Veritas NetBackup™ Troubleshooting Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): NetBackup (8.1.2)
  1. Introduction
    1.  
      NetBackup logging and status code information
    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. Troubleshooting vnetd proxy connections
      1.  
        vnetd proxy connection requirements
      2.  
        Where to begin to troubleshoot vnetd proxy connections
      3.  
        Verify that the vnetd process and proxies are active
      4.  
        Verify that the host connections are proxied
      5.  
        Test the vnetd proxy connections
      6.  
        Examine the log files of the connecting and accepting processes
      7.  
        Viewing the vnetd proxy log files
    11. Troubleshooting security certificate revocation
      1.  
        How a host's CRL affects certificate revocation troubleshooting
      2.  
        NetBackup job fails because of revoked certificate
      3.  
        NetBackup job fails because of apparent network error
      4.  
        NetBackup job fails because of unavailable resource
      5.  
        Master server security certificate is revoked
      6.  
        Determining a NetBackup host's certificate state
    12.  
      About troubleshooting networks and host names
    13. 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
    14.  
      About the bpclntcmd utility
    15.  
      Using the Host Properties window to access configuration settings
    16.  
      Resolving full disk problems
    17. Frozen media troubleshooting considerations
      1.  
        Logs for troubleshooting frozen media
      2.  
        About the conditions that cause media to freeze
    18. Troubleshooting problems with the NetBackup web services
      1.  
        Viewing NetBackup web services logs
    19.  
      Troubleshooting problems with the NetBackup web server certificate
    20. 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
    21. Troubleshooting problems with validation of the remote host
      1.  
        Viewing logs pertaining to host validation
      2.  
        Enabling insecure communication with NetBackup 8.0 and earlier hosts
      3.  
        Approving pending host ID-to-host name mappings
      4.  
        Clearing host cache
    22. About troubleshooting Auto Image Replication
      1.  
        Troubleshooting Auto Image Replication
      2.  
        About troubleshooting automatic import jobs
    23.  
      Troubleshooting network interface card performance
    24.  
      About SERVER entries in the bp.conf file
    25.  
      About unavailable storage unit problems
    26.  
      Resolving a NetBackup Administration operations failure on Windows
    27.  
      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 the Logging Assistant
    4.  
      About network troubleshooting utilities
    5. About the NetBackup support utility (nbsu)
      1.  
        Output from the NetBackup support utility (nbsu)
      2.  
        Example of a progress display for the NetBackup support utility (nbsu)
    6. About the NetBackup consistency check utility (NBCC)
      1.  
        Output from the NetBackup consistency check utility (NBCC)
      2.  
        Example of an NBCC progress display
    7.  
      About the NetBackup consistency check repair (NBCCR) utility
    8.  
      About the nbcplogs utility
    9. About the robotic test utilities
      1.  
        Robotic tests on UNIX
      2.  
        Robotic tests on Windows
  4. Disaster recovery
    1.  
      About disaster recovery
    2.  
      About disaster recovery requirements
    3.  
      Disaster recovery packages
    4.  
      About disaster recovery settings
    5.  
      Recommended backup practices
    6. 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
    7. 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
    8. 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
    9. 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
    10.  
      Generating a certificate on a clustered master server after disaster recovery installation
    11.  
      About restoring disaster recovery package
    12.  
      Restoring disaster recovery package on Windows
    13.  
      Restoring disaster recovery package on UNIX
    14. 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
      15.  
        Steps to carry out when you see exit status 5988 during catalog recovery

About the NetBackup support utility (nbsu)

The NetBackup support utility (nbsu) is a command line tool. It queries the host and gathers appropriate diagnostic information about NetBackup and the operating system. nbsu provides a wide range of control over the types of diagnostic information gathered. For instance, you can obtain information about NetBackup configuration settings, about specific troubleshooting areas, or about NetBackup or media management job status codes.

The NetBackup support utility (nbsu) resides in the following location:

UNIX

/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/support/nbsu

Windows

install_path\NetBackup\bin\support\nbsu.exe

Note:

The NetBackup support utility (nbsu) has been updated in NetBackup 8.1.1. The previous version of nbsu (renamed old_nbsu) is deprecated and will be removed in a future NetBackup release. Veritas recommends use of the newer version (nbsu).

Veritas recommends that you run the NetBackup support utility (nbsu) in the following circumstances:

  • To obtain baseline data on your NetBackup installation. If you encounter problems later, this data can be useful.

  • To document changes in your NetBackup or operating system environment. Run nbsu periodically to keep your baseline data up to date.

  • To help isolate a NetBackup or operating system issue.

  • To report issues to Veritas technical support.

The following suggestions can help you run the nbsu utility more effectively:

  • For a complete description of nbsu including examples and how to gather diagnostic information to send to Veritas Technical Support, see the NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.

    If you have a case ID from Technical Support of the form ########, rename the log files with the case ID number. Then manually upload the files to the Veritas Evidence Server. For additional assistance, see:

    http://www.veritas.com/docs/000097935

  • For troubleshooting, run nbsu when the system is in the same state as when the problem occurred. For example, do not stop and restart the NetBackup processes after the error occurs or make a change to the server or network. If you do, nbsu may not be able to gather key information about the problem.

  • If a NetBackup component is not operational (for example, bpgetconfig does not return information), nbsu may be unable to properly report on the system. For these cases, use the -g command line option to collect only OS and NET commands.

If nbsu does not perform as expected, try the following:

  • By default, nbsu sends error messages to standard error (STDERR) and also includes the messages in its output files. Note the following alternate ways to view nbsu error messages:

    To redirect the nbsu error messages to standard output (STDOUT)

    Enter the following:

    • Windows

      install_path\NetBackup\bin\support\nbsu.exe 2>&1

    • UNIX

      /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/support/nbsu 2>&1

    To send all nbsu screen output including error messages to a file

    Enter the following:

    nbsu 2>&1 > file_name

    Where 2>&1 directs standard error into standard output, and file_name directs standard output into the designated file.

  • To generate the debug messages that relate to nbsu, enter the following:

    # nbsu -debug

    The messages are written to the STDOUT.

The nbsu_info.txt file provides an overview of the environment where nbsu is run. It contains the following:

  • The general flow of the nbsu program

  • A list of diagnostics that were run

  • A list of diagnostics that returned a non-zero status

The information in nbsu_info.txt may indicate why nbsu returned particular values, or why it did not run certain commands.

If nbsu does not produce adequate information or if it seems to perform incorrectly, run nbsu with the -debug option. This option includes additional debug messages in the nbsu_info.txt file.

A complete description of nbsu is in the NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.