PlateSpin Forge version 3 introduces a number of important changes, new features, enhancements, and bug fixes.
The following new features are introduced in PlateSpin Forge version 3:
Support for Protecting Windows Clusters:
This version supports the protection of Windows clusters. See Protecting Windows Clusters
.
Support for Protecting Linux Workloads: This release introduces support for protecting a number of Linux workloads.
For a complete list, see Supported Configurations
.
For the supported Linux systems, the current PlateSpin Forge distribution includes a block-based component, compiled for standard kernels of the currently supported systems. If necessary, you can rebuild the component for non-standard kernel types. See KB Article 7005873.
Discontinued Third-Party Block-Based Component (Windows): The third-party (SteelEye) block-based component has been discontinued. Block-level protection of Windows workloads can be carried out by using PlateSpin’s custom block-based component that leverages the Microsoft Volume Snapshot Service (VSS). Consequently, support for block-level protection of Windows Server 2000 workloads has been discontinued and can be done only at the file level. This also applies to Windows Server 2003 workloads that do not have Service Pack 1 (or later) installed.
Replication Blackout Windows:
You can now define replication blackout windows to suspend replications as required (for example, during peak utilization hours). See Parameters for Imposing a Replication Blackout Window
.
Protection API:
This release introduces support for programmatic access to workload protection features through a Web services API. See Using Workload Protection Features through the PlateSpin Forge Web Services API
.
Virtual CPU Selection: You can now select a target vCPU type (such as single or dual) from the user interface.
International Language Support: This release provides international language support (Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, French, German, and Japanese) for the product interface and the documentation.
Note that the English version of the documentation at the PlateSpin Forge 3 Documentation Web Site, which is updated on a regular basis, should be considered as the most up-to-date version at all times.
No software RAID support for Linux workloads: This release does not provide support for Linux workloads with volumes on software RAID.
609918 Problem with automatic VMware tools installation during test failover: During a test failover of a protected SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 SP1 workload, the virtual CD-ROM device might fail to mount on the recovery workload, impacting the installation of the VMware Tools software and causing warnings. This issue is being investigated.
600635 No failover support for Linux workloads with bonded networks: PlateSpin Forge does not support Linux workloads with bonded networks (link aggregation). The issue is under consideration for a fix in an upcoming minor release.
Workaround: Prior to protection, convert the bonded network on your Linux workload into a standard network.
590635 Inconsistent failover results after upgrading: Following the upgrade to PlateSpin Forge3, a failover operation might fail to complete or might not apply the correct failover parameters, such as the proper hostname and workgroup settings.
Workaround: Before performing a failover, manually run an incremental.
581860 Browser exception in the Chinese edition of the product: Attempting to connect to the PlateSpin Forge Server with a browser that does not have a specific version of Chinese added might result in Web server errors. For proper operation, use your browser’s configuration settings to add a specific Chinese language (for example, Chinese [zh-cn] or Chinese [zh-tw]). Do not use the culture-neutral Chinese [zh] language.
590484 Ambiguous reminder message: Upon removal of a workload, a reminder message in the PlateSpin Forge Web Client prompts you to ...uninstall Block Based Tools from the workload at the next scheduled downtime. The message is applicable only to Windows workloads. Windows clusters are unaffected.
610918 Unresponsive Expand and Collapse icons in integrated help: On some systems with enhanced browser security settings (such as Internet Explorer 8 on Windows Server 2008), the Expand and Collapse icons (+ and -) in the Table of Contents might fail to work. To fix the issue, enable JavaScript in your browser:
Internet Explorer: Click tab > zone > , then select the option for the feature.
Firefox: Click tab, then select the Enable JavaScript option.
493589 Non-default per-volume VSS settings are not preserved: The issue is under investigation.
558937 Failure of block-level replications that use VSS (Windows): If you are using third-party VSS-based backup software, block-level replications might occasionally fail.
Workaround: Use blackout windows. See your Application Configuration Guide.
611105 Missing protection contracts after upgrade: After upgrading your Forge appliance to version 3, protection contracts with workloads in a or a state might be missing from the user interface. This issue is under investigation.
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