Hi

I would request you to check both the link below & understand what alternate configuration is

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH130609

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH70246

Additionally please check HCL for BE 2012

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH175582

Hope that helps

In simple words

Alternative Configuration = Not Tested, Might work but if it does not work we don't officially support it unless you would have had the same problem with a physical server.

Typically for BE in a VM this means anything to do with accessing physical storage devices (Tape drives, libraries, USB disks) connected over any form of pass-through might give you problems and would not be supported if they did.

Note that SAS is not mentioned in the documents provided earlier.

Thanks guys for the advice. I understand that Alternative Configuration is not a official/tested by Symantec. But how I wish that it would be supported in the near future as demand for virtualization is rapidly growing in the recent years. Even requests for media servers to be virtualized, because to some it really cut costs. 

...just bear in mind this comes from VMware, not Symantec. As soon as the virtualization vendors officially support it you might find support from backup software vendors.

EDIT: Also, essentially hard-coding physical hardware to a VM would prevent it from being able to Vmotion to another host which would be another cause for it not being supported currently. We've done this before and it works...until it breaks. Then you need to restart the host where the library is connected too affecting all other VMs and therefore the client.

Thanks!

For what it's worth, in experimenting with the BE 2012 media server on a ESXi 5.0u1 guest the tape drive seems to malfunction every time when configured in pass-thru mode. Even the Dell ITDT software (provided for Powervault 114x drive) had problems; it would start a minimally I/O intensive process and stall out, seemingly indefinately.

Even if it worked in an unsupported mode with a few careful tweaks I would personally hold off until a supported tape storage component is integrated into ESXi

Hi

You have mention ESX 5.1 it is not yet supported with any version of backup exec apart from tape drive configuration too on virtual server

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/vsp...

Thanks

it's not supported with the actual version hopefuly it will be in the next version

Good luck