NetVault Plug-in for Exchange 12.3

Windows Application Log: In this log, VSS Writers record detailed error messages that are not logged in the NetVault Backup logs. For more information, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms157312.aspx.

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Vssadmin and DiskShadow: You can use Vssadmin to list the VSS writers and providers, display their status, and ensure that the VSS Writers that the plug-in depends on are enabled and available. Vssadmin also indicates whether it has encountered any errors. DiskShadow, which is a newer utility, also provides information that might be useful. For more information, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb491031.aspx and http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc772172(v=WS.10).aspx.

You can also obtain additional information from a command prompt by typing vssadmin or diskshadow.

Quest recommends that you use the Vssadmin and DiskShadow utilities to maintain the VSS subsystem, and to address specific issues, such as deleting obsolete shadow copies. You can use these utilities to list the shadow copies stored by the VSS, remove shadow copies, and manage the space allocated in a specific volume for the storage of shadow copies.


	NOTE: In addition to using these utilities to remove the shadow copies, Quest recommends that you restart the Volume Shadow Copy and the Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider services before resuming a VSS-backup job. In some instances, you might also have to restart the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service.

Addressing cluster-related issues

Clustered Exchange environments, such as DAG, present more challenges, especially when the plug-in tries to detect all the applicable NetVault Backup Clients or when the clients must communicate with each other. Usually, NetVault Backup scans the network to locate known NetVault Backup Clients. However, under certain conditions, such as when clients are in the same network but different segments or when clients are located in geographically distant networks, the NetVault Backup Clients might not be aware of each other. This issue can cause errors, such as the display of a “Failed to launch Proxy Master in <NameOfNetVaultBackupClient>” message in the binary log during a backup job. This message might indicate that the NetVault Backup Client that is running the backup job is not aware of the network location of the client that is specified in the message.

To work around this issue, you can use the “machines.dat” file to identify all clients that the NetVault Backup Client must be aware of. Each NetVault Backup Client contains this list of known NetVault Backup Clients in the NetVault Backup installation’s etc directory. For example, in a typical Windows installation, the path is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Quest\NetVault Backup\etc\machines.dat. Adding a known NetVault Backup Client name as an IP address to this file lets the local NetVault Backup Client locate the remote NetVault Backup Client in the network.

If you encounter the “Failed to launch Proxy Master in <NameOfNetVaultBackupClient>” message, Quest recommends that you add all NetVault Backup Clients in an Exchange cluster to the specific NetVault Backup Client that runs the backups. In the following steps, the DAG contains three NetVault Backup Clients: Client_1, Client_2, and Client_3. The NetVault Backup Client that manages backups is Client_1, so the “machines.dat” file on Client_1 is the one that you would modify.

To add a client, perform the following steps.

Open the NetVault Backup Configurator, and select the Service tab.

On the Service tab, click Stop Service.

NetVault Backup Services are stopped.

In Windows, navigate to the etc directory where NetVault Backup is installed, for example, C:\Program Files (x86)\Quest\NetVault Backup\….

To ensure that you can restore the original settings if necessary, make a backup copy of the “machines.dat” file, for example, “machines.dat_saved.”

Use a text editor to open the original “machines.dat” file.

Verify that the local NetVault Backup Client, for example, Client_1, is already listed in the file.

[Client_1]

Networks=<IPaddressOfClient_1>

Preferred Address=<IPaddressOfClient_1>

Contact Address=<IPaddressOfClient_1>

At the end of the file, add a section for each additional client that the local NetVault Backup Client, for example, Client_1, must be aware of — replace <IPaddressOfClient_x> with the applicable IP address.

[Client_2]

Networks=<<IPaddressOfClient_2>

Preferred Address=<IPaddressOfClient_2>

Contact Address=<IPaddressOfClient_2>

[Client_3]

Networks=<IPaddressOfClient_3>

Preferred Address=<IPaddressOfClient_3>

Contact Address=<IPaddressOfClient_3>

Save the file.

Return to the Service tab in the NetVault Backup Configurator, and click Start Service.

The Current State changes to Running.

If the Current State remains Running, the changes have been implemented; otherwise, if the state changes to Stopped after a few seconds, complete the following steps:

Open the Windows Task Manager, and select the Processes tab.

To display the processes in alphabetical order, click the Image Name column heading.

To determine whether the nvstatsmngr.exe or nvstatsmngr.exe*32 process is listed, check the list.

If either process is listed, select it, and click End Process.

If a confirmation prompt is displayed, click End Process.

Close the Task Manager, return to the NetVault Backup Configurator, and click Start Service again.

After these steps are completed, NetVault Backup automatically updates the information in the “machines.dat” file with additional information for each NetVault Backup client that you added.

For example:

[Client_2]

Type=xxxx

UDP Fragment Size=xxxx

Server=xxxx