We are pleased to announce version 17.9 of SolarWinds Backup. This release is available for our standalone partners to download directly from within the Management Console or our download site.

Version 17.9 is our September 2017 release and includes the following updates and enhancements:

Performance and Optimization Improvements – Speed, efficiency, scalability and reliability has always been a core technology focus for SolarWinds Backup and enhancements to the latest update (17.9) continue this focus on performance and optimization.

• Management Console Performance – We have introduced optimizations in this release meant to improve the stability and increase the responsiveness of the Management Console.
• Backup Register Optimization – We have optimized and reduced the amount of catalog data that is required to be downloaded from the cloud.  This download of catalog data is required when re-deploying the Backup Manager and or when performing a Bare Metal Recovery or enabling Continuous Recovery within the Recovery Console. Partners may notice shorter recovery times for large systems or devices with longer than normal retention period.
• Cleaning Enhancements – Cleaning is a background maintenance process used by the Backup Manager to purge expired data. We have made significant performance improvements to the cleaning cycle, allowing it to more easily complete in between backups. Partners with large or frequent backup may notice shorter session duration and see reduced storage usage on their Local Speed Vault.
• Defragmentation Ready – Over time backup cabinets on cloud storage can become fragmented and use space less efficiently. Software only partners experiencing high storage usage may benefit by opening a support ticket to to have the defragmentation function enabled.

Customer issues / Bug fixes

Issue – Addressed issues with Profile Backup filters being used when told to “Keep local settings”

Issue – Addressed incorrect dialog and duplicate notifications found in “Documents” deployments

Issue – Addressed recovery to Hyper-V naming issues on non-English Windows installations

Issue – Addressed issues with Virtual Drive that prevented browsing the root volume

Upgrading to version 17.9

Standalone users of SolarWinds Backup & Recovery may begin upgrading to the latest version immediately.

For the highest level of compatibility, it is recommended that partners upgrade all of their backup and recovery tools to the latest version at the same time to maintain full compatibility. This includes the Backup Manager, Recovery Console, Virtual Drive, Bare Metal Recovery, Servertool and StorageNode software.

Integrated users of SolarWinds Backup (integrated w/ Remote Management or N-Central) should not attempt to upgrade to version 17.9 until they are notified to do so.  These platforms will be made available or updated on a separate schedule.

Backup Manager

Users may download the latest Backup Manager from the download section of our website or download links within the Management Console. The latest Backup Manager release will also be distributed via our auto update server shortly (typically 2 weeks) following the initial release.

Virtual Drive

If installed, the Virtual Drive component will automatically update with the Backup Manager. When these binaries are updated, Virtual Drive will notify you that a reboot of the Backup Manager is needed to complete the update.

Management Console

Primary development efforts are focused on the online version of our Management Console and no updates are required on your part to access the latest version.

Storage Nodes – Update Recommended for “Software Only” partners

It is recommended that “Software Only” partners, those hosting their own private cloud storage, update all of their Storage Nodes to version 17.9 or later to take advantage of  performance optimizations introduced in version 17.9 of the Backup Manager.

The latest Storage Node software installers can be found in the Advanced Download section of the Management Console or on the download section of our website.  A video walk through is available for Windows and Linux storage nodes.

Prior Versions & Other Tools

You may also download the latest and prior versions of these and other tools from the download section of the online Management Console as not all tools are currently distributed via Auto Update.

End of Life Operating Systems – We are announcing the end of development, testing and auto updates for specific manufacturer’s published End of Life and End of Support (EOL\EOS) operating systems. This includes:

• Microsoft Windows 2008 Small Business Server
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003
• Microsoft Windows  Vista
• Microsoft Windows XP
• MAC OS X 10.5 and earlier
• VMware ESX 5.0 and earlier (Host level backup only)

All existing backup and restore functionality will remain in the current versions of the backup product, however support will be limited and new software releases will not be developed or tested on these platforms, nor will they be eligible for Auto Update.   

End of Life Applications – We are announcing the end of development and testing for specific manufacturer’s published End of Life and End of Support (EOL\EOS) applications. This includes:

• Microsoft SQL Server 2005
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
• Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 and earlier

All existing backup and restore functionality will remain in the current versions of the backup product, however support will be limited and new software releases will not be developed or tested on these platforms, nor will they be eligible for Auto Update.