Veritas NetBackup™ 8.0 Troubleshooting Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): NetBackup (8.0)
  1. Introduction
    1.  
      Recent changes to this guide
    2.  
      Troubleshooting a problem
    3.  
      Problem report for Technical Support
    4.  
      About gathering information for NetBackup-Java applications
  2. Troubleshooting procedures
    1.  
      About troubleshooting procedures
    2. Troubleshooting NetBackup problems
      1.  
        Verifying that all processes are running on UNIX servers
      2.  
        Verifying that all processes are running on Windows servers
    3.  
      Troubleshooting installation problems
    4.  
      Troubleshooting configuration problems
    5.  
      Device configuration problem resolution
    6.  
      Testing the master server and clients
    7.  
      Testing the media server and clients
    8.  
      Resolving network communication problems with UNIX clients
    9.  
      Resolving network communication problems with Windows clients
    10.  
      About troubleshooting networks and host names
    11. Verifying host name and service entries in NetBackup
      1.  
        Example of host name and service entries on UNIX master server and client
      2.  
        Example of host name and service entries on UNIX master server and media server
      3.  
        Example of host name and service entries on UNIX PC clients
      4.  
        Example of host name and service entries on UNIX server that connects to multiple networks
    12.  
      About the bpclntcmd utility
    13.  
      Using the Host Properties window to access configuration settings
    14.  
      Resolving full disk problems
    15. Frozen media troubleshooting considerations
      1.  
        Logs for troubleshooting frozen media
      2.  
        About the conditions that cause media to freeze
    16. Troubleshooting problems with the NetBackup web services
      1.  
        Viewing NetBackup web services logs
    17.  
      Troubleshooting problems with the NetBackup web server certificate
    18. Resolving PBX problems
      1.  
        Checking PBX installation
      2.  
        Checking that PBX is running
      3.  
        Checking that PBX is set correctly
      4.  
        Accessing the PBX logs
      5.  
        Troubleshooting PBX security
      6.  
        Determining if the PBX daemon or service is available
    19. About troubleshooting Auto Image Replication
      1.  
        Troubleshooting Auto Image Replication
      2.  
        About troubleshooting automatic import jobs
    20.  
      Troubleshooting network interface card performance
    21.  
      About SERVER entries in the bp.conf file
    22.  
      About unavailable storage unit problems
    23.  
      Resolving a NetBackup Administration operations failure on Windows
    24.  
      Resolving garbled text displayed in NetBackup Administration Console on a UNIX computer
  3. Using NetBackup utilities
    1.  
      About NetBackup troubleshooting utilities
    2.  
      About the analysis utilities for NetBackup debug logs
    3.  
      About network troubleshooting utilities
    4. About the NetBackup support utility (nbsu)
      1.  
        Output from the NetBackup support utility (nbsu)
      2.  
        Status code information gathered by the NetBackup support utility (nbsu)
      3.  
        Example of a progress display for the NetBackup support utility (nbsu)
    5. About the NetBackup consistency check utility (NBCC)
      1.  
        Output from the NetBackup consistency check utility (NBCC)
      2.  
        Example of an NBCC progress display
    6.  
      About the NetBackup consistency check repair (NBCCR) utility
    7.  
      About the nbcplogs utility
    8. About the robotic test utilities
      1.  
        Robotic tests on UNIX
      2.  
        Robotic tests on Windows
  4. Disaster recovery
    1.  
      About disaster recovery
    2.  
      Recommended backup practices
    3. About disk recovery procedures for UNIX and Linux
      1. About recovering the master server disk for UNIX and Linux
        1.  
          Recovering the master server when root is intact
        2.  
          Recovering the master server when the root partition is lost
      2.  
        About recovering the NetBackup media server disk for UNIX
      3.  
        Recovering the system disk on a UNIX client workstation
    4. About clustered NetBackup server recovery for UNIX and Linux
      1.  
        Replacing a failed node on a UNIX or Linux cluster
      2.  
        Recovering the entire UNIX or Linux cluster
    5. About disk recovery procedures for Windows
      1. About recovering the master server disk for Windows
        1.  
          Recovering the master server with Windows intact
        2.  
          Recovering the master server and Windows
      2.  
        About recovering the NetBackup media server disk for Windows
      3.  
        Recovering a Windows client disk
    6. About clustered NetBackup server recovery for Windows
      1.  
        Replacing a failed node on a Windows VCS cluster
      2.  
        Recovering the shared disk on a Windows VCS cluster
      3.  
        Recovering the entire Windows VCS cluster
    7. About recovering the NetBackup catalog
      1.  
        About NetBackup catalog recovery on Windows computers
      2.  
        About NetBackup catalog recovery from disk devices
      3.  
        About NetBackup catalog recovery and symbolic links
      4. About NetBackup catalog recovery and OpsCenter
        1.  
          Specifying the NetBackup job ID number after a catalog recovery
      5.  
        NetBackup disaster recovery email example
      6. About recovering the entire NetBackup catalog
        1.  
          Recovering the entire NetBackup catalog using the Catalog Recovery Wizard
        2.  
          Recovering the entire NetBackup catalog using bprecover -wizard
      7. About recovering the NetBackup catalog image files
        1.  
          Recovering the NetBackup catalog image files using the Catalog Recovery Wizard
        2.  
          Recovering the NetBackup catalog image files using bprecover -wizard
      8. About recovering the NetBackup relational database
        1.  
          Recovering NetBackup relational database files from a backup
        2.  
          Recovering the NetBackup relational database files from staging
        3.  
          About processing the relational database in staging
      9.  
        Recovering the NetBackup catalog when NetBackup Access Control is configured
      10.  
        Recovering the NetBackup catalog from a nonprimary copy of a catalog backup
      11.  
        Recovering the NetBackup catalog without the disaster recovery file
      12.  
        Recovering a NetBackup user-directed online catalog backup from the command line
      13.  
        Restoring files from a NetBackup online catalog backup
      14.  
        Unfreezing the NetBackup online catalog recovery media

Troubleshooting NetBackup problems

If you have problems with NetBackup, perform these actions first.

This preliminary NetBackup troubleshooting procedure explains what to check first and branches to other procedures as appropriate. These procedures do not try to cover every problem that can occur. However, they do recommend the methods that usually result in successful problem resolution.

When you perform these procedures, try each step in sequence. If you already performed the action or it does not apply, skip to the next step. If you branch to another topic, use the solutions that are suggested there. If you still have a problem, go to the next step in the procedure. Also, alter your approach according to your configuration and what you have already tried.

Table: Steps for troubleshooting NetBackup problems

Step

Action

Description

Step 1

Verify operating systems and peripherals.

Ensure that your servers and clients are running supported operating system versions and that any peripherals you use are supported.

See the NetBackup Master Compatibility List.

In addition, the NetBackup release notes include a section "Required operating system patches and updates for NetBackup" that should be checked. The release notes for your release are available here:

http://www.veritas.com/docs/DOC5332

Step 2

Use reports to check for errors.

Use the All Log Entries report and check for NetBackup errors for the appropriate time period. This report can show the context in which the error occurred. Often it provides specific information, which is useful when the status code can result from a variety of problems.

If the problem involved a backup or archive, check the Status of Backups report. This report gives you the status code.

If you find a status code or message in either of these reports, perform the recommended corrective actions.

See the Status Codes Reference Guide.

Step 3

Check the operating system logs.

Check the system log (UNIX) or the Event Viewer Application and System log (Windows) if the problem pertains to media or device management and one of the following is true:

  • NetBackup does not provide a status code.

  • You cannot correct the problem by following the instructions in NetBackup status codes and messages.

  • You cannot correct the problem by following the instructions in media and device management status codes and messages.

These logs can show the context in which the error occurred. The error messages are usually descriptive enough to point you to a problem area.

Step 4

Review the debug logs.

Read the applicable enabled debug logs and correct any problems you detect. If these logs are not enabled, enable them before you retry the failed operation.

See the NetBackup Logging Reference Guide.

Step 5

Retry the operation.

If you performed corrective actions, retry the operation. If you did not perform corrective actions or if the problem persists, continue with the next step.

Step 6

Get more information for installation problems.

If you see the problem during a new installation or upgrade installation, or after you make changes to an existing configuration, see the following procedures:

See Troubleshooting installation problems.

See Troubleshooting configuration problems.

Step 7

Ensure that the servers and clients are operational.

If you experienced a server or a client disk crash, procedures are available on how to recover the files that are critical to NetBackup operation.

See About disk recovery procedures for UNIX and Linux.

See About disk recovery procedures for Windows.

Step 8

Ensure that the partitions have enough disk space.

Verify that you have enough space available in the disk partitions that NetBackup uses. If one or more of these partitions is full, NetBackup processes that access the full partition fail. The resulting error message depends on the process. Possible error messages: "unable to access" or "unable to create or open a file."

On UNIX systems, use the df command to view disk partition information. On Windows systems, use Disk Manager or Explorer.

Check the following disk partitions:

  • The partition where NetBackup software is installed.

  • On the NetBackup master or media server, the partition where the NetBackup databases reside.

  • The partition where the NetBackup processes write temporary files.

  • The partition where NetBackup logs are stored.

  • The partition where the operating system is installed.

Step 9

Increase the logging level.

Enable verbose logging either for everything or only for the areas that you think are related to the problem.

See the NetBackup Logging Reference Guide for information on changing the logging level.

Step 10

Determine which daemons or processes are running.

Follow the procedures for UNIX or Windows NetBackup servers.