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Which version of Retrospect do I need?


mcclint

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Maybe I'm having a bad day or something but I cannot figure out which version of Retrospect 8 I need for our needs. We have 1 server that we need to backup to a semi-offsite server in another building (connected by fiber). We do not need to backup any of our desktop and laptop machines - just this one server to another. Does that mean we need to buy the full blown super-expensive multiserver version? Why can't an OSX Server be treated as a client?

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C'mon! SOMEONE out there must have SOME idea of what version is needed for this very simple configuration.

mcclint, perhaps you misunderstand that these forums are user-to-user support. Your questions are not of the user-to-user support nature on how to use the product, but instead seem to be of the pre-sales nature, and should be directed to EMC Sales and Marketing. Here is the relevant section from the

Retrospect Forum Rules/Terms of Use:

 

This forum is a community based self help tool for users of the Retrospect Backup Software and other EMC Insignia Products. ...

 

While this forum is monitored by members of the EMC Technical Support team, it is not possible to reply to all questions and threads. This forum is not an official method for contacting technical support. EMC employees are under no obligation to reply to individual forum posts. If you need immediate technical support, you can contact technical support directly at http://www.emcinsignia.com/contactsupport

Maybe I'm having a bad day or something but I cannot figure out which version of Retrospect 8 I need for our needs. We have 1 server that we need to backup to a semi-offsite server in another building (connected by fiber). We do not need to backup any of our desktop and laptop machines - just this one server to another. Does that mean we need to buy the full blown super-expensive multiserver version?

No, it seems from your problem description that you may want the semi-offsite server to be a server client to Retrospect 8 running on one server, perhaps not.

 

You don't state your problem clearly enough, but it appears that both "servers" may be running some unstated version of Mac OS X Server. If that's the case, then, while the "Multi-Server" version would work, it seems that you really might want the "single server" version plus one "server client" license for the other server. EMC's software considers the machine on which Retrospect itself runs to be a "server" regardless of whether it is running Mac OS X Server, and any client running Mac OS X Server is also considered a "server". Normal "client" licenses do not work on a "server client" unless you have the multiserver version.

 

That's what you would want if you would want to backup the "semi-offsite server" or if you would want to restore to it. But you may just be using that "semi-offsite server" as a NAS.

 

If you simply want to use the "semi-offsite server" as a destination for media sets, you could mount a share from that remote server locally on the machine running Retrospect, and then store the media set on that share. In that case, you would not need a server client license because you wouldn't be using the "semi-offsite server" as a client, just as a NAS.

 

See the marketing blurb where it is all explained:

New! EMC® Retrospect® for Mac 8

 

Retrospect for Macintosh Editions

 

Retrospect 8 Multi Server Unlimited Clients is designed for small and midsize businesses and branch offices, and departments in large organizations protecting more than one server. [color:red]Retrospect Multi Server runs on a Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server computer and provides licenses to protect an unlimited number of networked Mac, Windows, and Linux servers[/color], desktops, and notebooks. Annual Support and Maintenance is included with this product.

 

Retrospect 8 Single Server Unlimited Clients is designed for small and midsize businesses, branch offices, and departments in large organizations protecting one server. Retrospect Single Server runs on a Mac OS X server and provides licenses to protect an unlimited number of networked Mac, Windows, and Linux desktops and notebooks. [color:red]A server client license can be purchased to protect an additional networked Mac, Windows, or Linux server.[/color] Annual Support and Maintenance is included with this product.

 

Retrospect 8 Single Server 20 Clients is designed for small and midsize businesses, branch offices, and departments in large organizations protecting one server. Retrospect Single Server runs on a Mac OS X server and provides licenses to protect up to 20 networked Mac, Windows, and Linux desktops and notebooks. [color:red]A server client license can be purchased to protect an additional networked Mac, Windows, or Linux server.[/color]

The options are a bit different if you are purchasing an "upgrade" from an earlier version of Retrospect, rather than a new Retrospect installation.

 

Here are the various product item numbers: Line Cards for Retrospect 8 and add-ons

 

All of that said, what you really seem to want is what Retrospect 6 had: FTP backups to a remote site. Retrospect 8 is in its infancy, and does not yet support FTP backups (and it may never have such support; who knows?). See the EMC Retrospect 8.1 Read Me.

 

Why can't an OSX Server be treated as a client?

Because that's not EMC's licensing model; they make the rules, not us other users in this user-to-user support forum.

 

That's a proper question to ask EMC's marketing and sales departments, but this is not the right place to ask that question.

 

Perhaps the reason that no one answered was either that your problem was not stated well enough to provide an answer, or perhaps none of us users could figure out what you needed. That's really not the sort of support that is given in these forums.

 

Russ

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