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Bob_Winston's avatar
Bob_Winston
Level 4
19 years ago

Cannot contact Netware agent even though volumes are listed

Hello Support:

I am using the latest patched version of BE 10.x. I am running backups on Netware Servers running 6.x from Windows 2003 Standard servers. I could formerly contact all Novell servers. Now I am suddenly getting an "Error connecting to remote servers. Make sure the Netware Remote Agent is running" message when I try to run a backup job.

When I look at the logger screen on the Netware console, I am seeing the - new - message of "Get effective rights (message) lookup failed." I have the ADVRTMS.DAT file configured with the IP addresses of the backup servers. When I click on the "Backup" tab in BE, I get a full listing of my Netware servers along with their volumes. (Usually one would get a connection error here if the Netware Agent were faulty.) This volume listing alone used to imply that the Netware Agent was up and running. I have of course run BESTART and the Netware console shows BKEXEC.NLM up and running.

One caveat, I did see a process using Port 10000. So I switched the backup process to use Port 12345, and entered it in the services and CFG files as decimal and Hexadecimal. Any clues as to why I can see the volumes listed under the backup tab / Netware Agents, but when I run a backup job I get the "cannot contact remote agent" errors? Thanks!!!
10.x and Earlier
Backup and Recovery
Backup Exec

11 Replies

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  • Ashutosh_Tamhan's avatar
    Ashutosh_Tamhan
    Level 6
    19 years ago
    - The ndmp port should be free. By default it is 10000.

    - Please update the hosts files.

    - Will you try reconfiguring SMDR. Then properly install and load the Remote Agent for NetWare. Restart the services on the media server.



    Regards,
    Ashutosh

    NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked assumed answered and would be moved to answered questions pool.
  • Bob_Winston's avatar
    Bob_Winston
    Level 4
    19 years ago
    I reloaded the SMDR per Veritas Document /275143.pdf. This made the situation worse in that now the Netware Servers do NOT even show up under the Netware Agents selection listings. Is there another document which better explains the process?

    Your comment on "updating the host files" is too generic for me. Do you mean update the IP addresses in the ADVRTMS.DAT file? This has been done. (It would be most helpful if you could reference specific support documents when advising such things as "update the host files.") Thank you.
  • Bob_Winston's avatar
    Bob_Winston
    Level 4
    19 years ago
    Okay, I re-ran the SMDR and this time did NOT disable SLP (against the instructions of the article) and at least got my Novell Servers back. I also update the system32/drivers/etc/hosts file with all the IP's of the servers being backed up. Now I'm back to where I can still list their contents under Netware Agents. But anytime I try and run a simple test backup, I get "The job failed with the following error. Error connecting to the Backup Exec Remote Agent for Netware Servers. Make sure that the Remote Agent Netware is running on the target computer." Well, of course it's running, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see the volume contents listed under that particular Novell server under Netware Agents. And running bestart at a Command Prompt on the Novell server comes up all green lettering, all NLM's loaded.

    I'm going to see if more NLM's need to be loaded after the SMDR UNLOAD command shut down all of them. (Don't worry, I ran LOAD SMDER NEW) But I still need help please. As an aside, I ran BE 8.x for years with .01% of the problems I've had with BE 9.x-10.x. I just don't get it.... :-(.....
  • Renuka_-'s avatar
    Renuka_-
    Level 6
    19 years ago
    Hello,

    PLease uninstall and re-install the remote agent.

    NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked assumed answeredand would be moved toanswered questions pool.
  • Bob_Winston's avatar
    Bob_Winston
    Level 4
    19 years ago
    I've ripped out and reinstalled the Netware Remote Agent too many times to remember. It didn't help at all.
  • Bob_Winston's avatar
    Bob_Winston
    Level 4
    19 years ago
    Okay, I ripped everything out. I reinstalled the Netware Agent, I checked the ADVRTMS.DAT file to make sure it had the IP of the Media Server. I checked the Medai server hosts file to make sure it had the addresses and names of the Novell servers being backed up. These errors started cropping up after an update to Netware 6.5. Before that I could contact my Novell servers and now have not had a decent backup in a week. My e-mail is winst009@umn.edu and I can be reached at 612-624-9800. I am under maintenence contract and would appreciate a call to get this taken care of. Otherwise, I will be trying to get through the gatekeepers myself to get this resolved once and for all. Thanik you....
  • Bob_Winston's avatar
    Bob_Winston
    Level 4
    19 years ago
    ....furthermore.....the Netware Remote Agent started up (BESTART) with no problem (all GREEN lettering on the logger screen in Novell) on the Novell Servers, including a clean load of OFM. So all looks good there. So the Netware Agent IS confirmed as running on the Netware side....all volumes are listing on the WIndows 2003 Server side (no typical "connection errors" as if the Netware agent weren't running)...but any backup job reports that the agent is not running after the "run now" command...
  • Bob_Winston's avatar
    Bob_Winston
    Level 4
    19 years ago
    Okay, in the process of totally ripping out BE 10.x 5520.2 on the Windows Server 2003 side and reinstalling it from scratch. If this doesn't go, will installl BE Panther Beta as I have nothing to lose at this point. May do Panther either way as Veritas states that this can be installed alongside BE 10.x and ANYTHING to get me away from 10.x and back to 8.x stability would be a bonus at this point!!!! P-)
  • Bob_Winston's avatar
    Bob_Winston
    Level 4
    19 years ago
    Okay, complete resintall of BE 10.x 5520.2 still get the cannot detect the remote agent on Netware Server. So generated an error log. It would appear ERROR: 9 Error: Illegal arguments in request is the problem. The full error log text is as follows:

    09/13/05 14:23:11 FS_InitFileSys
    09/13/05 14:23:11 Initializing FSs
    09/13/05 14:23:11 Initializing SNMP traps
    09/13/05 14:23:11 Catalog path: C:\Program Files\VERITAS\Backup Exec\NT\Catalogs\
    09/13/05 14:23:11 Data path: C:\Program Files\VERITAS\Backup Exec\NT\Data\
    09/13/05 14:23:11 Log file root: BEX
    09/13/05 14:23:11 Software Edition: SOFTWARE_EDITION_DATACENTER_MULTI
    09/13/05 14:23:11 NSE: 0
    09/13/05 14:23:11 Authorized Agents:
    09/13/05 14:23:11 AUTH_AGENT_DOS
    09/13/05 14:23:11 AUTH_AGENT_WIN16
    09/13/05 14:23:11 AUTH_AGENT_OS2
    09/13/05 14:23:11 AUTH_AGENT_WIN95
    09/13/05 14:23:11 AUTH_AGENT_UNIX
    09/13/05 14:23:11 AUTH_AGENT_MAC
    09/13/05 14:23:11 AUTH_AGENT_NT
    09/13/05 14:23:11 AUTH_AGENT_NETWARE
    09/13/05 14:23:11 WinNT information: 5.2 (3790) SP 1.0 "Service Pack 1"
    09/13/05 14:23:11 WinNT ProductType: 2 "LanmanNT"
    09/13/05 14:23:11 WinNT ProductSuite: 0x0110
    09/13/05 14:23:11 Terminal Server
    09/13/05 14:23:11 Server listening on RPC endpoint 'BackupExecJobRunner'
    09/13/05 14:23:11 Running... 'Q' to stop
    09/13/05 14:23:11 JobStatus thread starting
    09/13/05 14:25:05 JobEngine::LaunchJob
    09/13/05 14:25:05 RunJobWithGuidAndServer( {936FD676-AA94-4984-BB20-DBF1A0704977}, OHRPE1 ) = 0
    09/13/05 14:25:05 Thread for job Backup 00011 ({936FD676-AA94-4984-BB20-DBF1A0704977}) starting
    09/13/05 14:25:05 Checking for Evaluation expiration.
    09/13/05 14:25:05 ENGSCRPT: ConvertDeviceName osId = 0Xd
    09/13/05 14:25:05 ENGSCRPT: IN - oldDeviceName = HR-MAIN.NetWare File System/HR-MAIN/SYS:
    09/13/05 14:25:05 ENGSCRPT: OUT - newName = HR-MAIN.NetWare File System/HR-MAIN/SYS:
    09/13/05 14:25:05 ENGSCRPT: No script found
    09/13/05 14:25:05 DeviceManager: incoming event fired
    09/13/05 14:25:05 DeviceManager: processing pending requests
    09/13/05 14:25:05 DeviceManager: query cache miss
    09/13/05 14:25:05 Available and held drives from the pool
    09/13/05 14:25:05 Backup-to-Disk Folder 1 {21167241-381c-45dd-b9e0-c1198df03ec1}.0
    09/13/05 14:25:05 HP 1 {df49113f-0bf1-437e-8700-280ad3f549ff}
    09/13/05 14:25:05 Drives not in use by the Engine
    09/13/05 14:25:05 Backup-to-Disk Folder 1 {21167241-381c-45dd-b9e0-c1198df03ec1}.0
    09/13/05 14:25:05 HP 1 {df49113f-0bf1-437e-8700-280ad3f549ff}
    09/13/05 14:25:05 Drives available (not in use and not held)
    09/13/05 14:25:05 Backup-to-Disk Folder 1 {21167241-381c-45dd-b9e0-c1198df03ec1}.0
    09/13/05 14:25:05 HP 1 {df49113f-0bf1-437e-8700-280ad3f549ff}
    09/13/05 14:25:05 Handing out session {d072d6b6-835f-4f63-81e0-95d6d1bb9ee4} based on available drive:
    09/13/05 14:25:05 Backup-to-Disk Folder 1 {21167241-381c-45dd-b9e0-c1198df03ec1}.0
    09/13/05 14:25:05 DeviceManager: going to sleep for 900000 msecs
    09/13/05 14:25:05 BackupJob: acquired device Backup-to-Disk Folder 1
    09/13/05 14:25:05 BackupJob: trying to mount appending volume
    09/13/05 14:25:09 Updating session {d072d6b6-835f-4f63-81e0-95d6d1bb9ee4} with drive HP 1 {df49113f-0bf1-437e-8700-280ad3f549ff}
    09/13/05 14:25:09 Block size: 65536
    09/13/05 14:25:09 Buffer size: 65536
    09/13/05 14:25:09 Num buffers: 10
    09/13/05 14:25:09 High water: 0
    09/13/05 14:25:09 BackupJob: medium successfully mounted
    09/13/05 14:25:09 Media Label: OHR_June_2005
    09/13/05 14:25:09 Media Label: {1b0c562a-71ce-4cce-9e27-355e164e258f}
    09/13/05 14:25:09 Overwrite Protected Until: 12/30/9999 6:00:00 PM
    09/13/05 14:25:09 Appendable Until: 12/30/9999 6:00:00 PM
    09/13/05 14:25:10 TAPEALERT: Get TapeAlert Flags Return Code = 0X0
    09/13/05 14:25:10 TAPEALERT: TapeAlert Device Flag = 0X0
    09/13/05 14:25:10 TAPEALERT: TapeAlert Changer Flag = 0X0
    09/13/05 14:25:10 Failed to Load Software\VERITAS\Backup Exec\Engine\IDR key, We will update DR file evenif there are userExcludes. Error: 2
    09/13/05 14:25:10 Failed to Load Software\VERITAS\Backup Exec\Engine\IDR key, We will update DR file evenif there are userExcludes. Error: 2
    09/13/05 14:25:10 ndmpConnect : Control Connection information : connection established between IP 160.94.3.129, port 2146 and IP 128.101.240.100, port 10000
    09/13/05 14:25:10 NDMP version 3 connection CONNECTED
    09/13/05 14:25:10 ERROR: 9 Error: Illegal arguments in request
    09/13/05 14:25:10 TAPEALERT: Get TapeAlert Flags Return Code = 0X0
    09/13/05 14:25:10 TAPEALERT: TapeAlert Device Flag = 0X0
    09/13/05 14:25:10 TAPEALERT: TapeAlert Changer Flag = 0X0
    09/13/05 14:25:10 DeviceManager: incoming event fired
    09/13/05 14:25:10 Updating session {d072d6b6-835f-4f63-81e0-95d6d1bb9ee4} with drive HP 1 {df49113f-0bf1-437e-8700-280ad3f549ff}
    09/13/05 14:25:10 DeviceManager: processing pending requests
    09/13/05 14:25:10 DeviceManager: going to sleep for 61000 msecs
    09/13/05 14:25:10 BackupJob::MergeBEVSRJobLogsIfNecessary: No VSR log file found, no merging necessary
    09/13/05 14:25:10 Job thread terminating
    09/13/05 14:26:11 DeviceManager: timeout event fired
    09/13/05 14:26:11 DeviceManager: processing pending requests
    09/13/05 14:26:11 Tossing drive:
    09/13/05 14:26:11 HP 1 {df49113f-0bf1-437e-8700-280ad3f549ff}
    09/13/05 14:26:13 DeviceManager: going to sleep for 900000 msecs
    09/13/05 14:26:13 DeviceManager: dismount event fired
    09/13/05 14:26:13 DeviceManager: processing pending requests
    09/13/05 14:26:13 DeviceManager: going to sleep for 900000 msecs

    CAN ANYONE INTERPRET THIS PLEASE SO I CAN FIX IT?
  • Bob_Winston's avatar
    Bob_Winston
    Level 4
    19 years ago
    It would appear that BE is trying to load IDR with the backup request, even though we have not paid for this option and it was never installed:

    09/13/05 14:25:10 Failed to Load Software\VERITAS\Backup Exec\Engine\IDR key, We will update DR file evenif there are userExcludes. Error: 2
    09/13/05 14:25:10 Failed to Load Software\VERITAS\Backup Exec\Engine\IDR key, We will update DR file evenif there are userExcludes. Error: 2

    After this failed request, the Backup Job is killed. How do I get the IDR out of the load sequence? Anyone???? Anyone???? Or, if this is not the culprit, what is killing the backup job with a "red herring" (that's a wrongly referenced error message for you outspurced contractors overseas) pointing at the Netware Agent? One can see both servers talking to each other....!