NetBackup Appliance Maintenance Releases

Article: 100049781
Last Published: 2023-11-09
Ratings: 13 5
Product(s): Appliances

 

What are Maintenance Releases (MRs)? 

MRs are software packages that include important product and security fixes. Customers are strongly recommended to upgrade to the latest MR to keep their appliances secure and operating efficiently. These are available on Veritas Download Center. Starting with 3.3.0.1 Maintenance Release 2 (MR2), MRs have become full packages (include GA software). 

Maintenance Releases are always cumulative. So MR3 will include MR2, which includes MR1 and so on. Maintenance Releases are available in RPM/ISO formats.

Which MRs have been released? 

3.2 MR1 (September 30, 2020) 

3.3.0.1 MR1 (December 3, 2020) 

3.2 MR2 (February 19, 2021)  

3.3.0.1 MR2 (April 2, 2021) 

3.2 MR3 (April 15, 2021) 

4.0.0.1 MR1 (June 15, 2021)

3.3.0.1 MR3 (July 2, 2021)

3.3.0.2 MR1 (September 3, 2021)

4.0.0.1 MR2 (September 17, 2021)  

4.1.0.1 MR1 (October 18, 2021)

3.3.0.2 MR2 (November 22, 2021) (FINAL 3.3.0.x MR)

4.0.0.1 MR3 (January 19, 2022) 

4.1.0.1 MR2 (February 28, 2022)

4.0.0.1 MR4 (June13, 2022)  (FINAL 4.0.0.1 MR)

4.1.0.1 MR3 (August 8, 2022)

5.0.0.1 MR1 (August 12, 2022)

4.1.0.1 MR4 (October 28, 2022)

5.0.0.1 MR2 (November 24, 2022)

4.1.0.1 MR5 (February 14, 2023) (FINAL 4.1.0.1 MR)

5.0.0.1 MR3 (March 8, 2023)

5.1.1 MR1 (May 31, 2023)

5.0.0.1 MR4 (June 28, 2023)

5.1.1 MR2 (October 20, 2023)

5.0.0.1 MR5 (November 8, 2023) (FINAL 5.0 MR)

 

Which are upcoming MRs? 

5.1.1 MR3 (Late January, 2024)

5.3 MR1 (Late March, 2024)

 

Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary, and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Veritas, and may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Veritas and should not be relied upon in making decisions.

What is the release cadence of MRs? 

MRs are typically built for only the two latest major releases. The first MR after GA of a major release will typically be available in about 60 days. After that, the typical cadence of MRs will be about 90 days during the first year of a major release. The cadence will significantly decrease in the second year and there is no guarantee that there will even be an MR in the second year, given that in the second year the release becomes N-2. No MRs will be built after a major release has been available for two years.

Are MRs built for every NetBackup Appliance major release? 

MRs are typically built for at least the two latest major NetBackup appliance releases. Once there is a new major release, MRs for the oldest of these major releases start to get rapidly phased out. 

Should every MR for a particular major release be installed? 

Yes, it is strongly recommended to install every MR as soon as it is released. The MRs contain critical fixes required for the secure and efficient operation of the appliances. However, since MRs are cumulative, if for some reason, an MR is not installed, the next one can be installed

What kind of security fixes are included in MRs? 

The MRs include the latest vulnerability fixes in 3rd party software and in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Operating System version being used in the MRs.

Why are upgrade paths restricted?

This is to prevent a regression in Red Hat security fixes.

Is there an upgrade matrix that shows which NBA versions can be directly upgraded to other NBA versions (including MRs)?

Yes, below is the direct upgrade matrix. Direct upgrade means upgrading in a single step. Gray cells denote not applicable upgrade paths; Green cells denote supported direct upgrade paths; Red cells denote unsupported direct upgrade paths.          

 

 

How many previous major releases can be directly upgraded to the MR of the latest major release?

Starting with the first 4.0 MR (4.0.0.1 MR1), customers from the immediate previous two major releases can upgrade directly to 4.0 MR (and all later 4.x MRs). So 3.2 and 3.3.0.1 customers can upgrade directly to 4.0.0.1 MRs in a single step. 3.3.0.1 and 4.0 customers can upgrade directly to 4.1.0.1 MR1/MR2 in a single step. The 3.3.0.x MRs could only be directly upgraded from a single previous major release (3.2)

3.2, 3.3.0.1 and 4.0 customers can upgrade directly to 4.1.0.1 MR3 in a single step

3.2, 3.3.0.1, 4.0 and 4.1 customers can upgrade directly to 5.0 MRs in a single step

How are customers notified when MRs are released? 

Customers are usually notified via email whenever a new MR is released. 

Does Appliance Management Server (AMS) support MRs? 

AMS 2.0/2.1/2.2 support non-5.1.1 MRs without the need to run the Appliance Upgrade Readiness Analyzer manually on each appliance being upgraded. 

5.1.1 and later MRs are supported by AMS 2.2.

Where can I find the Product Lifecycle of MRs? 

https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/eosl.   Select Appliances from dropdown and click Submit. Note that only the final MR of a major release is eligible for Extended/Sustaining Support.

 

Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary, and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Veritas, and may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Veritas and should not be relied upon in making decisions.

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