Can't backup Exchange DAG from passive copy

[Alexis_Gonzalo_]

We can backup the active copies of a Exchange 2010 DAG, but the backup from the passive copies quickly fails with status 2. For now we are backing up the active copies, but we are very interested in backing up only the passive copies.

When the backups of passive copies are tried, no bpfis logs are created, but the bpresolver log provided this:

20:47:52.192 [6092.5584] <4> Resolver_Exchange::generate_TopologyList: Processing fixed-up file spec Microsoft Exchange Database Availability Groups:\Usuarios_8
20:47:52.192 [6092.5584] <2> [fsys\shared]       : DBG - <FROM BEDS>FS_ResolveDevName: [\\dag02\Microsoft Information Store\Usuarios_8] (../BEDSContext.cpp:124)
20:47:52.192 [6092.5584] <2> [fsys\mb2]          : DBG - <FROM BEDS>MB2-Resolve returned 1 (../BEDSContext.cpp:124)
20:47:52.489 [6092.5584] <2> [fsys\ese]          : DBG - <FROM BEDS>EseE14::GetTargetDatabaseCopyStatus(IN)  ... machine:"dag02", database:"Usuarios_8" targetSite:"", options:0x4, flags:0, count:0 (../BEDSContext.cpp:124)
20:47:52.754 [6092.5584] <2> [fsys\ese]          : DBG - <FROM BEDS>EseE14::GetTargetDatabaseCopyStatus(OUT) ... dag:Yes, status:"Mounted", active:"dag01", passive:"dag02", healthy:No, mdb:Yes, cas:cas.domain.cl, clustered:Yes (../BEDSContext.cpp:124)
20:47:52.754 [6092.5584] <2> [fsys\ese]          : DBG - <FROM BEDS>E14::ResolveDeviceName([Backup]    "\\dag02\Microsoft Information Store\Usuarios_8") => "dag01" ... 0x0 (../BEDSContext.cpp:124)
20:47:52.754 [6092.5584] <2> Resolver_Exchange::find_last_good_server: Path = Microsoft Information Store:\Usuarios_8, database = Usuarios_8
20:47:52.754 [6092.5584] <4> Resolver_Exchange::generate_TopologyList: No backup history for database 'Microsoft Information Store:\Usuarios_8'.
20:47:52.754 [6092.5584] <2> [fsys\shared]       : DBG - <FROM BEDS>FS_ResolveDevName: [\\dag02\Microsoft Information Store\Usuarios_8] (../BEDSContext.cpp:124)
20:47:52.754 [6092.5584] <2> [fsys\mb2]          : DBG - <FROM BEDS>MB2-Resolve returned 1 (../BEDSContext.cpp:124)
20:47:52.972 [6092.5584] <2> [fsys\ese]          : DBG - <FROM BEDS>EseE14::ResolveServerForBackup(Option:1, Preferred Servers: "dag02" ... count:1 (../BEDSContext.cpp:124)
20:47:52.988 [6092.5584] <2> [fsys\ese]          : DBG - <FROM BEDS>EseE14::GetTargetDatabaseCopyStatus(IN)  ... machine:"dag02", database:"Usuarios_8" targetSite:"", options:0x2, flags:0, count:1 (../BEDSContext.cpp:124)
20:47:53.097 [6092.5584] <2> [fsys\ese]          : DBG - <FROM BEDS>EseE14::GetTargetDatabaseCopyStatus(OUT) ... dag:Yes, status:"Mounted", active:"dag01", passive:"dag02", healthy:No, mdb:Yes, cas:cas.domain.cl, clustered:Yes (../BEDSContext.cpp:124)
20:47:53.097 [6092.5584] <2> [fsys\ese]          : DBG - <FROM BEDS>E14::ResolveDeviceName([Backup]    "\\dag02\Microsoft Information Store\Usuarios_8") => "dag02" ... 0xe000037f (../BEDSContext.cpp:124)
20:47:53.097 [6092.5584] <16> rai_resolvePathName: Server failed to be found
20:47:53.097 [6092.5584] <4> Resolver_Exchange::generate_TopologyList: No backup server found for database path \.
20:47:53.097 [6092.5584] <16> Resolver_Exchange::generate_TopologyList: No databases in the file list were resolved to backup servers
20:47:53.097 [6092.5584] <8> bpresolver_main(): Exchange 2010 item <\\dag02\Microsoft Information Store\Usuarios_8> not backed up.  See bpresolver log.
20:47:53.097 [6092.5584] <4> bpresolver_main(): bpresolver output:
20:47:53.097 [6092.5584] <4> bpresolver_main(): -------------------------------------------------------------------
20:47:53.097 [6092.5584] <4> bpresolver_main(): -------------------------------------------------------------------
20:47:53.097 [6092.5584] <16> bpresolver_main(): bpresolver could not resolve the passed directive set.
20:47:53.097 [6092.5584] <4> bpresolver_main(): INF - EXIT STATUS 2

Right now, the DAG is composed by two Mailbox Servers, one only has passive copies and the other one only has active copies. According to the Exchange Management Console, every DDBB has two copies and all the active ones are in the same Mailbox Server. That server also holds a Public Folder.

In the Database Management screen, the "Servers" field shows both mailbox servers, the "Mounted on Server" field shows only the mailbox server used for active copies. This is valid for all databases, except for the Public Folder.

If I use "Active only" or "Passive copy and if not available the active copy" the results are the same, the backup is done through the active copy. Using "Passive copy only" ends in failure, even if using a Preferred Server list.

We tried turning all the passive copies into active copies: the problem persists while backups from the "new" active copies work fine.

In the Client Selection, we use the name of the DAG, not the hostname of the Windows servers.

Backup Selection is "Microsoft Exchange Database Availability Groups:\".

There is a CAS server, but we are not backing it up, we only installed the NetBackup client on the Mailbox Servers. We are not using GRT.

NetBackup Client Service is started as Local System. We used some accounts with equivalent permissions as the ones listed in the NB documentation, but the results did not vary. We haven't tried using the domain Administrator account yet.

Circular logging is configured in most of the databases.

NetBackup Master and Media have RedHat with NB 7.1.0.3.

Exchange: Windows 2008 R2 Enterprise 64-bit, using the NB 7.1 client.

[J_H_Is_gone]

BEDS>EseE14::GetTargetDatabaseCopyStatus(OUT) ... dag:Yes, status:"Mounted", active:"dag01", passive:"dag02", healthy:No, mdb:Yes, cas:cas.domain.cl,

have the exchange guys check that the passive copy is healthy.

in the exchange console

click on the name you want to backup

in the bottom, the active copy should show mounte

but the passive copy should show healthy.

[Omar_Villa]

Sounds NBU Client Service doesnt have enough rights to read the DB, check this link I think is very near of what you are facing:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH143364

Regards.

[Sebastian_Baszc]

Hey Mate, 

Have you configured Distributed Application Restore Mapping? If not - check the Exchange Admin Guide, p. 86. Also - by default, the service account should be Domain Admin and Exchange Admin to have R/W permissions to read and write from the Exchange. 

[Alexis_Gonzalo_]

Thanks for the replies.

About the "healthy:No" log, that line appeared in all of my tests on passive copies so I thought it was normal. Right now, the Exchange console shows all Passive Copies as Healthy and all Active Copies as Mounted. I'm afraid I didn't check that status before, so I'll have to test backups on passive copies.

About the TECH143364 and starting the NetBackup Client Service as something different than Local System, I thought that was only required for GRT or MAPI mailbox backups. Right now we only need full backups on the databases (storage groups) and we don't need granular restores. I'll try to use the domain administrator account for doing at least a couple of tests. I'll also try the Distributed Application Restore Mapping thing.

[ECGrey]

can anyone shed some light in this problem? i am having the same issues.

thanks

[Oddy]

The status code 2 in the bpresolver log might be a permisson issue.

Make sure that the netbackup client service and the netbackup legacy service is running in a domain admin account that is a member of the Organization Management group on the dag server.

Check that the active dag server can connect to the passive node and see the resources, i.e  

net view dag02

If that does not work check you network resolution and the shares.

I hope this helps.

Rgds

Oddy