Hello,
I am about two purchase two external Dell RD1000 removable disk drives to backup two different servers. I am looking for advice on which backup software I should buy bundled with the drives. This is going to be a long question, so I thank you for taking the time to read it. First let me describe the two servers.
My web server is an older PowerEdge 600SC running W2K Server SP4 that is currently being backed up to an internal PowerVault DDS4 tape drive. I run a SQL server database on this server and am using BackUp Exec version 8.6 with the SQL option so I can backup the database.
My second server is a file server and it is a Dell PowerEdge R300 (1U rackmount) that is running SBS 2003. I currently use the s/w that comes with SBS to backup the server to a NAS device and an external HDD.
I considered tape drives and the RD1000 and decided on the RD1000 thanks to an earlier question I posted. I need two separate devices because the two servers are on different networks and cannot share a device. Here is Dell's description of my software options:
"An express version of Yosemite backup software is included in your purchase of RD1000. However, If you plan to deploy SQL, Exchange or would like to boot from CD to perform DR from the RD1000 or backup multiple servers, it is recommended you upgrade to Yosemite Enhanced Pro or one of the following Symantec product options listed below.
Symantec Backup Exec v12 Quickstart Edition Suite [add $37]
Yosemite Backup Basic Suite [add $29]
YOSEMITE BACKUP ENHANCED PRO SUITE [add $224]
Symantec Backup Exec v12 Server Suite [add $337]
Symantec Backup Exec v8 System Recovery SBS Edition Protection Suite [add $337]
Symantec Backup Exec v8 System Recovery Server Edition Protection Suite [add $636]
Symantec Backup Exec v12 Multi-Server Suite [add $524]
Symantec Backup Exec v12 DataBase Server Suite [add $1,049]"
Which ones should I get? There are too many choices! I will say that the last three options are really beyond my budget. I do not run Exchange or Sharepoint on my SBS server, so I do not need the SBS Edition.
The cost to upgrade my current Veritas 8.6 is almost prohibitive. I think after version 10 they really raised the prices for features like SQL database, Open File, and Disaster Recovery. Does anyone know if I can continue to use my Veritas 8.6 on the web server with the new RD1000? Will the old software recognize the external drives as a backup device? That would be the ideal solution.
If you had to chose between Symantec and Yosemite for the RD1000, which would you chose? It would be nice to have some type of Bare Metal/Disaster Recovery for the file server.
Any insights would be greatly appreciated!!! I would like to spend as little on the s/w as feasible, so I can use the savings towards buying additional RD1000 disks.
Something else to keep in mind, while Dell will offer "best effort" support for the product, they will be unable to leverage support from Symantec as they will flat out refuse support to anything prior to BackupExec 10.