Backup of Master\Media server fails.

[AlphaMale]

In my Server 2003 environment, Netbackup 5.1 is installed as Master and Media server on the file server [user data server]. The robotic library is connected to this server.

I have two backup policies, one to backup the Exchange environment and one to backup the system files and user data.

NBU connects and backs up all the remote servers successfully and within good time.
Yet it fails to backup the server on which it is installed. The error message in the job log is:
"Error bpsched (pid=3632) backup of client exited with status 41 (network connection timed out)"

How is this possible? Surely NBU should know that it is the local server that it is trying to back up? Why is it trying to locate the server on the network?
When I kick off a manual backup, it takes 2 days to backup 100 Gig, yet it takes a few hours to backup 80 gig on a remote server on the same network? Surely backing up the server on which NBU is installed should be fastest of all the backups?

Any ideas?

 

[AlphaMale]

Sorry, forgot to add that I disable anti-virus during backup [as suggested in other threads].

 

[RustyMajor]

Check your network card configuration on that server and verify it is at 100/full duplex. Even if it's at Auto-Negotiate, set it to 100/full. If not, you can have the 41 error codes and very very very very slow (like sub 100K/s) backups. If that's all ok, check your network card driver. If it's an older version, you can have problems like this. Upgrade it to the latest and try again.

Rusty

 

[AlphaMale]

I hear what you say, my friend.
I have checked all of that.

But why does the Netbackup server need to query the network to back itself up? It just doesn't make sense. The server should be backing itself up via the SCSI cable connected to the library, not via the network. I can understand if any of the network clients are slow in backing up, but the local server?

It's almost asif the NBU server doesn't know that it is trying to backup it's own harddrives, and trying to connect to itself via the network.

Simply put: how do you tell NBU to backup it's local hardrives?

 

[Flave]

Hi

NetBackup allways checkes the network to be sure that it is the right client with the right permissions. It is a security issue. Anyway, do you have more than one LAN Interface on the master server, if so, please set the required interface on the master server. Check also full/half duplex, must be on full. Do you use hosts file or DNS - check also the entries. Do you have a firewall setting on the master server - check the rules and enable the required permissions for VxNBU and its services and ports. Did you change entries in the services file - verify that all necessary ports are defined.
Try to connect via telnet on the bpcd daemon: telnet master 13782 - to check if a connection can be established.
To check all the issues, you better go through the steps of the Veritas NetBackup troubleshooting guide - that will help
you.

Cheers
Flave

 

[lenski]

NB treats every client the same whatever the location. So it does the same checks and processes even if the client is the same server as the master and or media server. The backup (transfer of data) is done via the SCSI cable but the checks are done via the network. You may have a names resolution issue. Treat the backup of the master as if it was not on the same server.

 

[AlphaMale]

Thanks for the replies guys.

FLAVE:

"..do you have more than one LAN Interface on the master server, if so, please set the required interface on the master server. Check also full/half duplex, must be on full."
Two NIC's. One is disabled. The other has a static ip, valid DNS entry and is set to 100MB Full. I have entered an entry in the host file that points to itself [useless, but I'll try anything!]
Remember that this is a file server that is part of a Win2003 domain of which I am the sole admin. 100's of users connect to this server to get their files without a problem.

"Do you use hosts file or DNS - check also the entries..."
I'm reckoning that if it was a DNS or name resolution issue, then all my servers would have a problem backing up? They all use the same DNS server.

"Do you have a firewall setting on the master server - check the rules and enable the required permissions for VxNBU and its services and ports?"
Nope. No firewall.

"Did you change entries in the services file - verify that all necessary ports are defined."
Default install. Nothing changed.

"Try to connect via telnet on the bpcd daemon: telnet master 13782 - to check if a connection can be established."
Successfully established a telnet connection.

LENSKI:

After reading Lenskis reply, I compared each clients config with each other. All clients have the same configs.

 

[Flave]

But is the client name on the master server the same as the master servers name ? You can check that through the BAR GUI or in the registry or also through NetBackup itself, host properties, Master Server, right mouse button and properties.
If this works, the backup should work also.
You also can try different commands: bpclntcmd -- (to see the options) or bpdir -M clientname (on the master server).

Well, that means nothing if you can connect within the windows network - NetBackup will also use the reverse lookup from the DNS - did you check those entries as well (reverse lookup is a must - and make sure there is no inconsistency between DNS, Hostfiles and reverse lookup)? Check this one out please.

 

[AlphaMale]

I think [hope] I've got it solved. I'll let the backup finish and then post my findings. [just hope I don't jinx it now!]

 

[RustyMajor]

Good to hear! I've got my fingers crossed =).

 

[AlphaMale]

Solved! Albeit in my own way.

I created a seperate policy to backup the master server on its own. Only after the master server is backed up, do the rest of my policies kick in. The speed is now what I reckon it should be. Why it works this way and not as part of a policy that contains other servers, I don't know. As long as it works for now, I'll tweak and fiddle with it later.
I have this sneaky feeling that it could be the multi-plexing. As mentioned before, the master server is also a file server. The user data alone runs into the 300 gig mark. I've seen threads that mention the inability of NBU to backup huge amounts of smallish files?

Anyway, I've got it working.
Thanks for the effort everyone. I'll probably be back soon with my next problem!

 

[lenski]

NB can backup large amounts of small files but the system overheads are larger than one big file. Multiplex if you want to but it should not effect which jobs run. The system will only write to the tape streams of the same retention, so for example it will not mix full and inc on the same tape. It can let two jobs run in parallel if they are matched when before one was waiting for a resorce.