Windows iSCSI for Backups.

BoomAM · 7 Jul 2011 at 10:55

Its starting to annoy me now.
Ive just uninstalled it and restored it to fix the reporting fault, and now it wont see the agents and the rollups wont install!

Just gonna completely wipe it off and start from scratch.

BoomAM · 7 Jul 2011 at 14:09

Hmm.
Mostly working again now.
Still got the reports problem.

But the disk space in use is less!? and for some unknown reason i cant get it to see a server at another site, it keeps saying its part of a cluster when its not?

BoomAM · 9 Jul 2011 at 00:37

Right, all in and back working, touch wood.
Just a few errors/issues:

1) Still errors with anything to do with reporting. Some user impersonation issue.
Fixed - Local security policy that was domain enforced. Just added the two DPM user accounts to the 'backup operator' group, and the 'backup operator' group to the GPO, job done.

2) Whats the best way to backup DPM itself? Am i literally stuck with that 3rd party software into fooling it into thinking a USB disk is a tape library, or is there another way around it?

3) Still cant get it to install an agent on a remote computer located across a site-to-site link, it thinks the server, a HyperV server, is part of a cluster, when its not. :confused:

Any ideas?

Thanks.

oddjob62 · 9 Jul 2011 at 01:46

BoomAM said:
2) Whats the best way to backup DPM itself? Am i literally stuck with that 3rd party software into fooling it into thinking a USB disk is a tape library, or is there another way around it?
3rd Party, Tape library or Secondary server i'm afraid

3) Still cant get it to install an agent on a remote computer located across a site-to-site link, it thinks the server, a HyperV server, is part of a cluster, when its not.
No, that's a strange one, we have an HV cluster at both our sites, and a couple of stand alone HV server, and they all back up fine.

Dr. Pain · 9 Jul 2011 at 03:29

If your clever enough, you can make your own copy of Windows Storage Server 2008 R2.

Its just a few patches and updates on an ISO that turns a legitimate Server 2008 R2 into the Storage server version.

All legit, downloadable from MS.

Works a treat. Doesnt give you an awful lot more than standard, but I thought it was cool to be running an OEM only product !

Gives you SIS though, which on NFS or non iScsi virtual discs decent De-duplication....

BoomAM · 10 Jul 2011 at 10:06

Dr. Pain said:
...snip...

The iSCSI Targeting software and the other parts of storage server are just normal installers now...

oddjob62 said:
3rd Party, Tape library or Secondary server i'm afraid

Boulderdash.

Will Windows Backup not backup DPM?

No, that's a strange one, we have an HV cluster at both our sites, and a couple of stand alone HV server, and they all back up fine.

Its odd, as the agent installs manually fine on it, but DPM wont play ball. No blocked ports on the firewall, its very odd.

oddjob62 · 10 Jul 2011 at 10:28

BoomAM said:
Boulderdash.
Will Windows Backup not backup DPM?

I guess it may do... but you would need as much stroage as you are using for DPM again to be able to back it all up.

oddjob62 · 10 Jul 2011 at 10:31

BoomAM said:
Its odd, as the agent installs manually fine on it, but DPM wont play ball. No blocked ports on the firewall, its very odd.

Got it working on Cluster, Non Cluster, Full Server, Server Core, all with firewall on, never had an issue.

Have you run setdpmserver after doing a manual install?

BoomAM · 10 Jul 2011 at 10:40

oddjob62 said:
I guess it may do... but you would need as much stroage as you are using for DPM again to be able to back it all up.

Shouldnt be an issue, we're currently using 2.5Tb on the DPM server, and i have two 3Tb USB3 disks...

oddjob62 said:
Got it working on Cluster, Non Cluster, Full Server, Server Core, all with firewall on, never had an issue.

By firewall i meant the ISA's at either end of the link. Both are passing traffic.
Its very annoying, as the fact that the link is limited to a specific bandwidth would mean that the scheduling features and agent throttling in DPM could be very handy.

Have you run setdpmserver after doing a manual install?

Yes.
I have a script that I've used on all the other servers that flushes DNS, installs the agent with the set server variable, and pipes the result to a log file.

oddjob62 · 10 Jul 2011 at 10:51

BoomAM said:
Yes.
I have a script that I've used on all the other servers that flushes DNS, installs the agent with the set server variable, and pipes the result to a log file.

So after the install you go to the DPM agents tab and add a new agent? What does it do? Any errors in the jog logs?

BoomAM · 10 Jul 2011 at 12:38

oddjob62 said:
So after the install you go to the DPM agents tab and add a new agent? What does it do? Any errors in the jog logs?

Yes, but when its 'adding' the agent/server it processes for a bit, then fails, saying it cant see the server irrc.

BoomAM · 11 Jul 2011 at 09:19

As more info, it keeps coming up with error 346.
WMI is on, Firewall on the client is off, and the ISAs are set to pass all traffic between the two machines.

Google searches dont lead to a lot of information

oddjob62 · 11 Jul 2011 at 09:36

Have you got another machine in the remote location that you can use to test? Even an xp box or something, just to rule out it being a problem with the server.

BoomAM · 11 Jul 2011 at 09:58

oddjob62 said:
Have you got another machine in the remote location that you can use to test? Even an xp box or something, just to rule out it being a problem with the server.

Best i can come up with is wbemtest, works from a server at the same site to the server im trying to backup, but not from the main site (here) to the server im trying to backup, rpc errors.
Which is odd, as said, ISA is set to pass all traffic...

oddjob62 · 11 Jul 2011 at 20:55

definitely sounds like it's not a DPM specific issue then.