NBU 6.5, VMware intergration, Failed to get VM Server Info List.

[Emanuele_Pola]

Hi @ all,

 i've  installed  the NetBackup 6.5 (master+media), i'va also installed on it the vmware VCB 1.0.3 framework because it

is my vmvare proxy. I've installed the enterprise client license, configured who is the vmware proxy, and who is the

vmware virtual center with the correct user / password.

The Virtual center verision is 2.0.2, the version of my 4 esx server is 3.0.2.

When i try to schedule (using snapshot wizard) a vmware backup the configuration failed to get the list of virtual

machine from virtual center with status "Failed to get VM Server List".

Into virtual center log i can seed "User xxx log-in" and after 10/15 sec "User xxx log-out".
If i try to delete the virtual center host form netbackup account config and enter one of my esx server it works and

show me the vm machine working on it.

Any idea what could be wrong?

Best regards

[Mindaugas_Lauci]

Hi,

I had same issue and contacted Symantec support. They know this issue exists and it will be corrected in only 6.5.1 release.

You can add / remove clients using bpplcliens

[Emanuele_Pola]

Hello,

thanks for the answer. I've just open a tiket for this issue.

Regards

Emanuele

[Stumpr2]

Please post the solution when you get it from symantec support.

thanks.

[Emanuele_Pola]

Be sure, i'll do.

[CSguy]

Try Increasing the GUI Connect Timeout to 300 Seconds I have seen this work.

1. Click view
2. Click options
3. Change gui connect timeout to 300  seconds
4. retry vmware server list operation

[Mindaugas_Lauci]

I had ticket open with support. And they didn't provide any solution. They just told me that it will be resolved in next release only.

[Emanuele_Pola]

I had a tiket too, yesterday they told me to increase gui timeout to 300 .. didn't work, today they told me to increase to 420.

This evening i'll do the tests and let you know if is working.

Regards

[Stumpr2]

We are hanging in there.

[Emanuele_Pola]

 

Hi,

this afternoon tech guys told me to increase gui timeout to 400.

It didn't work, after that i try to increase it to 500 ("bpdown" and "bpup") and finally it work.

With 500 of timeout i'm able to query my vm machine into virtualcenter and add it to the policy.

Just after close the policy and wait untill the autocheck feature finish i've tried to reopen the policy and add anothe vm machine, it didin't work and say me "failed to get vm ..".

Close nbu gui, reopen it and retry and it work.

I was able to reproduce this error 4 times.

Any suggestion?

[Mindaugas_Lauci]

I have only one suggestion.. Wait till they fix an issue. :D

Meanwhile you can use bpplclient command.

[Andy_Welburn]

Not sure if this posting is too late or not, but here goes.

We've just upgraded our NB to 6.5.1 as this would allow us to fully backup the VM environment & after reading this thread we were not expecting to get the error "Failed to get VM Server Info List" when trying to "Browse Virtual Machines" believing it likely to be fixed in 6.5.1. Even tried increasing the timeouts (up to 4000 !) to no avail.
However, reading further forums elsewhere, we've tried one solution from a VM forum that has certainly worked: install the Admin Console on the VM proxy (and also add the proxy to bp.conf as a SERVER) & voila (?) we can now see our VM's!

[Peter_Jakobs]

just adding my expirience..

if you create the dir c:\Program Files\VERITAS\Netbackup\logs\bpVMutil on the proxy server you see what is happening between netbackup, vcb and the virtual centre.

Peter

[Mindaugas_Lauci]

Thanks for the tip Andy. I've upgraded my test NB installation to 6.5.1 and I was till not able to retrieve VM list from VM SC. But after I added proxy server under additional servers list on master it started working.

I have another issue now. I tried to backup VM using FlashBackup-Windows policy type and 2-mapped FullVM parameter. Backup work great. But I wasn't able to restore individual files. After I Backup, Archive and Restore client I can see backups history, but then I click on green pin I receive error "WARNING: unable to obtain list of files using specified search criteria.". Does anyone had this before? Any ideas how to solve this problem?

Thanks!

Message Edited by Mindaugas Laucius on 01-07-2008 10:34 AM

[Andy_Welburn]

Are there any error messages in the logs? Could possibly be that the images files for this backup are incomplete:

"When VERITAS NetBackup (tm) executes backups, it writes information to the Images database on the NetBackup master server. The Images database resides in /usr/openv/netbackup/db/images. For every backup, NetBackup writes two files to the Images database:  the backup image header file and the "files file."  For a valid NetBackup image, both of these files must exist, otherwise the backup image is incomplete and a restore is impossible."

Some time back we had several instances where 'bad image header' has been logged in the 'problems' log & discovered 'corrupt' images files and that we could not restore some client backups. In our case we just deleted the 'offending' items as we could restore from a different backup, but if this is not possible you may need to re-import the images from tape.

[Mindaugas_Lauci]

I don't see any errors in the log files and checked /images/ folder. I see two files for each test backup I made, "files file" is only 3Kb. Looks too small to me.

As I understand, NB is creating VM full backup and it suppose to "look in side" the .vmdk file and grab the file list, right? Looks like in my case it doesn't. :)

[Srikanth_Gubbal]

Hi Laucius,

I too tried on same test installation(6.5.1), but still not able to retrieve VM list(13), even after adding proxy server under addtional servers list on master server.

master server: windows server 2003

version : 6.5.1

VCB framework: 1.1

master+media+proxyserver+virtual data center-- all are installed in one server

please provide me a detailed note how you resolved this issue and also please correct me if proxy server and virtual data center can be installed on same server.

regards,

Srikanth.

NetBackup Admin and Troubleshooting Specialist.

[Mindaugas_Lauci]

Hi,

I didn't do any additional steps. I was following "How to configure and use NetBackup 6.5.1 for VMware" document. The only think document doesn't mention is adding proxy server to additional server's list on master. Symantec recommends to install media server on VM proxy server, and that way server would be added to the list automatically. I didn't install media server on VM proxy servers, only client piece.

I'm not sure about your environment. I wouldn't recommend to put all pieces on one server, but for testing purposes I guess it is fine. Look over document I mentioned (link to the document can be found in earlier posts of this discussion), don't forger to add proxy server name under master's properties and user credentials for VM system center.

[BeezSK]

Make sure if you have a 64bit proxy or master server that you move the default install of VMWare Consolidated Backup from Program Files(x86) to just Program Files. That should let you browse the Virtual Center server.

Backups worked well after that but I ended up in the same state as above when attempting a restore "Unable to obtain a list of files using the specified search criteria". I was able to do restores if I backed up using option 0 (files only) but not Option 2 Mapped VM.

[BeezSK]

After upgrading to 6.5.2 I get a file read fialed (13) error when I try to list the VMs. Anyone else run into this?