We are also interested in long term support for SLES on Zseries.   

-----Original Message-----
From: veritas-bu-admin AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu
[mailto:veritas-bu-admin AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu] On Behalf Of Scott
Jacobson
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 11:44 AM
To: Ed Wilts; List Veritas List
Subject: Re: [Veritas-bu] Symantec and Linux support

Ed,
 
What about the other "white meat".  We have SLES 8 and 9 Linux boxes
running as both Master and Media Servers.
 
;-)
 
-sj

>>> Ed Wilts <ewilts AT ewilts DOT org> 5/10/2006 10:17 AM >>>
I regularly see postings from people looking to enhance their use of
Linux as NetBackup servers.  Although I am a *strong* Linux advocate
and
a Red Hat Certified Engineer, I would advise that you think long and
hard about this decision.  Symantec  has not yet been able to
demonstrate any willingness to support Red Hat Enterprise Linux as an
enterprise platform.

Fact:  NetBackup 6.5, targeted for release in February, 2007, will
drop
support for RHEL 3.  RHEL 3 started shipping in October, 2003 and will
be supported by Red Hat through October, 2010.  Symantec will cut you
off with its current release nearly 4 years before Red Hat stops
supporting the OS.  On the other hand, Windows 2000, which was
released
2 1/2 years earlier than RHEL 3, will still be supported by NetBackup
6.5.
Additionally, mainstream support for Win2K server has already ended
and
full support will end from Microsoft *before* RHEL 3 support ends. 
This
should show you where Symantec's priorities lie.

Fact:  Symantec Brightmail is not available for RHEL 4 so if you're
deploying today, you have to deploy on RHEL 3.  One Symantec
enterprise
product will soon be unable to back up another Symantec enterprise
product.  RHEL 4 has been out for over a year and still Symantec
hasn't
started supporting it. I just searched the support site for the system
requirements in case my local office was wrong, and RHEL 4 still does
not seem to be supported.

Fact:  NOM on Linux.  Nope, it doesn't exist.  Windows or Solaris
only.

Symantec doesn't seem to get it.  I'm turning blue in the face trying
to
explain this to my local office.  I know that there are Symantec folks
on this list - feel free to pass this on.  Symantec's actions do not
go
without notice.

I've been asked by my management why we're not using Linux for
NetBackup
and I bluntly told them that Symantec can't be trusted to support the
platform as it should be trusted.  We recently replaced our master and
one of our media servers and stuck with Solaris.  We spent a lot more
money but at least I know it will work.

Enough rambling.  If you have concerns about NetBackup and Linux
support, contact your Symantec reps.

        .../Ed

--
Ed Wilts, RHCE
Mounds View, MN, USA
mailto:ewilts AT ewilts DOT org 
Member #1, Red Hat Community Ambassador Program
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