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Status code 156

jluis
Level 4

Hello,

This is Netbackup 7.1.0.4 on Windows master-media servers.

Several virtual machines (VMware) fails always with 156 error.

This is the error on job log:

 

04/13/2012 00:01:06 - Info bpfis (pid=9720) Backup started
04/13/2012 00:01:07 - snapshot backup of client CD06 using method VMware
04/13/2012 00:06:47 - Critical bpbrm (pid=9340) from client CD06: FTL - snapshot creation failed, status 156
04/13/2012 00:06:48 - Warning bpbrm (pid=9340) from client CD06: WRN - ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES is not frozen
04/13/2012 00:06:48 - Info bpfis (pid=9720) done. status: 156
 
 

This is the bpfis extract log:

00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <4> bpfis: INF - Deleted mount point C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\temp\_vrts_frzn_img_ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES_9720

00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <32> bpfis: FTL - VfMS error 11; see following messages:

00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <32> bpfis: FTL - Fatal method error was reported
00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <32> bpfis: FTL - vfm_freeze: method: VMware, type: FIM, function: VMware_freeze
00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <32> bpfis: FTL - VfMS method error 7; see following message:
00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <32> bpfis: FTL - VMware_freeze: VIXAPI freeze failed with 36
00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <32> bpfis: FTL - VfMS error 11; see following messages:
00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <32> bpfis: FTL - Fatal method error was reported
00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <32> bpfis: FTL - vfm_freeze: method: VMware, type: FIM, function: VMware_freeze
00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <32> bpfis: FTL - VfMS method error 7; see following message:
00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <32> bpfis: FTL - VMware_freeze: VIXAPI freeze failed with 36
00:06:47.996 [9720.9728] <16> bpfis: FTL - snapshot creation failed, status 156
 
 
I haven't found related information that fits that errors.
Any ideas ??
 
Thanks in advance.
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

mph999
Level 6
Employee Accredited

OK, so this looks like a VMware issue, not a NetBackup issue.

 

04/13/2012 00:01:07 - snapshot backup of client CD06 using method VMware
04/13/2012 00:06:47 - Critical bpbrm (pid=9340) from client CD06: FTL - snapshot creation failed, status 156
04/13/2012 00:06:48 - Warning bpbrm (pid=9340) from client CD06: WRN - ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES is not frozen
04/13/2012 00:06:48 - Info bpfis (pid=9720) done. status: 156
 
Can you run a snapshot on one of these clients from within the VMWare console ?
 
This eliminates NBU fom the issue.
 
If this fails, it confirms for certain where the issue lies, and then the problem can be investigate from the 'rifgt direction' (vmware)
 
I hope this is helpful for you.
 
Martin
 
 

View solution in original post

7 REPLIES 7

mph999
Level 6
Employee Accredited

OK, so this looks like a VMware issue, not a NetBackup issue.

 

04/13/2012 00:01:07 - snapshot backup of client CD06 using method VMware
04/13/2012 00:06:47 - Critical bpbrm (pid=9340) from client CD06: FTL - snapshot creation failed, status 156
04/13/2012 00:06:48 - Warning bpbrm (pid=9340) from client CD06: WRN - ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES is not frozen
04/13/2012 00:06:48 - Info bpfis (pid=9720) done. status: 156
 
Can you run a snapshot on one of these clients from within the VMWare console ?
 
This eliminates NBU fom the issue.
 
If this fails, it confirms for certain where the issue lies, and then the problem can be investigate from the 'rifgt direction' (vmware)
 
I hope this is helpful for you.
 
Martin
 
 

ssumi
Level 3
I just had this happen to us in our new 7.5 environment. I believe it was caused by netbackup getting confused. We were testing our VMware backups, often starting and canceling a lot of them. Most times nbu removed its snapshot properly. However a few times the media server actually crashed and it seemed to have gotten confused on whether the snapshots were gone or not. It didn't appear to be host specific as we vmotioned from host to host and the problem followed. We rebooted the media server and that seemed to resolve our code 156. I can only assume that it got confused and had some cached version of our vcenter state showing these machines still had NBU snaps on them, or that the process responsible for vcenter communications for these machines got locked. I'm not sure. We rebooted the media server and we have been running fine now for over a week.

Marianne
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited Certified

Status 156 is a generic snapshot error. There is a l-o-n-g list of possible reasons for snapshots to fail...

As Martin said - before trying to troubleshoot NetBackup, open VMware vSphere Client and try to manually create snapshot for these VMs.

If that succeeds, create bpfis log on the backup host for troubleshooting.

The NBU for VMware manual contains a list of possible reasons for status 156.

Have a look at this TN as well: http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO44492

 

chack22
Level 4

I would also add to make sure you are taking quiesced snapshots from within VMware... we went back and forth with our VMware team on some of the 156 errors, and they kept saying "NBU problem we can snap just fine." We finally discovered that they were not taking quiesced snapshots from VMware thus making the testing invalid since NetBackup is trying to take queisced snaps too. Once they started q-snaps, they discovered and admitted the problem was on their side...

jluis
Level 4

Hello,

I've just tried manual snapshots with quiesce option from vCenter and run fine.

There're NO temp snapshots.

The error is reported by bpfis:

 

<32> bpfis: FTL - VfMS method error 7; see following message:
<32> bpfis: FTL - VMware_freeze: VIXAPI freeze failed with 36
<16> bpfis: FTL - snapshot creation failed, status 156
 
I'm not vmware expert, do you know how and where to search on vmware logs ??
 
Thanks for your support!
 
 

jluis
Level 4

Hello,

This solved 156 error on several host (66% sucess):

If snapshots (with quiesce) from vmware fail:

- Look for old delta files on snashop directory and rename them. That blocked new snapshots.

If snapshots don't fail from vmware reinstall vmware tools.

 

Regards.

mph999
Level 6
Employee Accredited

Good to hear you  resolved the issue.

Could you mark the post the helped you the most as the solution.

 

many thanks,

 

Martin