Yeah, the fact that we have had a problem with ArcServ for months and
they have no idea what the problem is. Their solution is to rebuild the
novell server it is running on. The tapes are blank after a back up. I
dont want to get into a diatribe about what we have done, just leave it
at we have tested everything like tape drives, cables, cards, etc.
We are not having any fun with them recently either.
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: Micciche Robert
Sent: Fri 11/2/2001 12:09 PM
To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues
Cc:
Subject: CA Meeting
This is really making my day. I will have CA in my office today
at 2:00 PM.
Why are they coming? Well my opinions really didn't matter when
I worked
for a pidly little 25 million dollar company. Now that I am
with a fortune
500 company, and I am canceling all of their products and
replacing them at
every opportunity with direct competitors- NOW my opinion
matters to them.
Greatest beef with them- Tech support. I absolutely can not
understand a
damn word any of their techs say to me. They balked at that,
but said they
were still "very concerned". Guess what? I tape recorded a
conversation I
had with Inoculate IT License Compliance on Tuesday. After I
play the tape
for them they are going to receive a grin from ear to ear- and
be escorted
out of the building.
Anyone want me to bring anything else up at 2:00? ;-)
-----Original Message-----
From: Lefkovics, William [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 12:59 PM
To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues
Subject: RE: Computer Associates
Personally, I don't mind vendors participating as long as they
are reactive
and not proactive. This is not a sales floor.
The example I presented to them was that of Macromedia Software.
They pay
someone to answer questions in peer forums. They do not market
their
products or try to upsell. They just answer difficult
questions. Sometimes
that includes a "Sorry, our product can't do that."
I have 'invited' CA here many times, by emailing every address I
could find
at www.cai.com. This time they answered. I imagine it might
have to do
with the 46% decline in revenue for fiscal period ending
September 30, 2001.
But I speculate.
The CA bashing is getting old. We can only come up with so many
euphimisms
for ArcServeIT [1].
William
[1] ArghServeIT. AckServeIT. ArcSmurf. ArkWreckIT.
ArcServeS*it.
UnNerveIT. etc.
-----Original Message-----
From: Boswell Tim [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 8:58 AM
To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues
Subject: RE: Computer Associates
"In the past it has not been their policy to participate in
these forums
because vendors aren't always treated very well."
Would that be vendors in general, or just ones who produce
lousy, unreliable
products with a comical level of support, and expect people to
use them to
get business critical systems back up and running in the event
of a disaster
which was quite possibly caused from using said product in the
first place?
-----Original Message-----
From: Lefkovics, William [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: 02 November 2001 16:38
To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues
Subject: Computer Associates
CA contacted me, concerned about posts I've made regarding their
products.
In the past it has not been their policy to participate in these
forums
because vendors aren't always treated very well. They are
reconsidering
this policy.
William Lefkovics, MCSE, A+, ExchangeMVP
Here is the list of ACTUAL quotes I assembled for them in
response to their
sudden concern (I did not include names, but these are from
public forums):
When someone made a comment like this:
-"We have bought Arcserve 2000 w/ the backup agent for Exchange
to backup
our Exchange Server and have been having nothing but problems."
- Saul,
October 10, 2001
The ACTUAL replies were as follows:
-"Do you really want us to go for the entire day about how
HORRIBLE of a
product Jerkserv is/???? NTBACK2k [1] is 1000 times better.
Return the
Jerkserv and install Backup Exec"
-"The best thing to do with CA products, is to place them in the
dumpster,
where they belong."
-"We have been using Arcserve 2000 for awhile now and I would
have to say
that it DOES SUCK."
-"why do people buy that program? I have never heard anyone say
anything
nice about it?"
-"Don't get started on that crappy as*s piece of software."
Other comments about CA software, by those who actually use it:
-"Let me clue you in on something. I've got a good friend at
CA - he told me that they have a bad time getting their E2K
servers backed
up
using their product!!!!"
-"ArcCrap is exactly that... Unreliable, no support, a pain in
the arse,
breaks more than it fixes... Shall I go on?"
-"Arcserve does an excellent job of backup things up, it's
downfall is the ability to restore things...."
-"Arcserve and anything is not a good choice."
-"I agree on Arcserve, which is the lowliest of backup products
anyway."
-"Arcserve and a dumpster are a perfect fit."
-"There's only so much overtime one man can do, and my quota's
fully taken by using AarghServe"
-"Run away! Fast! Seriously. There are very few here who like
working with
ANY CA products even if they inherit them, much less ask for
them."
-"you can switch to arcserve if your current backup is too fast
for you"
-"Running Innoculan was somewhat akin to flogging myself."
-"I've only purchased a few products from CA and the support was
absolutely horrid. I have had other system administrators with
the same
experience. Most of the products themselves were very good until
CA
buys the company, then the support seems to go down the tubes."
-"I can't seem to get ARCServe to back up my (WINNT 4.0 SP6)
Exchange server
5.5 SP2 data files."
-"EjaculateIT has worked well for us as a desktop antivirus
solution for our
office, but for the Exchange Agent, I'd recommend hiring a
tibetan monk to
analyse code segments manually for viral patterns than ever
recommend this
piece of crap clearly written by laid off AOL programmers."
-"The last time I remember any kind of success with ArcServe was
when
Computer
Associates didn't own it and it was running on Novell. Ever
since Computer
Associates got involved, it has become unreliable garbage."
-"Yes, although usually alot of things tend to not work after a
CA product
is
installed."
-"When it comes time to update CA's stuff, maybe an alternative
would be in
order
here."
-"in my short time in the IT industry InoculateIT 4.53 is the
worst piece of
software I have had the displeasure
to work with. Closely followed by Arcserve."
-"I don't feel like playing with ArcServe**It right now."
-"I just started a new job. they have this SQL server that is
all hosed
up. I uninstall JarkServ and it all worked better : > no more
problems
go figure."
-"Don't use arcserve - its horrible."
-"We cannot get a good IS backup using ArcServe2000..."
-"Given the knowledge (or lack or it) exhibited by various CA
techs, I trust them about as far as I can throw them."
-"You hate ARCServe? Can't understand why. Don't you like being
pummeled by
a brain-dead licensing and registration process that's just an
extra added
bit of torture?"
-"when we moved to Exchange instead of Netscape Messaging
Server, we
discovered that Arcserve wasn't too friendly"
-"If our damn Arcserve was working could have restored the whole
box, but it
has been failing
for a while."
-"We use InocIT because the tech people aren't making enough of
the buying
decisions around here. I would choose anything but InocIT.
Actually I
would stay away from any CA product..."
-"A search on ArcServe's tech support FAQs revealed nothing."
-"licensing was the worst aspect of CAI products. Make that 2nd
worst, after
tech support"
-"ArcWreckIT will do exactly that..."
-"Arcserve backups have been failing and I haven't got a
backup."
-"this InoculateIT software sucks!"
-"I gave up using Arcserve 2000 - went back to using NTBackup,
and then onto
Backup Exec."
-"I hate ArcServe... I am holding my breath until we get the new
servers up
and running -- and they won't be
using ArcServe."
-"I am a fully signed up member of the CA bashing bandwagon."
-"We unfortunately still use InnoculateIT on the desktops.
Innoculate
couldn't catch a virus if it were sprinkled with anthrax
powder."
-"Unfortunately, yes, I have tried the CA support site. Spent 3
hours going round in circles on it trying to find a decent
answer!!"
-"the answer would be, 'Anything but Arcserve.'"
-"Federal law prohibits using the words "CA", "Exchange" and
"scan" in the
same sentence."
-"...having nothing at all is better than having InnoculateIT
because then
you don't have a false sense of security?"
-"It tells me the Database is corrupted. THANK YOU COMPUTER
ASSOCIATES!"
-"It goes great with the Inoculan Antivirus and Log File
Discombobulator system from Compooter Assoshiates."
-"A similar thing happened to me when installing Computer
Associate's
Inoculate IT according to the installation instructions on their
CD. I do
not recall exactly all the changes I made, but it had to do with
permissions
and/or search privileges. CA sent the "proper" installation
instructions
via email saying, "Oh yeah, the instructions on the CD are
wrong". It still
took several hours with PSS to get things back to normal....
I don't know if this helps or if is just another anti-CA rant."
-"We are trying to set up Arcserve 2000 to backup our Exchange
2000 server,
we
have bought the Exchange backup agent but are having a hell of a
time trying
to set it up!!!!"
-"ahem, I think that this just might be another quality CA
experience."
-"We bought ARCserve but it's just sitting here, unused and
unloved."
Still, I close with a Haiku discussion from an Exchange
Discussions forum,
which in its own way summarizes sentiment about your products :
It's Five-Seven-Five
Your first line was only four
Go Punish yourself
I screwed up haiku
So must now punish myself
Installing arcserv
Installing Arcserve
Is not enough punishment
You must make it work.
And backup alone
Is not good enough either.
You must restore too.
And when you are done
Please call CA and let them
Know how you did it
List Charter and FAQ at:
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm
List Charter and FAQ at:
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm
List Charter and FAQ at:
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm
List Charter and FAQ at:
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm
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