IBM recently released the new IBM Storage Protect (ISP) version 8.2.1. According to the current development strategy, this release primarily adds support for additional server and client platforms. Functional enhancements are planned for the next release.
Server
Starting with release 8.2.1, the following OS platforms are also supported:
- Ubuntu 22.04 ppc64le (Power10 and Power11)
- SLES 15 SP6 and SP7 x86_64, s390x, ppc64le (Power10 and Power11)
- RHEL 9.6 x86_64, s390x, ppc64le (Power10 and Power11)
- AIX 7.2 TL5, 7.3 TL2 and TL3 (Power 10 and Power11)
Going forward, the goal is for the development team to release support for an OS level simultaneously for all supported platforms.
New features in IBM Storage Protect (ISP) Release 8.2.1
IBM has also introduced new features.
Object Lock
For cloud storage pools, Object Lock functionality can now be used on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Azure to make data immutable for a specified period.
Object Lock support for database backups or retention pools in the cloud is still on the roadmap.
Retention Pool
Support is now also available for copying a retention set to an IBM Deep Archive.
Upgrade Strategy
Furthermore, the developers recommend that the upgrade from an 8.1.x version to 8.2.1 should be carried out in several stages.
- The first step is to update your ISP version 8.1.x to the latest version in this branch, 8.1.27.
- This is followed by an upgrade to 8.2.0, before installing version 8.2.1.
If you are performing a fresh installation, you can of course install ISP 8.2.1 directly.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding the update information.
Dr. Christian Biermann, Senior Consultant
Phone +49 174 3022117
Client
For the Backup-Archive Client, the following OS releases have been added from release 8.2.1 onwards:
- AIX 7.3 TL4 on Power10 and Power11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9.6 and RHEL 10 on Power11
- SLES 15 SP6 and SP7 running on Power11 (ppc64le)
- SLES 16 (Power10 and Power11 (ppc64le), x86_64, IBM Z (zLinux / s390x)
- macOS 26.2 (Tahoe)
Furthermore, IBM has added NetApp OnTape version 9.17, including Snapdiff support, to the BA client.
Must Gather Scripts
In ISP 8.2.0, the Must Gather Scripts were still available as a GitHub download. In 8.2.1, these are provided by the installer, so downloading them is no longer necessary.
In addition, IBM has fixed various bugs and security issues in the ISP server and client versions. Details can be found via the following links.
Links
Server
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/apars-fixed-ibm-storage-protect-server-components-82-0
Client
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7252387
Source
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/storage-protect/8.2.1?topic=whats-new
