The Backup Exec Device and Media Service could not start because the database recovery has failed.

[Evans_Leung]

Hi!

Backup Exec 12 installed back in April, everything was running fine, then 2 weeks ago we had a power cut and since then Backup Exec 12 (12.3164) refuses to run with the above entry in the event viewer.

After reboot the only BE service that starts is "Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Systems". All other services fail... (Must depend on the "Backup Exec Device & Media Service".)

The event log (Application log) only gives me one BackupExec error. Event ID 58068 with the following description "The Backup Exec Device and Media Service could not start because the database recovery has failed.  Refer to the database recovery log for details.".  The other error comes from SQL - it suggests me to run DBCC CHECKDB but since I'm not very experinced with SQL2005 I have no idea how to run that.

One thing I can't find though is the BEDB database in my SQL server, but there's one called MSDB and it looks like it has all the backupexec stuff in that database.

Should I reinstall Backup Exec (is there a way I can export the backup jobs information when it's offline), or should I try that DBCC command? 

Many thanks in advance.

Evans

[Hywel_Mallett]

This is a bit strange to get this error after a power cut...

When BE is running normally, it uses the SQL2005 instance to store its configuration. Because you don't want to use the SQL Agent to backup BE's SQL instance, the BEDB is routinely dumped to a file (BEDB.bak), which will be included in the filesystem backup. The SQL .mdf and .ldf files won't be included, as they're automatically excluded, and they'd be locked in use anyway. There should also be some $4idr files from the initial installation in there too.

When you do a disaster recovery on a BE server, there's no working SQL instance, as the .mdf and .ldf files are missing. The BE Server service notices this (somehow), and will attempt to recover the SQL instance, by restoring from the $4IDR files and the BEDB.bak file. I'm not sure of the precise method it uses to do this.

The error you are getting is when BE cannot recover the SQL instance from the BEDB.bak file.

The database recovery log can be found in the Backup Exec Logs folder, called dbrecover.log.

I've found in the past that an installation that has been upgraded from BE10 looked in the wrong folder by default for the recovery files. I know this from spending a long time trying to work it out myself!

[Dariel_Cruz]

The recovery log shows that it is looking for the bedb.bak file thru a network path \\Localhost\c$\BE intsallpath...\DATA but there is not network available yet, why would it be using a network path? and does anyone know if this can be changed somewhere in the registry maybe?

[#4]

hi i would suggest you to run the database recovery using the beutilty in order to isolate the issue.

C:programe files\symantec\backup Exec | Beutility.exe

double click on it and then click on yes
once done that on the right hand side u would see ur server name right click on it, and from select Recover database

Recover data use the first option and run a recovery, that should fix it if does not check the error if it says database linkage error

checkek for the registry HKLM | Software | Symantec | Backup Exec for Windows | BEdatabase

there should be a key
1)database serevr name with ur  backup server name as value
2) database server path should be pointing to data folder in the BE installation folder (right click on the BE icon and click on properties and tahn click on find target 0 should give u the installation directory

Registry Eg: server database path
value : C\programe files\ symantec\backup Exec \data
 
3) database server log path value should be the ssame as C\programe files\ symantec\backup Exec \data

if do not find this key add them restart the SQL service and than try and start the BE device and media service.

if this doesnot work stop the SQL server service(BKUPEXEC) copy the data and catalog folder in the BE installation directory so that can be used later on to get the configuration back

use BEutility select the option recover database, and use the option drop existing and reload from base.

let me know if this resolves ur issue

[Dariel_Cruz]

Sure enough I plug in my NIC to a dumb switch and the services start right up, now... can someone from symantec explain that one to me? why would the recovery proccedure use a network path to find the BEDB.bak file???

[Dariel_Cruz]

Yeah I went thru all of that, the recovery will always fail with no explanation, this operation does not log to the dbrecover.log file , maybe it logs using the debug log feature or whatever,
The registry shows "Server Database Server Name" key and the value is the server name and nothing more, further more I ran a search on the registry for that path and found nothing, so it must be generated with code? anyways I think someone from symantec should look into it but I don't expect them to even read this post they don't seem to get it half the time anyways, but for you out there... plug your NICs on!!! even if you don't plan to use it yet.

[Dariel_Cruz]

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec\Backup Exec For Windows\Backup Exec\User Interface

Data Path Remote                                                            -->\\SERVERNAMEI\C$\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\
Disaster Recovery Alternate Data Path                        -->\\SERVERNAME\C$\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\
Disaster Recovery Alternate Data Path Remote        -->\\SERVERNAMEI\C$\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\
Disaster Recovery Data Path                                         -->\\SERVERNAME\C$\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\
Disaster Recovery Data Path Remote                         -->\\SERVERNAMEI\C$\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\
Disaster Recovery Path Remote                                   -->\\SERVERNAMEI\C$\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\

Don't ask me how this paths got in there they are on the original server too, I would look at a default install later but I get the feeling this is not the default and someone had been here before me for some other reason. I will be changing it to the defaults.