NetVault Installation and Upgrade Best Practices (4036991)

For more information on this topic, please review NetVault Installation Guide and Administration Web-Based Training Module 1 - Introduction to NetVault Backup

Here are some steps to make the install process a bit easier for you to accomplish.

• The most important is to ensure that your current Operating System that you intend to utilize is support by the NetVault Software product.  Review the NetVault compatibility list to ensure the OS is supported with NetVault before trying to attempt install.
• Determine if the Operating System, Windows, Linux/Unix are running 32 bit or 64 bit OS versions. This will guide you to what download package is needed.
• There is no set amount of minimum memory or hard disk space needed. With that stated, it would be recommended to have a larger hard disk if you are going to keep backups on tape for long periods of time. The NetVault Database stores the savesets indexes and will grow with each interaction of the jobs. Ensure that you have several 100GB of disk space available to accommodate this long backup life. Also, keep in mind that the NetVault Server manage backups jobs, Clients and attached devices; it is wise to have sufficient amount of system memory on your Windows or Linux/UNIX machines; 16GB, 32GB, or more is the current norm for servers. This is subject to change.
• Where should the installation file be placed on OS for a successful install?  The install file itself is not very large. It is recommended to place the installer in either accesible location such as the desktop on Windows or the home directory in Linux and Unix. The download directory works too. This will ensure that all files required during the installation to be present on the actual machine where the installation will take place and avoid any corruption if files need to travel across the Network.

1. Back up the NetVault Database (NVDB): the first step in preparation for the upgrade of the NetVault Server is to perform a backup of the existing NetVault Database. For more information about backing up the NetVault Database with the Plug-in for Databases, see Quest NetVault Backup Built-in Plug-ins User’s Guide. 
2. Same principles apply to the upgrades as far as where to place the installation file.
3. Ensure that the OS is supported by the new version of NetVault.
4. Ensure no jobs are running since the installer will stop the NetVault Services when performing the upgrade.
5. Allow the upgrade to complete; cancelling the installer could cause the application to be removed. However, if step 1 was followed, the previous version of NetVault can be clean installed and the NetVault Database and settings can be restored. Take screenshot of any error message in the situation that Quest Support need to be contacted.