If you upgrade from a previous feature release (formerly "service pack"), you will find that some features and options have been updated and enhanced. To read more about the features in this feature release, click the link listed in the Learn more column.
Backup Agents
Introduced in |
Product |
Change |
Learn more |
---|---|---|---|
SP18 |
Amazon RDS |
The application size of Amazon RDS IntelliSnap backup operations is now accurately displayed throughout the Commvault software, including the Jobs page, the Job Controller, the Amazon RDS Snapshot Backup report, and other locations. Previously, the application size of Amazon RDS IntelliSnap backup operations displayed only as 1 KB, regardless of the true application size. |
|
Feature Release 11.20 |
NDMP |
When an NDMP agent is added to the CommCell environment, the agent will automatically use Indexing Version 2. |
|
Feature Release 11.20 |
NDMP |
During an NDMP restore operation, data is found by directly seeking the requested data instead of by reading data from the beginning of a chunk. Unneeded data is not transferred, so the restore operation completes faster. Restore operations that include deduplicated archive files or data that is distributed across multiple chunks will have the most improvement in performance. |
|
Feature Release 11.20 |
NDMP |
The Dell EMC PowerStore array is supported. |
|
Feature Release 11.20 |
Windows File System |
When the VSS snapshot creation fails for a system state backup, the backup operation completes with errors. The backup operation protects the regular data and skips the backup of system state data. Previously, when a VSS snapshot creation failed during a system state backup, the backup operation failed. |
Enabling Volume Shadow Service (VSS) for Windows File System Backups |
Feature Release 11.20 |
Windows File System |
Empty folders are now backed up automatically during any backup operation. Previously, empty folders were automatically excluded from incremental backup operations. Full backups always backed up empty folders. To include empty folders in incremental backups, you created the nAllowFolders additional setting on the client computer with a value set to 1. |
Creating a User-Defined Subclient for the Windows File System Agent |
Feature Release 11.20 |
SAP Archive Link |
To install the SAP Archive Link agent. the user must be the ObjectStore user with administrative privileges. Also, you must enable CommServe authentication for the user during the installation. Previously, the ObjectStore user does not require administrative privileges to perform the installation or enable CommServe authentication during the installation. |
Preinstallation Checklist for the SAP Archive Link Agent on UNIX |
Feature Release 11.20 |
Oracle |
The Disk Caching for Frequent Log Backups feature changes the behavior of Oracle selective online full backups. If you configure different storage policies for log backups and data backups and the Disk Caching for Frequent Log Backups feature is turned on, the log backup uses the storage policy configured for the instance and the data backup uses the storage policy configured for the subclient. Previously, the data storage policy was used for both the log and data for selective online full backups. To replicate the previous behavior, use the same storage policy for the log backups defined at the instance level and for the selective online full backups defined at the subclient level. |
|
Feature Release 11.20 |
Microsoft SQL Server |
By default, the Commvault software automatically discovers the availability groups in the SQL Server and configures the availability group client and instances for backups. Previously, you must manually configure the availability group instances for the newly discovered availability groups. |
|
Feature Release 11.20 |
Microsoft SQL Server |
In a multi-stream restore, when there is desynchronization between the streams, the streams that have completed and the data transfer and is inactive will no longer report a VDI timeout error. |
CommCell Management
Introduced in |
Product |
Change |
Learn more |
---|---|---|---|
Feature Release 20 |
Alerts and Notifications |
For few CommCell entities, in the alerts with Email, Console Alerts and Save to notification types, links are added to their respective entity pages in the Command Center. |
|
Feature Release 19 |
Blackout window |
In the Command Center, the Rule dialog box has been renamed to the Blackout window dialog box. |
|
Feature Release 20 |
DR Backup |
With Maintenance Release 11.20.72, and above, the primary copy of the DR storage policy is converted to a WORM copy to prevent accidental deletion of data that is not qualified for aging. In addition, when you create a new DR storage policy, the default retention period is set to 15 days and 15 cycles. (The retention period for existing DR storage policies continues to use the existing settings and is not affected by this change.) |
|
Feature Release 20 |
Job Management |
For data protection schedule policy jobs, the stagger time can be set up to 10 seconds. Alternatively, if you are using stagger time for load balancing, enable job throttling at the client group level or the CommCell level. |
Data Management
Introduced in |
Product |
Change |
Learn more |
---|---|---|---|
Feature Release 20 |
Storage Policy Copy |
You can now associate or exclude CommCell entities including the client computer groups to a storage policy copy. You can also view the associated entities to confirm the backup data from which entities is copied during the auxiliary copy operation. Previously, you could only edit the CommCell entity association and not view the association. Also, association of client computer groups was not supported. |
|
Feature Release 20 |
Persistent Recovery Timeout |
The default timeout for a persistent recovery operation is now 7 days. Previously, the default timeout for a persistent recovery operation was 24 hours. |
|
Feature Release 20 |
Deduplication |
You can use the Convert DDB To V5 workflow to configure the Garbage Collection feature and to optimize the deduplication database (DDB) reconstruction. Previously, the Garbage Collection feature and the feature to optimize the deduplication database (DDB) reconstruction had to be enabled from the Storage Policy Copy Properties dialog box. |
|
Feature Release 20 |
DDB Resynchronization |
In case of an unplanned recovery of CommServe or test disaster recovery scenarios, the CommServe restores from a DR backup where the DDB activity is not disabled before the backup, after the DR restore completes, re-enabling the DDB activity runs the DDB resynchronization process automatically without any user intervention. Previously, the DDB resynchronization process had to be triggered manually. |
|
Feature Release 20 |
Disk Library |
If you configure local_lock to an option other than none -- such as all, posix, or flock -- for a mount path on a Linux MediaAgent, the setting can cause data inconsistency for a data verification job. To avoid data inconsistency, the software takes the mount path offline if you apply any of these configurations. |
Deployment
Introduced in |
Product |
Change |
---|---|---|
Feature Release 20 |
CommServe server, Metrics Reporting Server |
Beginning in Feature Release 11.20, Python 3.8.1 is installed when you upgrade the CommServe server or the Metrics Reporting Server. After performing an upgrade, if you have older versions of Python installed (for instance, Python 3.6) that are not being used by any other applications in your environment, you should remove those old versions. |
Feature Release 20 |
Installation Wizard |
Beginning in Feature Release 11.20, the installation wizard was simplified so that the user needs to enter either the gateway hostname and port, or the CommServe server hostname and port. |
Mobile Apps
Introduced in |
Feature |
Change |
Learn more |
---|---|---|---|
Feature Release 20 |
Push notifications for the Commvault NOW and Commvault Edge apps. |
You cannot configure mobile device notifications for the Commvault NOW and Commvault Edge apps. As an alternative, navigate to the Alerts list on the home screen of the apps, to view alerts. |
Viewing Alerts with Commvault NOW |
Reports
Introduced in |
Product |
Change |
Learn more |
---|---|---|---|
Feature Release 20 |
Classic Reports on the CommCell Console |
The Data Retention Forecast and Compliance report contains a new Option tab. This tab includes the Override Copy Retention option, which you can use to change data retention settings for storage policies. |
Options in the Data Retention Forecast and Compliance Report |
Feature Release 20 |
Reports on the Cloud Services Portal |
In the Reports application on the Cloud Services Portal, Companies has been renamed to CommCell groups. Only the name has changed, and all functionality remains the same. |
|
Feature Release 20 |
Reports on Command Center and Web Console |
In the License Summary Report, the Operating Instance (OI)/Virtual Operating Instance (VOI) calculation now includes individual cluster nodes. Cluster clients (pseudo clients) no longer count as OIs. |
Security
Introduced in |
Feature |
Change |
Learn more |
---|---|---|---|
Feature Release 20 |
Roles |
The predefined roles Case Manager User and Case Manager Reviewer are added to address the security needs of the Case Manager tool. |
Storage Management
Introduced in |
Feature |
Change |
Learn more |
---|---|---|---|
Feature Release 20 |
Recalling Index Data from Archive Cloud Storage |
Index data is now recalled using the Cloud Storage Archive Recall workflow. Previously index data had to be recalled using the Cloud Index File Recaller workflow |
|
Feature Release 20 |
Deduplication Database |
The Enable transactional DDB field is removed from the Settings tab in the Deduplication tab of the Storage Policy Copy Properties dialog box. |
|
Feature Release 20 |
Storage Accelerator |
To disable the Storage Accelerator on a client computer, you can use the DisableStorageAccelerator additional setting. |
|
Feature Release 20 |
Cloud Storage |
You can use the Microsoft Azure AD App Registration tool to create an Azure AD application. The tool also creates a credential for Microsoft Azure authentication type IAM AD Application Role assignment. You can assign the credential to a cloud storage library or a cloud storage mount path. |
Microsoft Azure Storage - IAM AD Application Role Assignment |
Virtualization
Introduced in |
Feature |
Change |
Learn more |
---|---|---|---|
Feature Release 20 |
Virtual Server Agent (VMware) |
Unused sectors in NTFS volumes are now included in backup operations. Previously, backups of VMware virtual machines excluded blocks that were not used by volumes in virtual machine disks (VMDKs). |
|
Feature Release 20 |
Virtual Server Agent (VMware) |
For VMware virtualization clients that use Indexing Version 2, the following changes apply:
|
|
Feature Release 20 |
Replication for VMs |
The Replication Monitor page now includes the following new columns on the Periodic tab: Frequency, SLA status, Failure reason (source), Failure reason (destination), and Failure reason (DASH copy). Also, Sync pending is a new status that might appear in the Status column. Not applicable is a new status that might appear in the Failover status column. |
|
Feature Release 20 |
Azure Stack Hub |
Azure Stack has been renamed as Microsoft Azure Stack Hub. Only the name has changed; all functionality remains the same. |
|
Feature Release 20 |
Google Cloud Platform |
Creating a GCP client in the CommCell Console is not supported anymore. Instead, you must create GCP hypervisors (clients) in the Command Center. Though you can continue to manage your GCP environment in the CommCell Console, use the Command Center to access more features and easily manage your GCP environment. |