BE8.6 on a W2K Cluster

[SQLBill]

Has anyone successfully installed Veritas Backup Exec 8.6 on a SQL Advanced Server 2000 cluster?

I'm going on my fourth retry of the installation and just can't get it to work.

-SQLBill

 

[jaksen112]

I installed it on advanced srvr exchange cluster and it exploded in my face, had to restore info store from backup.. total nightmare. I think i will install the non cluster aware version.

 

[SQLBill]

So you haven't tried the non-cluster-aware version yet? My disk set, when I loaded it and went through popup windows, never asked me about the cluster-aware version. According to Veritas, that's normal, it just automatically uses that option if you load two licenses (one for each node).

We seem to get it loaded correctly, but when we bring up the Backup Exec program and login, we can't access any part of the server, the boxes are all grayed out.

My BIG problem is that I can't afford to have it blow up on me....I don't have a development/test/etc database....everything is done on the live database. (Don't blame me....I didn't set it up.) So, until I get this working, I don't have any backup.

-SQLBill

 

[maccyc]

Hey

ive got a win2k adv server cluster running pure file and print on Dell PowerEdge 4400's. When i called Dell about not being able to get the cluster aware version working on there hardware they finally told me that Dell cluster servers do not support backup exec cluster installs! not sure about other server manufacturers though!

hope this helps!

 

[Guest_imported]

Yes, I had to purchase an Advance server / Data Center license. Many hours on the phone with Veritas.

 

[SQLBill]

Okay...found out what is happening on my system (talk about trial and error). If you have the license for Advance Server (which I do) and load two or more Advance Server licenses, BE automatically loads the cluster-aware version and you don't see the prompt.

My problem was solved when I left the license info off and the eval copy was installed - Everything worked! So, after trial and error, I narrowed it down to the Remote Agent License. The remote agent loads, but because we don't have the license it's not operational. That kept throwing me off...if it loaded, I figured it would work, especially since it never prompted me for a Remote Agent license.

Also, if you have a cluster, you MUST have the Remote Agent license.

End result, I'm using the eval copy until I can get the Remote Agent licenses.

-SQLBill

 

[jaksen112]

I dont like that, If its going to auto load the cluster aware version I'm in trouble, blew up my system last time.

 

[SQLBill]

Then you may be in trouble...we only found out about the cluster-aware stuff when we started troubleshooting our problem. When we read the Veritas BackUp Exec Administrator's Guide (downloaded from their site), in the install section, we found the cluster-aware information. We have never seen any comment about it during the install. And after asking Veritas (we get great support, but we pay for it), they told us that's a "FEATURE", that if you are installing cluster licenses...then what's the need to have a pop-up asking you if you want the cluster-aware version.

-SQLBill

 

[jaksen112]

I'll probably just install one license to simplify, my cluster is active/passive so if failover happens I can go w/o a backup for one night if i dont pick up on it that day.

 

[SQLBill]

Mines active/passive also....as I trial and error it some more I'll put what I find out on here. My only problem is I don't have a development DB, I do everything on the production one and pray it doesn't 'crap out'.

 

[jaksen112]

I dont have a test environment either, that woould be expensive.

may the force be with you.

 

[SQLBill]

jakesen121,

got some info for you....we found this out by trial and error....

If you have an active/passive cluster DO NOT load BE on both nodes!

When you go through the normal installation, you first load BE on the Primary Node (PN), provide all the licenses you have, move the cluster to the Secondary Node (SN), and then install BE from the disk onto the SN. I have found out that you only do that if your cluster is active/active.

I repeat here: If you have an active/passive cluster DO NOT install BE on both nodes!!

Instead, install BE on the PN, provide all the licenses for both nodes, move the cluster over to the SN when prompted, wait until it comes up, and then move it back to the PN. AGAIN - DO NOT INSTALL BE ON THE Secondary Node.

Moving it over takes care of everything that needs to be done. We went through the install several times following the directions to load it on the SN, but then we could never get BE to come up on the SN....the services kept on failing. So, we loaded it on the PN, moved the cluster over, and then moved it back to the PN. Everything works fine.

-SQLBill

 

[jaksen112]

Thanks Bill, The cluster setup has proved to be more trouble then its worth for me, I got all my activation keys from veritas last week and only installed on the PN. If a failover happens and cant be resolved that day I'll run ntbackup.