSA is not "upgrade" but replatforming, it will not be available immediately. Likely stages are as follows, connected to evolving tooling and importantly stabilization of V13 VSA itself:
1/ No replatforming (only new, clean VSA installs are possible, although of course you will be able to import existing backups there).
2/ Replatforming with mandatory Professional Services involvement (otherwise our Technical Support will be forced into becoming them).
3/ Replatforming of basic deployments (with no complications) by customers, but artificially throttled (you'll need to sign up and wait for a "slot" to prevent our support from overload). May results in some secondary data loss (anything that is not stored in the configuration database, like guest catalogs).
4/ Replatforming of basic deployments at will without throttling and with added tools to prevent some/all secondary data loss.
5/ TBD based on how the above goes.
By far, my main and only concern in all this is our Customer Support team's load. Because if anything at all breaks during replatforming, they will be forced to troubleshoot consequences. Therefore any sort of mass replatforming right after V13 release can easily turn into tsunami that will destroy the organization (people will quickly burn out and leave). Not to mention the entire support organization will need time to build VSA expertise before every engineer can pick up VSA support cases in principle, and this ramp up alone may require some months.
So you can probably see how for the time being, net new install of VSA will be the best approach whenever possible. As a big part of the issue is all the Windows-specific leftovers that may have accumulated in the product configuration across years of in-place upgrades, which the new cross-platform code is simply not ready to encounter.
Oh, and importantly, replatforming will be available within V13 exclusively, never across major versions (from V12 direct to V13 VSA). Therefore you will have to perform an in-place upgrade of your VBR V12 to V13 as usual before you will be able to proceed with replatforming in principle.
' --Gostev, in a particularly Blazing Saddles moment