Network Disaster Recovery disk

[t521932]

Hi!

I'm trying to make an network disaster recovery, and it seems like I need an "Network disaster recovery disk". How do I make this disk? In addition to the three nt boot-disks, I have made a n ARD disk and a "server spesific disk". I have tried all of the option during the "Create boot kit" process and all I get is the "server spesific disk". This disk don't work.
I'm running Arcserve 2000 on a W2000 machine, trying to recover a Nt-4 machine.
Can anyone help?

 

[santanaa]

Hi.
The disaster recovery option will work in my opinion only if you have created the disaster recovery disks just after installed this option in your NT4 machine.

The condition is: you must create the disks before using them.

Besides, I think it will not be possible to recover a NT4 machine from a W2000 machine.

When you boot up the NT4 machine with the disks created from the DR Option the process will ask you to put the right disks while making the install.

I hope this help clear the situation.

Bye,

 

[t521932]

Thanks for taking the time to answer!

Does this mean that I must create the disks locally on every machine in my network? This is Nt-4.0 machines. I did create all of the disks on my backup-server, which is an W2000server.

thanks

 

[santanaa]

Hi,

Yes, i think you had to create the disks in every nt4 machine because i understand that some machine's information is recorded when you create the disks and if you try to recover with information from another, in this case using another operational system you will get problems.

Regards,

 

[monkeylizard]

Sorry t521932, I think you're going to have to do this the long way. Santanaa is correct. You have to install the DR Agent on each machine you want to be able to recover and create a DR disk set for each machine. Unfortunately, ArcServe's documentation does not maken this very obvious and you've been left holding the bag.

All that aside, where do we go from here?

You'll need to re-load NT 4.0 from scratch onto the crashed machine along with any of its Service Packs. Be sure to use the original name and IP address. Install any ArcServe Client agents that were on the NT4 machine before the crash.

Now just do a simple (yeah right) restore from your ArcServe server of the machine that crashed. In theory, this should re-load everything, including the original NT registry. I've never tested this (and hope I never have to), but be prepared for the possibility that you may have to do a complete re-load of the NT 4.0 server and all of its applications, services, settings etc. and then just restore any data files from the ArcServe tapes.

Good Luck and let us know if we can help. Monkeylizard
-Isaiah 35-

 

[t521932]

Hi!
I've just did this the hard way, reinstalled nt4 in a different catalog, installed the agent and did run an ordinary restore. This worked fine!
But, the problem is:

If I have to install DRO on each server, I think I have to install Arcserve 2000 too. It looks like DRO exspects the main programme to be installed with the consequences that means regarding licensing. I'm backing up at least 30 servers, in a mixed nt4/W2000 envirement.

On my backup server, making boot disks, I have the option "server spesific disks" and it seems like the backup server has the required information about the other servers.
But, DRO don't ask for the "server spesific disk" during recovery, it asks for the "network recovery disk". I don't get that option during the making of boot disks.
Perhaps you're right and I have to spend a lot of money to lisence 30 servers with Arcserve 2000 Adv.edition.

Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[monkeylizard]

Not exactly...
I know this is an old thread, but I need to re-visit it to clear up some mis-conceptions and to ask some questions...

DR = Disaster Recover
DRO = Disaster Recovery Option
AS = ArcServe
***Also note that all of this is for AS6.61 and NT4 It may be different for AS2K and or Win2K***

To install the DRO, you do indeed need to have AS full blown install on a server. However, the good news is that you don't need to install DRO on your individual servers.

AS6.61 (and I assume 2000 as well) Server is the only place you need to install the DRO. Now this is where we get into the wonderful world of Arcserve's unreliability and seemingly unexplainable problems.

For this illustration, Server X is the Main AS Server. Server Z is the client server being backed up by X. We will also assume that X is backing itself up as well.

ServerX needs to have AS and the DRO installed. ServerZ only needs the Client Agent for the particular OS you are runnning on Z (NT Client Agent for example) [you also want to use SQL agent and OpenFiles Agent if appropriate, but it's irrelevant to Disaster Recovery]

When ServerX performs a full backup of ServerZ, it writes certain records to some magical place in the lousy database that catalogs ServerZ as having been fully backed up, etc...This database flag that shows a full backup has been performed is what adds ServerZ to a list in the the Boot Disk wizard discussed below.

Now onto the Recovery Disks.

There are 5 disks that you have to make for each individual server if you want to have a set for each box (recommended method). The first 3 are Windows disks and the last 2 are AS disks.

Windows disks:
Windows NT Server Setup Boot Disk (disk1)
Windows NT Server Setup Disk 2
Windows NT Server Setup Disk 3

These are created at each individual server (ServerZ in this case) by clicking Start...Run and running winnt32 /ox. If this doesn't work, run a search in the NT help files for "Setup Disk"

ArcServe Disks:
ArcServeIT Disaster Recovery Disk
ArcServeIT Network DR Disk

These are created by ServerX through the AS DR Boot Disk creation wizard (should be in your Start Menu)

Naturally, ServerX should have all of its disks made by itself, but ServerZ should make its own Windows Setup Disks, then ServerX will have to make both the Network Disaster Recovery Disk and the Disaster Recovery Disk for ServerZ.

I know this is getting long, but let's keep going (this may become my longest post yet)

Boot Disk Creation
These steps are all done on ServerX
Run the Create Boot Disk program from the ArcServe folder in your Start Menu. If it's not there, run drcreate.exe from the directory that ArcServe is installed to.

Select your AS server (ServerX) and click OK.

Select the radio button next to Specific to a Computer. This should populate the box below with all of the servers that have been backed up by ServerX (all of your ServerZ's in other words).

Highlite the appropriate ServerZ and click Next. Follow the Wizard and give it the disks that it asks for.

PROBLEMS & ISSUES
One problem I have had in the past is that ServerX would not accept the blank formatted diskette that it needed to create the Network DR Disk. I kept getting some kind of 'Unreadable disk' type error. Even new diskettes gave the same results. Eventually, I tried formatting the diskette on ServerX, and then and only then did it acceptr the blank formatted disk to be used for the Network DR Disk.

Now that I hope I have answered some questions, I hope I can get some help here as well.

My server X does not list ALL of my ServerZ's in the DR Boot Disk wizard. It shows all but one. That one is backed up regularly and I KNOW that the backups are good. This ServerZ used to be my ServerX and still has AS installed on it. Could this be causing the problem? I think I'll try removing and re-installing the NT Client Agent on Z and also remove Z from X's list of Clients, then have X re-detect Z as an NT Client. Any other tips on making Z show up in the list would be appreciated.

A final thought, and I'll wrap this up.
A mixed Windows environment was mentioned in previous posts. ServerX modifies the NT Boot disks of ServerZ during the AS DR Boot Disk Creation process. In a mixed environment, I would think that a Windows2000 ServerX would be able to correctly modify an NT4.0 ServerZ's boot disks, but I don't know if the process would work the other way. CA may have some info on this on their

http://www site,

but like I said, my knowledge stops at AS6.61 and Windows NT4.0
Monkeylizard
-Isaiah 35-

 

[t521932]

Thanks for your interest in my problem, I do preciate it. Now, back to the problem..
During the "make boot disk" process, the wizard doesn't make the "Network DR disk", the last disk is labeled "Machine spesific disk" instead. I'm sure that I hace followed the procedure correctly.

Regarding your problem, the only reason I can think of, is that the server Z isn't completly backed up. If you unmark a drive, catalog, file etc, server X doesn't collect the required DRO information. You have to mark the hole server for backup.
This is the only possible reason that I can think of.

 

[Guest_imported]

Listen,
To DR NT 4 on AS2000 on a WIN2000 box, you shouldn't have a problem. Install the DR patch off of the web site. Remote DR of Win 2k is not possible without this patch. With NT4, there are less disks (obviously) than DR on win2k. It is not asking you for the Network recovery disk because it is actually nt4, try DR on win 2k, you will see it ask for the disk.

Man, anymore questions, let me know.