Upgrade from 12.5 to 15 - The assigned license does not allow Shared Backup Plans
Hi,
I've upgraded from Cyber Backup 12.5 to Cyber Protect 15.
All in all, it went smoothly. Our system has a mixture of VM, Server and Workstation backups.
However, the Workstation licenses are no longer 'fixing' and I'm seeing the following message if I look at the Workstation backup plans:
Plan limitation
The protection plan cannot be run for x devices as the assigned license does not allow the following functionality:
- Shared backup plans
You can disable the modules with unsupported functionality to continue using the protection plan. To change the license manually, select the device and then go to Details → License.
How do I fix?
Cheers
Neil
Thanks Maria,
So, functionality has been reduced in the upgrade? This scenario was working in 12.5.
My workaround for this is to create individual backup jobs for each workstation licence. Messy, but it works.
Neil Myers wrote:Thanks Maria,
So, functionality has been reduced in the upgrade? This scenario was working in 12.5.
Yes it has and it is not the only function that dissapeared.
Version 15 has been so buggy and taking out some important functions, tha here we decided to revert back to 12.5.
Before, you could validate the backups, now it's part of the advanced license.
Before you could have shared backups, now, it's part of the advanced license.
Before, you could check all your plans in one place (the plans menu), now, it's part of the advanced license.
Then there are the bugs... Licenses dissapearing whenever you change a plan.
I contacted support on these issues and, when you catch someone that actually speaks english without eating their own words so you can understand them, its they who dont understand you and always make you escalate the problem... In the meantime, made you spend hours on the telephone and colecting never ending logs that have nothing to do with the issue.
Only to later, after escalation, someone smarter tells you the bugs aren't bugs, but features (first three problems) and the last one is really a bug and is beig solved at the moment.
Good i bought perpetual license..
Hello Ricardo,
thank you for sharing your feedback!
We appreciate your honest opinion on Acronis software and Acronis Support Team.
Before, you could validate the backups, now it's part of the advanced license.
No, you can still enable validation in a protection plan in Backup options:
https://www.acronis.com/en-us/support/documentation/AcronisCyberProtect_15/#36339.html
Before you could have shared backups, now, it's part of the advanced license.
The main advantage of an Advance license over a Standard one is centralized management. The Standard license type is designed for small environments where devices could be managed locally. In Acronis Cyber Protect 15 the Advanced's and Standard's license specifications are emphasized. That is why shared protection plans remain in Advanced licenses but not in Standard. Please see a full list of version differences here: https://kb.acronis.com/content/65304
Before, you could check all your plans in one place (the plans menu), now, it's part of the advanced license.
You can still view protection plans for each device in the Devices tab
Then there are the bugs... Licenses dissapearing whenever you change a plan.
We hope that you do not encounter this issue anymore - it has been successfully fixed.
Hi Maria,
Thanks for the explanation of Ricardo post. Unfortunately, I must share almost the same experience about Acronis support Ricardo had.
Also, changing licences option is really unpleasant. It is ok to add new features but removing features is really unpleasant. And it is not advertised as it needs to be. You can do upgrade smoothly and no warning of license changes!!!
Very disappointing.
Hello mmilis,
thank you for sharing your honest opinion!
Yes, we value your feedback and understand your disappointment with this fact. I pass it to the Program Manager.
However, as I stated above, the shared backup plan feature has been initially designed for operating in large environments, temporary left for 12.5 Stadard editions but now moved to Advanced license editions.
Hi Maria,
Again, too many forward of my feedback the Program Manager, unfortunately, don't see a lot of improvement.
What do you mean a large environment?
The experiences with support are very painful.
Hello mmilis!
I don't think you'll find a definition for "large environment" anywhere. So many ways your infrastructure can be large...
You clearly find this feature useful though, wouldn't it save enough of your time for it to worth the licence upgrade?
EDIT: As an example, I manage ~200 computers 95% of them share the same plan, which is a huge improvement over how it was managed (1 computer - 1 plan) by another administrator previously. The data stored on them isn't critical, but configuring the computers is long enough and downtime costly enough that advanced licence is a no-brainer.
Hello mmilis.
Again, too many forward of my feedback the Program Manager, unfortunately, don't see a lot of improvement.
This is my job: I could influence on adding features by collecting customers' feedback.
What do you mean a large environment?
Such an environment that is too big for creating multiple backup plans manually.
Please consult this detailed document for feature and license differences between Acronis Cyber Protect 15 editions: https://dl.acronis.com/u/rc/DS_Acronis_Cyber_Protect_15_Editions_Comparison_EN-US_200826.pdf
You clearly find this feature useful though, wouldn't it save enough of your time for it to worth the licence upgrade?
The issue here, is that before we could do it with the far less expensive license. After upgrade to version 15, you are blocked of these features unless you again pay more for the advanced licenses. Though it may make sense to a 50 or more worker company, it comes as very expensive to a 5 work posts company, not to mention the the surprise factor, as you are never warned of the loosing features.
Anyway, as i mentioned before, here we downgraded to version 12.5 and now everything is fine.
The interestingthing is we were thinking of upgradiing everything to version 15, but considering the cost (upgrade+advanced licenses), we aborted the plan.
Thanks for your attention.
Hello Ricardo!
Do keep in mind that eventually support for 12.5 will drop (not even security patches after 2022 september). Personally I think adapting to the changes in features is preferable to an unpatched system. Lifecycle announcements here: https://www.acronis.com/en-us/support/lifecycle/business.html
-- Peter
I understand your point, and it is a valid one. I see the version 11.7 is still supported, so i was taking it from there. Maybe version 12.5 will be supported during less time.
Anyway, we bought perpetual licenses, so when that time comes we wiill see if by then Acronis will be fullfilling our needs for an acceptable price (considering our needs), or if we will need to change the software supplier. Fact is, for us the advanced license is too expensive and we don't use 90% of the features ofered. (excepts for the ones mentioned and included on the basic license of version 12.5)
When you buy a lot of licenses, it's not so important, as as the number grows, they give you a quantity discount that the avanced license becomes almost at the same price as a basic one. But for who is buying less, the advanced license is quite expensive.
Regards,
Ricardo Santos.
Hello Ricardo,
thank you for sharing your user experience and position here.
We understand how you and other customers are disappointed with this feature loss.
Yes, downgrading to Acronis Cyber Backup 12.5 is a temporary workaround.
I see the version 11.7 is still supported, so i was taking it from there.
The extended support for Acronis Backup 11.7 ended May 31, 2019.
Though it may make sense to a 50 or more worker company, it comes as very expensive to a 5 work posts company, not to mention the the surprise factor, as you are never warned of the loosing features.
This is the difference between Standard and Advanced: it is not a big job to create backup plans for each of 5 Agent when the same is rather time-consuming for 50 Agents.
I bought Acronis years ago because it offered simplified licensing and easy configuration and maintenance. Now, Acronis has gone the way of Veritas (aka the dodo) and has made everything more complicated as a means to squeeze out revenue. Adding features may gain new customers, but the only thing that keeps existing customers is reliability and ease of use.
Reliability has never been there for me. I've had multiple performance and reliability tickets opened but never resolved. Backups failing randomly, a single VM backup running kills performance of an entire VM cluster, Offsite replication schedules that never work and more. Acronis blamed Dell EMC. Dell EMC blamed Acronis. All I know is that I have no performance issues until backups start and that I don't have reliable backups and no one is helping fix that.
Now, I tried to install v15 and I can't even assign licenses to servers or add them to plans, even though it says the licenses are activated.
Oh yeah, and it can't even backup up our instance of M365.
I'm uninstalling v15 today off my secondary backup server, in order to demo Veeam, (also looking at Commvault). And you should too. Santa Claus is bringing me a new backup system this year.
--Joel
I am like Ashmite, I did not see the interest of the new versions of Acronis, so much nonessential functions that I have elsewhere with my security products, reliability who is going down more and more.
Recently I installed new build of the version 15 (Cyber protect 15 advanced), and then my licence was no more accepted, I asked the online support for help, the "limited" support guy did not know that this new build go take the keys in the Acronis account instead (and failed of course), he was swimming and did not understand about it, make me lost 2 hours looking at his no sens research...
I told him to stop and give me the previous build who worked perfectly with our licences key, he promised to send me the link for the previous build. He finally send me the link ONE WEEK later... great job.
As I was installing a new server in production, it was just a joke. Hopefully as we manage numerous Acronis for our customer, I find a working build (15.0.27009) in another customer server and finished my new server right away with this installation file.
Another great news is that our distributor seem liquidating all the Acronis perpetual licences, do that mean Acronis become only a subscription product ? For sure you will lose a lot of customer... we will start to look for other product replacement, we are selling Acronis from the version 8.x. to our customer but everything have a end.
Hello Christophe!
Another great news is that our distributor seem liquidating all the Acronis perpetual licences, do that mean Acronis become only a subscription product ?
Cyber Backup 15 (A separate edition of Cyber Protect 15) is still available with perpetual licences...for now. Looking at how most software today is going the software as a service route, I wouldn't expect this model to remain for long.
-- Peter
Christophe Ruettimann wrote:Another great news is that our distributor seem liquidating all the Acronis perpetual licences, do that mean Acronis become only a subscription product ? For sure you will lose a lot of customer... we will start to look for other product replacement, we are selling Acronis from the version 8.x. to our customer but everything have a end.
Hello Christophe,
we're really sorry to know that you're disappointed with the new licensing policy.. Please refer to https://kb.acronis.com/content/68375, which provides more information on why Acronis is making this change.
Hi,
I also want to express my disappointment with the new licensing policy. I have just installed standard version to a new infrastructure and I realized all aforementioned changes. We have branches all over the world and I was supposed to read an article to know where Acronis sells perpetual and where subscriptions...
I also knew (until 12.5) what Standard license do and what are the advantages of Advanced. Unfortunately now I feel that Acronis wants to sell only advanced licenses since the changes make the Standard version problematic.
I really wonder what what was the problem with that "plans" button... I can still add many VMs to a plan but I should do it from another menu...
I renewed my perpetual support and I purchased some subscription licenses for now but honestly I put the evaluation of other product in my roadmap for this year. So, I wish our complains to reach the decision group in Acronis before it's too late.
Thanks.
Hello Athanasios,
thank you for taking the time to share your honest feedback! I've passed to the product management for review.