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RDX Configuration Fails

jcoffin
Level 3

I just installed Backup Exec and was trying to set up an RDX drive.  Operating system is Windows Server 2019.  The disk sets up ok but when it goes to configure if gives a configuration failed message and just says that "the parameter is incorrect".  Can't figure out how to resolve.  Has anyone experienced this and know the fix?

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Accepted Solutions

EliasA
Community Manager
Community Manager
Employee CPEP

Here is a link that talks about BE and Azure:
https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/article.100038940

Here is a link that talks about best practices for disk based backups:
https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/doc/72686287-131623464-0/v71108670-131623464

While it is easy for Backup Exec to be configured in several ways for what you want to do, the best is to align it with your backup strategy. yes you can continue to do backups until the media fills, or you can alternate media daily, or, etc....
Sounds like you are up and running, glad to hear that!

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12 REPLIES 12

JustineVelcich
Community Manager
Community Manager
Employee

Hi @jcoffin ,

I think it may be helpful to start here, just to ensure it is configured correctly: https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/doc/59226269-99535599-0/v59493807-99535599
 
Would you please let me know if the above setup worked for you, or if you got stuck somewhere in these steps, please identify where so we can troubleshoot further?

Thanks!

Hi Justine, 

Thanks for your reply.  I had looked at that document and set it up according to instructions.  It first set up and wouldn't configure giving an incorrect parameter.  I figured out it it was a setting in the RDX I had forgotten (I had set it to look like a fixed disk so it would work with Windows Backup).  When I changed the RDX setting to removable it set up as a device and then showed disk one in it.  I understood that it was supposed to recognize and number the cartidges on its own but it didn't do that and when I change disks it doesn't recognize them.  I have rebooted multiple times and unplugged USB and drive with mixed results.  I have reinstalled Backup Exec twice and a about to do one more clean install.  

I am running this on Server 2019, which tends to have myriad device incompatibilities so I'm wondering if there is a problem there.  Both Backup Exec and RDX have been updated to supposed Server 2019 compatibility.  If I'm missing something, I'd love to know what it is!

Thanks,

John

EliasA
Community Manager
Community Manager
Employee CPEP

Hi @jcoffin 

Let me provide a few other things to check in hopes that they help.

I believe you may need to stop the RDX tools service. This is part of the RDX tools/software.  We have seen some cases where the disks inside the RDX drive have the same DiskSignatures.
 
So when you swap out the cartidge, Windows gets confused along with BE, thus it thinks the same disk/RDX is in the drive and you get all kinds of errors issues.
 
If you have 2 blank RDX cartridges, I would stop BE services.
Then insert a disk and use diskpart to change the DiskSignature (This can be random like 2 articles below).
 
Then insert the 2nd RDX and give it nother signature different than the first.
Then start BE services and place RDX1 back in and run a inventory on it.
Then remove it and insert RDX2 and iventory or see if it shows up ask RDX 2 etc.

Hi Elias,

Thanks for your help!  The disk signatures may be the problem.  Once I change from fixed disk mode to removable it loaded the device fine but the problem appears to be recognizing the disk.  In fact, right after configuration it recognized that a disk cartridge was in there and could write to it.  If I took the same disk out and put it back in, it didn't know it was there-  I will work on this.

Well, I did all that was mentioned above.  I actually uninstall BE and then stopped all RDX services.  When I ID's the individual disks using Diskpart, all three returned unique numbers (59E701B1, 00000001, and 721509A).  

So that doesn't appear to be the reason that the disks are not being read/recognized.  Anything else anybody can think of that Imight be the source?

 

EliasA
Community Manager
Community Manager
Employee CPEP

Thank you for the update on the situation and confirming that the ID's are unique.

As you place each cartrdige in, did you run an inventory on the cartridges as you put them into the unit via BE (or do you still get the error upcon configuration)?

Also, what type of connection is the RDX? USB/SATA or SAS connection or....

I had only recently purchased BE through TechSoup and am not fully familiar with it.  The instructions for setting up the drive didn't say anything about inventorying the disks so I didn't know to do it although in the end, it was one of the many things I tried.  When I hit ok to inventory the disk no other windows came up.  So given that I wasn't exactly sure what inventorying did, I couldn't tell whether  it did anything or not, and it didn't appear to improve the disk recognition problem...

The RDX is external and is a USB 3 connection.  I will clean reinstall BE and try setup again to include inventorying the disk.  When I do the inventory should some sort of popup window come up with information?

EliasA
Community Manager
Community Manager
Employee CPEP
There is no pop-up to indicate to run a inventory.
There should be an Alert in lower left of the console that the RDX cartridge was removed or inserted. When changing media, the  best practice is to run a inventory job to let Backup Exec know that new media is present in the storage Device.
 
 
You can schedule an Inventory Job to run at a certian time ie 30 mins before the job runs. This maybe handy if somebody is changing the RDX cartridges and walking away from the server and thus not require user intervention or access to BE console or server.

Well, I am prepared to announce a qualified success!  I reinstalled Backup Exec.  During this I also noted in the instruction mention of a Central Admin Server, which I guess does not install with the standard installation.  I installed that as well and have no idea if that was it, but this time it worked!  I ran an inventory on all three disks and it numbered them.  When I change a disk it still doesn't recognize it automatically but if I run the inventory again, it sees it.  Is it normal for it not to recognize a disk unless the inventory command is run?

So now in setting up a backup, I'm a little confused as to how backup exec manages the cartridges.  Does it see them as one big disk and do I just keep backing up until prompted to change to the next disk?  Do I create a disk pool with the cartidges?  I'm planning to do a full backup weekly and incrementals daily (am also backing up to azure).

I also noted that Backup Exec can manage Azure backups as well.  I tried to set that up and it connected to Azure but wouldn't see the backup.  I will try that again, even though the Azure backup is working fine it would be nice to manage it all in one place.  Any thoughts on setting up Azure would be very helpful or links to instructions.

Thanks for this help.  I'm finally feeling like I'm making progress!

 

John

Thanks for these links, they are very helpful!

EliasA
Community Manager
Community Manager
Employee CPEP

Here is a link that talks about BE and Azure:
https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/article.100038940

Here is a link that talks about best practices for disk based backups:
https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/doc/72686287-131623464-0/v71108670-131623464

While it is easy for Backup Exec to be configured in several ways for what you want to do, the best is to align it with your backup strategy. yes you can continue to do backups until the media fills, or you can alternate media daily, or, etc....
Sounds like you are up and running, glad to hear that!