Server-Level OS Identification

Resources

Retrospect Backup has desktop editions and server-level editions. It uses specific attributes of an OS to determine whether the OS is a server-level version, and that identification varies between platforms.

Windows

Retrospect can access the edition of Microsoft Windows from the Windows API. It uses the result to determine whether or not the operating system is a server-level version.

macOS

Originally, Apple shipped a separate OS X Server operating system. However, with the advent of the App Store, they migrated that functionality into an application that you can purchase from the App Store. Retrospect Backup uses two specific files that are installed by the "macOS Server" application to identify the OS as a server. When you delete the application, those files are not removed. Please contact our Support team for help.

Linux

Retrospect identifies all installations of Linux as server-level versions. The vast majority of our customers use Linux as a server-level environment, and there is a great deal of variance in what tools are installed so as to identify what counts as a server version. If you have an issue with a desktop Linux distro being counted as a server edition, please contact our Support team.

Last Update: October 22, 2018