Config file settings for Recovery Manager for AD being ignored (4368918)

Config file settings for Recovery Manager for AD being ignored

Customer reported that proxy settings were not being used by Recovery Manager for AD after updating config files and upon visually checking config file using notepad, everything appeared to be correct.

Config files in Recovery manager for Active Directory may not be read or interpreted correctly if they contain unreadable or special formatting characters.

If sample text is copied and pasted from a web browser for example, additional non-breaking spaces can be brought into the config files by accident which will render the config file settings unreadable. To verify if this is the source of a config file not being read, either load the XML file using a binary text editor which will display all characters including their hexadecimal codes which should confirm whether or not these characters are present. The below graphics show examples of this in a customer config file which was failing to be recognised within Recovery Manager for AD. Note that no error or warning is logged within the application log files or user interface - the settings are simply ignored.

Example 1 using hex editor to display text config files shows "C2 0A" sequence which is the UTF-8 Non-breaking space character.

Example 2 using Wordpad to display text config files shows the strange 'A' character in the HybridSettings section.


After editing the config files to remove these characters, restart the running Quest Recovery Manager services and applications and retry the failing activity to confirm that the issue is no longer present.

Config files included in Recovery Manager for Active Directory - Disaster Recovery Edition & Forest Edition
Default Location for install: "C:\Program Files\Quest\Recovery Manager for Active Directory Forest Edition"

• ADVL.exe.config
• ConfigurePWRestore.exe.config
• ForestRecovery.CloudStorage.Uploader.exe.config
• FRConsole.exe.config
• QuestSoftware.RecoveryManager.AD.Enterprise.Portal.Server.exe.config
• QuestSoftware.RecoveryManager.AD.Enterprise.Server.exe.config
• EnterprisePortalSettings.xml
• QuestSoftware.RecoveryManager.AD.PowerShell.dll-Help.xml
• QuestSoftware.RecoveryManager.AD.PowerShellFE.dll-Help.xml

RMAD Reports Config Files
Default Location for install: C:\Program Files\Quest\Recovery Manager for Active Directory Forest Edition\RMADReports\BRReportsViewer

• BRReportsViewer.exe.config
• SSRServiceUtils.dll.config

Config files included in Recovery Manager for Active Directory
Default Location for install: "C:\Program Files\Quest\Recovery Manager for Active Directory"

• ConfigurePWRestore.exe.config
• QuestSoftware.RecoveryManager.AD.Enterprise.Portal.Server.exe.config
• QuestSoftware.RecoveryManager.AD.Enterprise.Server.exe.config
• EnterprisePortalSettings.xml
• QuestSoftware.RecoveryManager.AD.PowerShell.dll-Help.xml

RMAD Reports Config Files
Default Location for install: C:\Program Files\Quest\Recovery Manager for Active Directory\RMADReports\BRReportsViewer

• BRReportsViewer.exe.config
• SSRServiceUtils.dll.config

 

Always edit config files with a text only editor. Editing in Notepad will not display special characters.
Delete any offending characters and resave the config file.
View config file after editing with wordpad to see if the recent edit has unintentionally introduced any special characters.