Backup Exec 12.5 on SBS2008 - LiveUpdate - Backup Exec Job Engine - Stopping

[Stylax]

Hi,

Have Backup Exec 12.5 installed onto an SBS2008 server and we seem to have an intermittent problem whereby the backups are intermittently failing the reason being that the Backup Exec Job Engine is stuck in a 'Stopping' condition.

On checking the server logs it appears that a LiveUpdate had started about an hour or so before the backup was due to start and the log reports various Backup Exec service were attempting to be stopped...this seems to be the problem,

Looks like the Backup Exec Job Engine got stuck Stopping and then got itself into a deadlock state.


Having to restart the server to recover from this.

Anyone know why this is happening ? have tried turning UAC off on the server, but it still happens..

Also seen this behaviour on several other servers. Backup Exec Job Engine stuck stopping...

Have disabled LiveUpdate in Backup Exec thereby electing to manually update Backup Exec as an when required..

This particular server still had Backup Exec LiveUpdate enabled, which I have disabled now..

But why should this be happening ?

Surely if LiveUpdate is running for Backup Exec it ought to be able to stop and restart it's services without any problems ?

[Dev_T]

Hello,

Whenever a Backup Exec patch/hotfix is installed it will restart the ser vices, this is by design. I faced the same problem, I am not patching backup exec until and unless I face any issue.

Never run live update when backup exec jobs are running.......

Hope this helps....

[Colin_Weaver]

First a question do you also run Symantec anti-virus products?

Then some info that might help:

Backup Exec can be configured to use LiveUpdate in OptIn or OptOut mode - if Opted In then any schedule to run LiveUpdate by any Symantec product that uses LiveUpdate (for instance Anti-Virus) will also try to update Backup Exec.
If in OptOut mode then you have to run LiveUpdate manually from inside the Backup Exec console in order to update Backup Exec.

If LiveUpdate finds a patch that you don't have already it will download it and try to install it - Backup Exec updates (whether applied manually or using LiveUpdate) nearly always require that the services are stopped prior to the install process making changes. However the installer itself has a timeout for requesting the service stop which fails the install if it is exceeded. Note it is not LiveUpdate stopping the services it is the patch installer via the API calls provided in the Microsoft Installer  to request a service stop all liveupdate does is start the installer.

Sometimes the job engine service can take a while to stop - and in fact will take ages if a job was active at the time of the shutdown request. In this intsance you seem to indicate that the jobs haven't started yet so it is just that the service stop request was sent in and something on your server stopped the request itself from succeeding.

There is not much we can do to help with the stop request starting but never completing as that is more of an environmental condition, and although we almost certainly try to restart any stopped services when the installer rolls-back, a service that is in state "stopping" cannot actually be started.

However you can control when the requests are made to stop the services by opting out of LiveUpdate - to do this use the command line utility beupdateops.exe with the optout switch (run it with no switches and I think it gives you the syntax.)

If this fails then you can completely unregister BE from LiveUpdate using the same command line tool - however once you have done this you will have to manually download hotfixes and support packs from our website to keep up to date.

[Stylax]

Hi Colin,

Yes all the servers will have SEP 11.x RU5 installed...and of course this will be running LiveUpdate on a regular basis.

Where the  Tools > Options > LiveUpdate > 'Enable scheduled automatic updates' is ticked in Backup Exec  -  if I untick this won't this remove it from the global LiveUpdate initiated from SEP 11.x management ?

Or do I need to do the opt out business as described by you as well ?

It certainly looks as if all of these servers appear to be in a stuck Stopping state shortly after a LiveUpdate being started.

Though this is occuring whilst Backup Exec is idle , ie not actually running a backup, so I suprised that it is causing a problem.

I'd much prefer to use LiveUpdate for updating Backup Exec on as as required basis every now and again as opposed to it being in Automatic LiveUpdate mode...but I'd rather avoide having to manually work out what patches need to be manually downloaded and installed manually..

Have I not acheived this by unticking this 'Enable scheduled automatic updates' as mentioned above ?

[Colin_Weaver]

No that option affects a scheduled run inside Backup Exec - which I had forgotten about (most customers leave that set to Only Notify)  but as far as I can remember can be used with the OptOut option to run scheules outside of what SEP mighty be using.

As you can't have 2 instances of LiveUpdate on 1 System all Symantec Products that use LiveUpdate share it in someway which is why SEP schedules can affect BE.depending on whether you are opted in or opted out - which can only be set using the command line tool. - Slight concern here is that I though the default for 12.0 was opted in and the default for 12.5 was opted out.

What really gives the game away is that if you run LUALL.exe from it's program files folder (and NOT from the menu option inside of the Backup Exec console). if BackuP Exec is listed in the installed components list (with LiveUpdate in Interactive Mode) - then you are opted in - as BE should not be listed when starting LUALL from program files folder. Noet in Express mode I don't think you see a list so can't tell as easily.

Either way you need to check your settings using beupdateops.exe (run in a command prompt) - note I don't think you can view the current status of the registration usng this tool - so you just need to run the command to set the status you want

beupdateops.exe -? = Show options
beupdateops.exe -AddBE -OptOut = Opt Out of LiveUpdate Schedules (from SEP)
beupdateops.exe -AddBE -OptIn = Opt Into LiveUpdate Schedules (from SEP)
beupdateops.exe -RemoveBE = unregister BE from LiveUpdate

[Stylax]

Thanks, I'll give this a try..

[Stylax · Accepted solution]

Can't get the beupdateops.exe program to run even from an administrative command prompt...with UAC disabled..

However if I just run it from Windows Explorer it says that it has "Sucessfully registered Backup Exec with LiveUpdate and set the mode to OptOut"

Subsequent execution of the file does the same thing....ie it doesn't seem to toggle..

If I run LUall.exe again it has indeed removed Backup Exec from the LUall.exe list of products...which is what we want I guess.

Why can I not get it to run from a command prompt then ?

Ah...I see why..

It should be:

BeUpdateOps.exe /? = Show options
BeUpdateOps.exe /AddBE /OptOut = Opt Out of LiveUpdate Schedules (from SEP)
BeUpdateOps.exe /AddBE /OptIn = Opt Into LiveUpdate Schedules (from SEP)
BeUpdateOps.exe /RemoveBE = unregister BE from LiveUpdate

ie forward slashes and *not* dashes….!!!