Release Notes for BackupAssist v8

• File Protection (Rsync)
• 23471 Resolved BackupAssist Rsync authentication failures that occur after firmware and software updates to Rsync servers and NAS devices that included an update to OpenSSH 7.0. Re-run "Register with server" for all jobs to take advantage of the improved OpenSSH 7.0 security.
• BAMM-Backend
• 22425 Improved support for remote updates of BackupAssist machines
• Destinations
• 23160 Significantly more reliable implementation of eject for external HDD, optical media, tape, and rdx.
• Restore Console
• 21703 Fixed an issue that prevented catalogues from being created when the list of VSS application components being backed up was very large.
• 23188 Fixed an issue that prevented catalogues from being created during some rare System Protection backups.

• UI
• 22208 Enhanced the version checker to support major upgrade notifications.

• Diagnostics/Debugger
• 21884 Fix detection of some diagnostic submission issues, and prompt users to use manual diagnostic submission when data exceeds 10MB (GMC_BA-0953)
• Exchange
• 21667 Fix full backup of Exchange guests running on CSV so that logs are truncated after the backup (GMC_BA-1271)
• Exchange Granular Restore Add-on
• 21846 Fix UI preventing the use of Exchange Granular Restore on Server Core systems
• System Protection
• 21103 Improved deletion handling when Shadow Copy Protection Mode is enabled.
• UI
• 21923 Fix broken progress UI in Hyper-V Granular Restore Console and CopyAssist
• 21823 Avoid showing temporary files against Hyper-V guests in the file selection UI on Server 2012 R2
• 21822 Fix online/offline backup detection for Hyper-V guests running on Server 2012 R2 hosts

• 21594: Fix exception when selecting dates in the "Run now" dialog, caused after applying certain security updates for Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 (KB3023222/KB3023223/KB3023224).

• File Archiving
• 21558 Important update for File Archiving users who have installed v8.4.1. This update fixes an issue that may silently prevent backups of VSS applications in BackupAssist v8.4.1.
• Exchange Mailbox Add-on
• 21478 Fixed a "stack overflow" crash that could occur when running an embedded mailbox backup in BackupAssist v8.4.0 and later (GMC_BA-1229, GMC_BA-0968, GMC_BA-1260, GMC_BA-1261, GMC_BA-1264)

• Bitlocker
• 21342 Fixed a rare unhandled exception that could occur when trying to unlock BitLocker destinations. (GMC_BA-1233)
• 20689 The BitLocker Prepare tool's Stop button has been renamed to Pause.
• 20648 A Bitlocker backup job to an RDX drive will retry ejecting the RDX drive, if the first eject fails. The job Monitor screen will display the correct media ejection status for external drives. (GMC_BA-0910)
• Destinations
• 21282 Report an error when backing up the catalogue to backup destinations that can no longer be accessed due to I/O errors.
• Exchange Granular Restore Add-on
• 18301 The "EDB" text from the "Open" icon has been removed, since EGR now supports opening PST and OST files
• 20288 The BackupAssist logo in the Exchange Granular Restore console has been updated to the correct v8 logo
• Exchange Mailbox Add-on
• 21341 Clarified the pop-up message that advises the user that Mailbox Protection backups are not to be used for Exchange 2013
• File Protection
• 21137 A re-authentication will be attempted if a backup to a network destination loses its connection during the backup process.
• Reports/Notifications
• 21272 Added an option to disable Media Usage reports in File Protection backups, under Manage > Replication options. (GMC_BA-0926)
• Scheduling/Schemes
• 21201 Fixed a weekly labelling issue in the Grandfather-father-son scheme. (GMC_BA-0906)
• System Protection
• 21179 Improve handling of an obscure VSS error in Shadow Protect Mode backups
• 21103 Improved deletion handling when Shadow Copy Protection Mode is enabled.
• 21399 Fix unhandled exception when Windows Server Backup is not installed. (GMC_BA-1242, GMC_BA-1244, GMC_BA-1245)
• UI
• 21110 The Shadow Copy Protection Mode options have been hidden on Windows workstations where SPM is not supported.
• 19788 A MultiSite Manager download button has been added to the MultiSite Manager tab on the BackupAssist Welcome screen.
• 18202 Added a help link to the Remote Setup screen.

• Data Container
  • 21219 / 21209 Unhandled Exception using Data Container on a NAS (GMC_BA-0892)

• Data Container
  • 20730 Cancel Data Container backups to prevent potential corruption when the hosting volume is running out of free space
  • 20871 Fix an issue that can sometimes prevent the data container from mounting after a previous backup failed.
• Destination
• 21086 Fix destination check when more than one external disk is attached at the same time.
• Diagnostics
• 20856 Fix diagnostics submission from BA installations that have not run any backup (GMC_BA-0826)
• Exchange Granular Restore Add-on
• 20707 Improved detection of data format to avoid restoring files in the incorrect character set
• File Protection
• 20946 Fix slow File Protection backup and restore speeds when backing up source files that are hosted on some NAS devices.
• Hyper-V
• 21056 Fix missing "staging disk full" report message for System Protection backups of Hyper-V CSV guests
• Misc
• 20696 Fix unhandled exception "copying the catalogue bac file" that can occur for some job types (GMC_BA-0842, GMC_BA-1205, GMC_BA-0858)
• Restore Console
• 20808 Fix issue preventing the Restore Console from loading backups, when there are invalid catalogue files in the cache
• Server 2012 Deduplication
• 20686 Added deduplicated volume backup information to relevant backup reports
• System Protection
• 21116 Fix error “Backup of files from both CSVFS and non-CSVFS formatted volumes in the same backup is not supported”
• 20744 When System Protection backups fail with "not enough free space", automatically retry the backup after deleting the oldest backup(s) (GMC_BA-0818, GMC_BA-0815)
• 20774 Advanced “Shadow Copy Protection Mode” option for System Protection backups that should only be enabled if complete history loss is experienced when VSS is unable to maintain history.

• Enhancements:
• 20508 BitLocker “background” encryption tool with improved workflow
• 20490 Bitlocker is now available as an alternative encryption method for File Archiving and File Protection backups to portable media
• 20509 Hyper-V backup compatibility with Server 2012 and later has been improved for System Protection backups
• 18904 Backups for deleted jobs are now hidden by default in the Restore Consoles. They can be found by “Loading all known backups” from the “Load backups” popup
• 20710 Scripts now can separately use the START_TIME/START_DATE and SCHEDULE_TIME/SCHEDULED_DATE, and use custom formatting
• Fixes:
• 18361 Restore tools now work with the actual backup time rather than the “schedule time”. GMC_BA-0752
• 20510 BackupAssist will no longer try to reassign drive letters for prepared media found at a different drive letter
• 20518 “Anywhere” exclusions now work correctly.

• Selections/Exclusions
• 20355 NEW - folder exclusions feature for File Protection and File Archiving, with updated combined exclusions UI

• Backup Verification

• 20304 Fix catalogue missing error during backup verification (GMC_BA-1134, GMC_BA-1131, GMC_BA-1164, GMC_BA-1165)

• Bitlocker

• 20306 Show detailed progress when preparing a BitLocker destination
• 20385 Allow skipping BitLocker preparation when setting up a backup job
• 20353 Warn about potentially lengthy time required to prepare a BitLocker drive

• Hyper-V GRC
• 20240 Allow export of VHD files from BackupAssist backups.
• 20289 Fixed icon in CopyAssist and Restore Console
• 20384 Fix missing HyperV guest information in file catalogues
• 20091 Hyper-V Granular Restore has a new capability to look for BackupAssist backups at user-specified location.
• Reports/Notifications
• 20263 Restore section in reports with HyperV guests on Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) no longer contains message saying that HyperV Granular Restore is not available on CSV.

• NEW: Full BitLocker support for System Protection backups to External Hard Disk:
• Encrypt your backup images for security during transport and for storage off-site.
• Backup Disks must be setup by BackupAssist using the Prepare Media function, even if already encrypted with BitLocker
• BitLocker recovery keys are stored on a dedicated external USB key that must be attached at backup time to allow the encrypted volumes to be unlocked
• Recovery using RecoverAssist requires the user to enter the BitLocker password configured in the Backup Job
• Only Server operating systems are supported

• NEW: The Hyper-V Granular Restore Console now supports all BackupAssist backups, including:

• System Protection backups to Data Container and iSCSI targets
• File Protection and File Archiving backups
• Backups of Hyper-V guests using CSV
• NOTE: Features not expected until a future release: Browse for catalogs, and support for moved backup (changed destination details)

• BAMM - Fix requires upgrading BackupAssist to 8.2.0. No upgrade to MultiSite Manager is required

• 20110 Fix retrieval of the complete job list for BackupAssist machines in some time zones (GMC_BA-0766)

• Data Container
• 20065 Fix misleading BA4800 warning about not being able to increase data container size, when using the "all available space" option. (GMC_BA-0767)
• Diagnostics/Debugger
• 20202 Improve diagnostic gathering process, including catalogue metadata and enhanced Hyper-V configuration (GMC_BA-1053)
• Installer
• 19821 New RealSCSIInstall.exe command line tool for use if RealSCSI driver cannot be installed
• RecoverAssist
• 20235 Recovery environments created on DVD and ISO media now support BIOS and UEFI booting. (Previously only supported by USB Recovery Environments)
• Zip-to-Tape Add-on
• 20113 Ignore certain tape I/O errors when using the TapeRestoreUI to extract file archiving backups from tape

VSS

• 19746 More information is now included in the shadow storage logging to assist in troubleshooting.  (GMC_BA-1073)

Data Container

• 19660 Data Containers will now dynamically increase in size as data is added, up to the size limited defined by the user. This only applies to new Data containers. (GMC_BA-0744)

Destinations

• 19910 More information is now included in the diagnostics log for a NAS connection test. (GMC_BA-1096)
• 19826 Create full catalogues when using iSCSI as a system protection target for backups.

Exchange Granular Restore

• 19897 Server Core Support.
• 19497  Fixed issue where text in restored PST files was displaying using an incorrect character set  (GMC_BA-1070)

Hyper-V GRC

• 19855 Fixed a problem with the Hyper-V Granular Restore Console that caused mounting issues with Server 2012 R2.

Restore Console

• 19905 Fixed an issue with the Restore console when using a quick catalogue System Protection backup (GMC_BA-1099)

Backup Verification

• 19801 Fixed the full restore simulation for incremental File Archiving backups. (GMC_BA-0754)
• 19898 Fixed the restore simulation for System Protection backups to a NAS, when the destination path is not a volume root. (GMC_BA-0757)
• 19867 Fixed the quick restore simulation error that occurred when backing up only large files. (GMC_BA-1097)

Backup Verification

• 19669 Fix Hyper-V validation error due to dynamic volume in a VHD.
• 19567 Fix error due to loss of NAS authentication before verification that can occur in some environments (GMC_BA-1065, GMC_BA-1079, GMC_BA-1076)
• 19445 Randomize file selections for quick restore simulation
• 19673 Fix rare issue for File Protection and File Archiving verification of Hyper-V on some Server 2012 R2 servers. (GMC_BA-1065)
• 19515 Fix verification errors for some Data Container and iSCSI jobs when full cataloguing is not possible or is disabled. (GMC_BA-1075)
• 19362 Fix file protection restore if "use full path" is not selected, and when backing up to the destination root
• 19518 Fix validation of HyperV guests with unsupported file systems in non-English builds

Hyper-V Granular Restore Console

• 19446 Fix error preventing load of backups into the Hyper-V Granular Restore Console, "data at the root level is invalid" (GMC_BA-1066)

iSCSI

• 19371 Improve handling of virtual and iSCSI disks when they have been manually forced offline on some computers

Misc

• 18894 Improve UI layout on Exchange VM detection tab.

Reports/Notifications

• 19423 Fix incorrect FTP file transfer result
• 19570 Remove annoying <br/> separator from Restore section of backup report.
• 19392 Fix report notification via printing (GMC_BA-0717)

System Protection

• 19659 Avoid showing warning about MS hotfix KB2871085 since Microsoft changed the patch

Backup Verification

• 18091 Allow cancellation of backup verification
• 19045 Fix verification of file archiving backup to password protected NAS (GMC_BA-1040, GMC_BA-0721)
• 19048 Fix verification of encrypted Rsync backups (GMC_BA-0723, GMC_BA-1038)
• 19226 Fix quick restore simulation of incremental file archiving backups (GMC_BA-1045)
• 18900 Skip verification of system protection backup if VHD driver is not available
• 18899 Fix full restore simulation from iSCSI on SBS 2008
• 18985 Fix Hyper-V validation errors on Server 2012 R2 (GMC_BA-1035, GMC_BA-0716)
• 18969 Fix BA4940 seen on some System Protection backups with Restore Simulation enabled
• 18811 Make Hyper-V guest verification more efficient (GMC_BA-0725)
• 19026 Fixed Hyper-V validation error due to slow iSCSI device
• 19355 Fix file replication verification when .catalogue folder is backed up
• 19302 Fix verification of files in System Volume Information folder

Hyper-V GRC

• 19127 Fix errors like " is not in the VSS metadata of this backup" for backups of Server 2012 R2 (GMC_BA-1043, GMC_BA-1046)
• 19047 Fix crash seen during granular restore of Hyper-V guests on some Server 2012 R2 systems (GMC_BA-0720)
• 18951 Fix NullReferenceException when mounting guests on some non-English Hyper-V 2012 R2 servers (GMC_BA-1053)

System Protection

• 19105 Multiple fixes for Data Container, including backup, verification, eject (rdx), and history retention (GMC_BA-0722, GMC_BA-1050)
• 19303 Fix verification and restore of Data Container jobs with variables in the path
• 19090 Set "Use all available space" ON by default for all new jobs

CMC

• 19034 Fix bug causing next run time for a job to show incorrectly in the future in some circumstances (GMC_BA-1016)

Exchange Granular Restore Add-on

• 18821 Support EGR restore from CSV backup (GMC_BA-1035, GMC_BA-0716)

File Protection

• 18967 Fix restore of file protection job when backing up to the volume root of a backup device (GMC_BA-718)

Reports/Notifications

• 19075 Fix bar and column graph display in the media usage report for System Protection jobs to destinations supporting VSS history, to work across operating systems with different regional settings for number formatting.

Exchange

• 19081 Avoid rare database consistency check error "The process cannot access the file" (GMC_BA-0724)

UI

• 18893 Fix error in Prepare media for the job with Manual Scheme.

Server 2012 R2

• 18927 Fix "false positive" BA728 errors seen for some backups of Hyper-V when Microsoft KB2919355 is not installed
• 19043 Fix BA2510 errors seen for some backups of Hyper-V when Microsoft KB2919355 is installed without whole volumes being backed up

Backup Verification

• 18830 Fix Hyper-V guest validation on some CSV systems.
• 18783 Fix some Hyper-V guests not reported in verification report

Licensing

• 18896 Fix activation error reported by some customers.

Installer

• 18954 Updated EULA

• NEW:  RecoverAssist can now use BitLocker protected image backups. RecoverAssist will prompt for the BitLocker protected media’s password and then use the backup to perform the recovery.
• 18738 : Window Server 2012 R2 support for Hyper-V and CSV environments.
• 18692: Improved retention of past backups when using “all available space for backup history”.
• 18741: Fixed a bug seen on some Windows 2008 servers that prevented restores of historical backups.
• 18754: Backup report uses allocated instead of used VSS space when showing the space available.
• 18755: Link added to the Windows VSS storage space UI from SP storage management.
• 18870: Corrected a server name display issue when using Exchange VM Detection.
• 18871: Fixed a display issue for Gmail address translations in the Mail Server settings.

Backup verification fixes:

• 18782: Fixed an error that occurred when BackupAssist attempted to validate Hyper-V guests that weren't backed up.
• 18789: Improved the reliability of Hyper-V guest validation on some machines.
• 18765: Fixed the restore simulation process on certain Data Container backups.

• NEW: Superior imaging backups by managing your backup history and storage space for added control over how much history to keep.
• NEW: Improved imaging backup reports that allow you to monitor what restore points you have, and a detailed breakdown of what your backup destination contains so you can better manage space management issues.
• NEW: Advanced verification of your backups in two key ways; (1) Automatic restore testing to give you immediate feedback on potential restoration issues (2) Built in exchange and Hyper-V backup validations for added reassurance that your application data is secure
• NEW: Rapid and precise Backups now come with optimized configurations for faster System Protection backups on servers utilizing our “fast incremental” technology.
• NEW: Dedicated Hyper-V Set ups with our vastly improved set up for Hyper-V hosts, including simpler configuration for the most common Hyper-V backup options.
• NEW: Custom Schemes to give greater flexibility and precision over the scheduling of your backups. Set your backup schedule to your exact requirements.
• NEW: Exchange Granular Restore now comes with improved Exchange account impersonation, and also PST and OST file support. Now you can open, search and restore mail items from PST and OST files.
• NEW: Increased support for Server 2012 R2 for backup, restore and recovery of data, systems and applications.
• NEW: Improved installation process means you can do administrative MSI installs (no more interactive prompts).
• NEW: Improved volume management so that backup history for image backups is more secure, including iSCSI backups. A warning is provided for imaging backups of servers missing an important VSS hotfix that helps secure backup history.