AS9 DR Exception Error

[Tencel]

I am running AS9 on Windows NT 4 Server (SP6a w/hotfixes) that is a PDC for a local domain. The Disaster Recovery module and Open File Agent are installed and working properly. I am using an HP DDS4 tape drive with OBDR set up. The backups seem to be working fine, but when I test the Disaster Recovery restore using OBDR on a test server, it goes through the sequence like it is supposed to but stops at around 90% and gives the following error: DR Exception Handler Ver 1.0 Exception Cause: EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION (Attempting to write) Exception Flags: Non Continuable exception Exception Address: 779f8a38h. It will then end and allow me to reboot, but the system does not come up in a usable state.
I also have another identically configured server that is not a domain controller that is having a different problem. It says the disaster recovery restore completed successfully, but upon rebooting, it dies during the boot process (when the screen turns blue giving the Windows NT and processor info). The message goes by so quickly I cannot make out everything it is saying before it reboots. It does have the word Exception in it.
This OBDR was working perfectly with the exact same hardware when I was running ArcServe 6.61 with the same modules. I did update the first server (the PDC) to AS9.1, but I get the exact same results. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[rabowsm1]

I am having a similar message during the DR process of a AS2000 machine. The DR restore stops with the exception error and then all I can do is reboot ending up with a corrupt system ofcourse.
Maybe the dr.log can tell you more. You can start it by activating the DR logging during the DR process. Start the DR process as you would do normally. Then, at the screen where the sessions are assigned to the partitions on disk, press and hold CTRL and SHIFT and doubleclick on the image. That should give you some options. One of them is to activate logging. The logfile ends up in c:\drboot.tmp\system32\dr\log. You can copy it to a floppy disk (zip it first). To do so, when the error message appears, move the error window aside and start the command box (do the CTRL+SHIFT+doubleclick thing again). Use it to copy the file to floppy. We found out by looking at the dr.log that we use a different build of the DR Option compared to the AS2000 build.

Let me/us know!

 

[ACiDelic]

Keep in mind that the DR option does not support restore to alternate machine. It is designed specifically to restore to the original machine.

Since your restore is failing during the reboot then maybe the drivers backed up from the original server do not match the hardware on the server you are restoring to. Mismatches drivers can cause a blue screen.

 

[Tencel]

This was quite an old post of mine. I have since moved on to AS 11, and these problems went away. The hardware of the test server was identical to the production server, so drivers were not the issue. Like I said, it worked with AS 6.61, but AS 9 had some problems. The current AS 11 works fine.

 

[rabowsm1]

We do use the same hardware. Ofcourse, when an array controller fails, for example, we replace the faulty controller with a new one of exactly the same type. So hardware indifferencies won't be the cause of the problems.

 

[lzcwsq]

There is something else i would liket to add if you filter out any file what so ever in the backup the DR cannot work

funny cos most of us exclude the pagefile.sys who needs 2gb of data on a tape, that you will probably never use but BABv9 seems to think you do, any way thats my bit added,

we have decided to go with the old fashioned DR way of rebuild Win2k from script (in new window folder renamed) and blow over the sys drive and registry, and sys state and we can rebuild on any box.

hope it helps

 

[rabowsm1]

That's not completely true, Lzcwsq. We are filtering out some files on Arcserve 2000 but it does doe the backup thanks to a patch we got from AS2000. It is also said to be included in SP5:

PROB #: 28 FN: T36A015 FT: CJ8 DATE: 17 Oct 2002
STARTRAK PRODUCT NAME: ARCSNT (Star Problem Product)

PROBLEM SYMPTOM: NT -DRIFDLL RETURNS WRONG MEDIA NAME
----------------------------------------------------
>>> ATTN: THIS FIX IS FOR NT W2K ONLY <<<

>>> ATTN: APPLICABLE LANGUAGES <<<
ALL
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
When user does a full backup and he/she sets some filters on a particular drive (for example: Exclude D:\program Files\*.*), after Arcserve finishes backing up, The drifdll.dll will then search for the last successful backup which didn't have FILTER flag then save the media name associated with that drive to the file called MACHINENAME.DRF. As a result, during Disaster Recovery, DR will then ask user to insert an old media name in order to continue DR.

 

[lzcwsq]

oh i c rabowsm1 thanks

should have specified it is the BABv9 and only relates to the DR recovery type, the full backup works ok.

the answer was straight from CA engineer so i can only assume they are right?

good to know it does work for BABv7 think that what you were refering to with sp5 comments