Problem

OpsCenter displays 'Retired' entry for NetBackup Master Server after a hardware refresh and new installation with Catalog recovery of the Master Server

Error Message

The original NetBackup Master Server is disabled in OpsCenter, and displays as 'retired'.  The newly configured Master Server is active and connected for data collection, and will be associated with NetBackup job information going forward from the time of the Master Server reinstallation.

Example of retired (Retd.) Master Server entry as it appears in the OpsCenter WebUI:

Cause

When a hardware refresh and new installation of a Master Server is performed, the NetBackup 'nbsl.xml' file will contain a new 'HostId' entry.  The previous HostID associated with the Master Server in the OpsCenter 'domain_masterserver' database table references the previous HostId from the original Master Server's nbsl.xml file.  This HostId is associated with the Master Server's name and id in OpsCenter.  When data collection is enabled for the first time from OpsCenter for the new Master Server, the new HostId in the nbsl.xml file will be seen, and OpsCenter will treat this as a new Master Server, even though the Master Server's name in OpsCenter remains the same.  

When a NetBackup Catalog recovery is performed on a new Master Server, the original nbsl.xml file is not put in place by the recovery process. The nbsl.xml file is not preserved as part of a Catalog backup.  

Windows location:

<install path>\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\var\global\nbsl.xml

Linux location:

/usr/openv/var/global/nbsl.xml

Example of HostId entry as found in a Master Server's nbsl.xml file:

Solution

When a NetBackup Master Server is migrated to new hardware, and a new installation and Catalog recovery is performed, OpsCenter data collection should be disabled during the process.  If left enabled, the first data collection from the new Master Server after recovery will result in a 'Retired' entry being added for the Master Server in OpsCenter.  

To avoid having a retired entry added, there are several options available which should only be completed under the guidance of Veritas Support.