Online Backup Migration Path Spaghetti

This morning I received an emailed newsletter about some software that had recently been upgraded. The guys making the announcement were excited, and wanted to share their migration path to the new version, so they created a block diagram. Here’s a picture of it.

That’s right, this is a picture of spaghetti, ‘cause I can’t show you the real diagram without breaking copyrights. The real diagram looks more like a roadmap of crazy town. Let me explain it to you. Refer to the illustration on the left if you get lost.

The diagram clearly shows that version 3.0 can’t be upgraded to 3.2. Period. Neither can v3.1. BUT, guess what? V2.5.5 can, and so can 2.5.1. Now, if you have a 3.0 Client, it can talk to a 3.0 Server or a 3.1 Server, but not a 3.2 Server (or 2.5.5 or 2.5.1 heaven help us) BUT, a 2.5.1 Client WILL talk to a 2.5.1 Server and a 2.5.5 Server and (yes, you saw this coming, you sly reader) a 3.2 Server!

 Got it?

The diagram then gets all Nostradamus-like and predicts that sometime in the future a 3.2 Client will cross with a 3.1 Server, and a 3.2 Server will cross with a 3.1 Client, and they will make cute little 4.0 babies, God willing.

Faced with such an impressive migration path I feel a little awkward presenting the following somewhat less impressive diagram of my own software’s upgrade path.

Rob Cosgrove is the President of Remote Backup Systems, founder of the Online Backup Industry, and a vocal advocate for maintaining the highest standards in Online Backup software. His latest book, the Online Backup Guide for Service Providers: How to Start and Operate an Online Backup Service, is available online now, on Amazon.com, and at bookstores.

 Remote Backup Systems provides brandable, scalable software and solutions to MSPs and VARs enabling them to offer Online Backup Services.