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vladanseget
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Enthusiast

vcbmounter error using third party Backup

Hi everyone,

I'm in this configuration: 2 ESX servers 3.5 managed by vCenter Client from 3rd (physical) server. This server is also proxy VCB (VCB framework is installed here). Symantec BE12.5 is also present on this physical server. This server is NOT a DC but there is DNS installed and I can ping via FQDN all my hosts. I can select my VM to backup without trouble through an vmware agent inside of BE12.5, but

I'm having this error:

Backup Exec for Windows Servers - VMware ESX backup fails with error "Final error: 0xe000954c - An error occurred while running the VMware 'vcbMounter' command to back up a virtual machine." Then there is a link to symantec:

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/316498.htm

I have done as required (modify the host file on both ESX server and on the physical server running 2003 Server R2).

Anybody has any ideas where the trouble can be? I'm using English version of ESX ( there is no french...-:) ) and the 2003 server and BE 12.5 are French language versions too.

Thanks

Vladan






Vladan SEGET - vExpert, MCSA 2003, IT professional and enthusiast

www.vladan.fr - Virtualization ESX server… how-to, tutorials, videos….

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Vladan SEGET - vExpert 2009-2022, VCAP-DCA/DCD,
ESX Virtualization Blog - www.vladan.fr
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dconvery
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Vladan -

Check the VCB logs under %TEMP% (usually C:\windows\temp) They are vmware-vlun.log and vmware-vmount.log. You can attach them here if you need any help reading them. It could be because you are using the French versions of BE and windows, but I would think that the calls to the API are the same.

I posted a VCB Proven Practice Guide on VI:OPS that may help as well -> http://viops.vmware.com/home/docs/DOC-1392

Dave Convery

VMware vExpert 2009

http://www.dailyhypervisor.com

Careful. We don't want to learn from this.

Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"

Dave Convery, VCDX-DCV #20 ** http://www.tech-tap.com ** http://twitter.com/dconvery ** "Careful. We don't want to learn from this." -Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"
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vladanseget
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Hi Dave,

Thanks for your respond.

There is nothing special in the file vmware-vmount.log

Status: (vmount:601) vmount2 service started 1.5.0 build-102898

As for the second file - vmware-vlun.log - I can't find it. It's not there. I did a search on the C drive as well without success.

Now the error is slightly different, but sends me to the same page in symantec: Error: Not running in a Virtual Machine managed by VCENTER.

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/knowledge_base_sli.jsp?umi=EvtID=V-79-57344-38220

The job is configured to save the VM to a local disk ( E:\DATA ) on the VCB proxy, which is a physical computer. I'm not saving to a lun. Should I? I have Openfiler set up for tests.

The restore operation should be granular. I should be able to restore the whole VM to the VCB proxy and then copy individual files inside of the VM.

I don't have to do a DC promo on the VCB proxy, do I? Last time when I did, then I could not make the vCenter to run. It was not possible to start the vcenter service.

Any Ideas are welcomed.

Thanks

Vladan

Vladan SEGET - vExpert, MCSA 2003, IT professional and enthusiast.

www.vladan.fr - Virtualization ESX server… how-to, tutorials, videos….

You can follow me on Twitter www.vladan.fr/twitter

Facebook: www.vladan.fr/facebook

LinkedIn: www.vladan.fr/linkedin

Vladan SEGET - vExpert 2009-2022, VCAP-DCA/DCD,
ESX Virtualization Blog - www.vladan.fr
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dconvery
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The VCB Proxy should NOT be a DC. Maybe the Virtual LUN Driver didn't install? If your driver signing poicy is set to "Reject" then it will not install and you cannot mount anything.

Try running vcbMounter manually.


FullVM Backups:
vcbmounter -h VirtualCenter.FQDN.com -u VCBUser -p password -a ipaddr:VM-Name.FQDN.com -r E:\mnt -t fullvm -m san


File Level Backups:
vcbmounter -h VirtualCenter.FQDN.com -u VCBUser -p password -a ipaddr:VM-Name.FQDN.com -r E:\mnt -t file -m san


Unmount File Level Backups:
vcbmounter -h VirtualCenter.FQDN.com -u VCBUser -p password -U E:\mnt


Dave Convery

VMware vExpert 2009

http://www.dailyhypervisor.com

Careful. We don't want to learn from this.

Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"

Dave Convery, VCDX-DCV #20 ** http://www.tech-tap.com ** http://twitter.com/dconvery ** "Careful. We don't want to learn from this." -Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"
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vladanseget
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Hi Dave,

I tried the vcbmounter via command prompt.

I'm having error to access the SAN. See the attached txt file.






Vladan SEGET - vExpert, MCSA 2003, IT professional and enthusiast.

www.vladan.fr - Virtualization ESX server… how-to, tutorials, videos….

You can follow me on Twitter www.vladan.fr/twitter]

Facebook: www.vladan.fr/facebook

LinkedIn: www.vladan.fr/linkedin

Vladan SEGET - vExpert 2009-2022, VCAP-DCA/DCD,
ESX Virtualization Blog - www.vladan.fr
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dconvery
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VCB is not "seeing" the VMFS LUN that contains the VM files. Either the virtual disk driver did not install properly or the SAN LUN is not zoned or presented properly. If you think all of this is good, run the vcbSanDbg utility and attach the output.

vcbSanDbg.bat > SanDbg.txt

I would check your driver signing policy and maybe try a reinstall of VCB if the SAN is OK. The doc that I linked before lays all of this out for you.

Dave Convery

VMware vExpert 2009

Careful. We don't want to learn from this.

Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"

Dave Convery, VCDX-DCV #20 ** http://www.tech-tap.com ** http://twitter.com/dconvery ** "Careful. We don't want to learn from this." -Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"
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vladanseget
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Hi Dave,

I managed to backup my VM. I just followed the doc you provided with the link: http://viops.vmware.com/home/docs/DOC-1392

I actually installed a iSCSI initiator from Microsoft. (this was not done before.... ) So I could not see the SAN....I guess.

Great. Now I'm trying to do a restore job. I can see the session but I'm having error on the restore job. Even if I installed VMware converter. Well, I keep searching for the last bit...

Thanks

Vladan






Vladan SEGET - vExpert, MCSA 2003, IT professional and enthusiast.

www.vladan.fr - Virtualization ESX server… how-to, tutorials, videos….

You can follow me on Twitter www.vladan.fr/twitter]

Facebook: www.vladan.fr/facebook

LinkedIn: www.vladan.fr/linkedin

Vladan SEGET - vExpert 2009-2022, VCAP-DCA/DCD,
ESX Virtualization Blog - www.vladan.fr
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dconvery
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If the VMware Option doesn't alow for restoring a full VM properly, try doing a resote of all the files to the staging area and then use converter to do the restore.

Dave Convery

VMware vExpert 2009

Careful. We don't want to learn from this.

Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"

Dave Convery, VCDX-DCV #20 ** http://www.tech-tap.com ** http://twitter.com/dconvery ** "Careful. We don't want to learn from this." -Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"
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vladanseget
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Dave,

how do I restore to the "Staging Area". Where I do this? In BE?

Thanks

Vladan






Vladan SEGET - vExpert, MCSA 2003, IT professional and enthusiast.

www.vladan.fr - Virtualization ESX server… how-to, tutorials, videos….

You can follow me on Twitter www.vladan.fr/twitter]

Facebook: www.vladan.fr/facebook

LinkedIn: www.vladan.fr/linkedin

Vladan SEGET - vExpert 2009-2022, VCAP-DCA/DCD,
ESX Virtualization Blog - www.vladan.fr
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dconvery
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The "staging area" or "holding tank" is a temporary storage location on the VCB Proxy. It holds the VM related files. These include the vmx, vmdk, log files and catalog file. You should be able to use BE to restore those files.

Dave Convery

VMware vExpert 2009

Careful. We don't want to learn from this.

Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"

Dave Convery, VCDX-DCV #20 ** http://www.tech-tap.com ** http://twitter.com/dconvery ** "Careful. We don't want to learn from this." -Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"
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vladanseget
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Hi Dave,

The job of restoration works. It restores the VM to a c:\TEMP folder on the VCB proxy.

That's just the one part of the work. Now how do I restore the individual files from that? Do I have to use VMware Mount to mount the VMDK file as a local disk? I thought that Symantes was doing it for me and then I could just copy paste the files needed to be restored to my VM through the network.

Bu that's really the last thing which is not working. All the rest works like a charm.....-:)

Thanks

Vladan






Vladan SEGET - vExpert, MCSA 2003, IT professional and enthusiast.

www.vladan.fr - Virtualization ESX server… how-to, tutorials, videos….

You can follow me on Twitter www.vladan.fr/twitter

Facebook: www.vladan.fr/facebook

LinkedIn: www.vladan.fr/linkedin

Vladan SEGET - vExpert 2009-2022, VCAP-DCA/DCD,
ESX Virtualization Blog - www.vladan.fr
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vladanseget
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Enthusiast

I might have to install the Symantec windows agent (AWS) inside of the VM for this feature to work, no?

But this would make the solution much more expensive, if I'd have to deploy Symantec Agents to VMs....






Vladan SEGET - vExpert, MCSA 2003, IT professional and enthusiast.

www.vladan.fr - Virtualization ESX server… how-to, tutorials, videos….

You can follow me on Twitter www.vladan.fr/twitter

Facebook: www.vladan.fr/facebook

LinkedIn: www.vladan.fr/linkedin

Vladan SEGET - vExpert 2009-2022, VCAP-DCA/DCD,
ESX Virtualization Blog - www.vladan.fr
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dconvery
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Most backup software requires an agent to restore files directly to the source. If BE restored the VMDK, then you can use the mountVm.exe utility in VCB to mount the VMDK and extract the files you need and copy them over the network to the source. Obviously, if BE restored the files, just copy them over the network to the source.

Dave Convery

VMware vExpert 2009

Careful. We don't want to learn from this.

Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"

Dave Convery, VCDX-DCV #20 ** http://www.tech-tap.com ** http://twitter.com/dconvery ** "Careful. We don't want to learn from this." -Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"
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vladanseget
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Dave,

I could manage to backup and restore operation. What I was able to do is to:

1. Backup full VM

2. Restore this backup onto VCB proxy (where is BE installed, together with VCB)

3. Restore by copying the individual files from VCB into the VM through the network.(VM does not have a Symantec Agent installed).

Dave,

Thanks for your help through all this. It's been really helpfull, and especially your document concerning the VCB proxy at VIOPS here: http://viops.vmware.com/home/docs/DOC-1392






Vladan SEGET - vExpert, MCSA 2003, IT professional and enthusiast.

www.vladan.fr - Virtualization ESX server… how-to, tutorials, videos….

You can follow me on Twitter www.vladan.fr/twitter

Facebook: www.vladan.fr/facebook

LinkedIn: www.vladan.fr/linkedin

Vladan SEGET - vExpert 2009-2022, VCAP-DCA/DCD,
ESX Virtualization Blog - www.vladan.fr
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dconvery
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I am just glad the doc was able to help!

Dave Convery

VMware vExpert 2009

Careful. We don't want to learn from this.

Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"

Dave Convery, VCDX-DCV #20 ** http://www.tech-tap.com ** http://twitter.com/dconvery ** "Careful. We don't want to learn from this." -Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"
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AlbertWT
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Yes, the documentation is really helpful to understand the concept of VCB backup.

However if I'd like to restore the file level backup, can VCB perform this ? I do have BE 12.5 but I haven't purchased the VMWare agent license yet.

Kind Regards,

AWT

/* Please feel free to provide any comments or input you may have. */
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dconvery
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That is explained in the doc as well. For file level backups, you will have to restore the files to the proxy and then copy them to the VM. If you have a backup agent installed in the VM, you can redirect the restore to the VM.

Dave Convery

VMware vExpert 2009

Careful. We don't want to learn from this.

Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"

Dave Convery, VCDX-DCV #20 ** http://www.tech-tap.com ** http://twitter.com/dconvery ** "Careful. We don't want to learn from this." -Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"
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