I have 8.2 DataOnTap Clustered with Storage Virtual Machines (SVM). There is a bug in 8.2 related to NDMP browsing that was “fixed” in 8.2.1 according to the bug list.
This is a CDOT problem. Tape backup on CDOT is very limited.
Before buying NetApp storage we tested against 8.1.3 7-mode DataOnTap and it worked perfectly with CA ArcServe Backup R16. I could backup NDMP by browsing and restore single file or folder to NDMP with browsing or Windows cross platform. Under CDOT this does not work. I feel tricked. I have a work around that allows specifying a folder for back up and I can perform single file restore to a manually typed location but browsing and cross platform support is gone.
I have been hunting for a better solution since 2013.
I tested BE2012 a few months ago and was considering testing BE2014 until I saw your post. When I tested BE2012 I could not browse the volume to back up a set of folders or snapshots. I was working with Symantec sales and had a sales engineer and they said NetBackup behaved the same way. Why would I buy something that can do no better than what I have?
I PoC’d the expensive CommVault Simpana 10 and it has support for SVMs via pass through. It cannot browse volumes for folder backup or restore destination. They said it will be added at some point. The subclient feature that allows specifying folders to backup felt very limiting. As the product sits today I cannot justify the cost.
Since NetApp SnapProtect is a subset of Simpana. I have not evaluated the product but I think it would behave the same as Simpana. I am still looking for the right solution.