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    StorageExpress(TM) System: Symptoms and Solutions for Central Console

    Contents:

    • CENTRAL CONSOLE RUNS SLOW OR NOT AT ALL
    • CENTRAL CONSOLE CANNOT SEE THE STORAGEEXPRESS SYSTEM
    • BACKUP AND RESTORE JOBS WILL NOT RUN!
    • BO_INSERT ERRORS AND CORRUPTED FTS (FILE TRACKER) DATABASE
    • THE MESSAGE "ERROR" OR "CANNOT ASSOCIATE" RECEIVED WHEN ASSOCIATING SERVERS FROM CENTRAL CONSOLE
    • SOME WORKSTATIONS DO NOT APPEAR IN THE CONFIGURATION WORKSTATION LIST
    
    

    CENTRAL CONSOLE RUNS SLOW OR NOT AT ALL

    
       Symptom:
    
       All requests made from the Central Console Application are sent to the
    
       network (you will see the beach ball symbol and/or the network symbol). 
    
       As a result the application runs very slowly.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
    
    
         *  The workstation running Central Console must have the following IPX
    
            and NETX loaded.
    
    
    
         *  - IPX.COM 3.1 or later.
    
    
    
         *  - NETX.COM (XMS or EMS) 3.26 or later or VLM 1.1.
    
    
    
         *  - IPXODI.COM 1.2 or later (if used).
    
    
    
         *  - LSL.COM 1.21 or later (if used).
    
    
    
         *  If the workstation is using VLMs, the VLM.EXE should be v1.10 or
    
            later.  The latest version of VLM.EXE and update instructions can
    
            be found in the WINUPx.exe and DOSUPx.EXE file on NetWire.
    
    
    
         *  Check that the workstation running Central Console has at least 4
    
            megs of RAM.
    
    
    
         *  Check the SYSTEM.INI file under [386Enh].  The line "network="
    
            should be:
    
    
    
            network=*vnetbios,vnetware.386,vipx.386
    
    
    
         *  Tip: Best performance occurs when the StorageExpress unit and the
    
            Central Console workstation are on the same network segment. 
    
    
    
         *  Check that the file server you are logged on to is on the same
    
            network segment or ring as the StorageExpress system.
    
    
    
         *  Check your Windows Setup (located in the Main group of the Program
    
            Manager) for the Network shell version, it should say "Novell
    
            NetWare (shell version x.xx)."  The shell version should be 3.26 or
    
            higher.  
    
    
    
         Do not run Central Console from a file server.
    
    
    
    

    CENTRAL CONSOLE CANNOT SEE THE STORAGEEXPRESS SYSTEM

    
       Symptom:
    
       The Central Console workstation is not able to see the StorageExpress
    
       unit.
    
    
    
       Solutions:
    
    
    
       The workstation running Central Console must have the following IPX and
    
       NETX or VLM loaded:
    
    
    
            - IPX.COM 3.1 or later
    
            - NETX.COM (XMS or EMS) 3.26 or later
    
            - IPXODI.COM 1.2 or later (if used)
    
            - LSL.COM 1.21 or later (if used)
    
    
    
            If the workstation is using VLMs, the VLM.EXE should be v1.10 or
    
            later.  The latest version of VLM.EXE and update instructions can
    
            be found in the WINUPx.EXE and DOSUPx.EXE file on NetWire.
    
    
    
         *  Check that the workstation running Central Console has at least 4
    
            megs of RAM.
    
    
    
         *  Check the SYSTEM.INI file under [386Enh].  The line "network="
    
            should be:
    
    
    
            --  network=*vnetbios,vnetware.386,vipx.386
    
    
    
         *  Tip: Best performance occurs when the StorageExpress unit and the
    
            Central Console workstation are on the same network segment. 
    
    
    
         *  Check your Windows Setup (located in the Main group of the Program
    
            Manager) for the Network shell version, it should say "Novell
    
            NetWare (shell version x.xx)."  The shell version should be 3.26 or
    
            higher. 
    
    
    
         *  Madge's Smart IPX and Smart ODI drivers will not work with the
    
            Central Console workstation.  Do not use these high performance
    
            drivers.  Use the standard Madge Novell drivers in this
    
            workstation.
    
    
    
         *  Check that the internal IPX number of the StorageExpress system is
    
            unique on the network.
    
    
    
         *  This can also be caused when upgrading and adding DAT drives.  The
    
            tape driver will not load and Central Console cannot see the
    
            StorageExpress unit, and cannot do the update.  Run RCONSOLE to the
    
            StorageExpress and type: Tape Driver is ready.  This will cause the
    
            StorageExpress system to think it has a driver and allow Central to
    
            see the unit.  This will permit the update to complete.
    
    
    
         *  Do a Reset Routers on the target server that the workstation is
    
            logged into.
    
    
    
    

    BACKUP AND RESTORE JOBS WILL NOT RUN!

    
       Symptom:
    
    
    
         *  Defined backup or restore jobs can be seen in the queue (job
    
            schedule screen), but the jobs do not execute when they are
    
            scheduled.
    
    
    
         *  Checking RCONSOLE on the StorageExpress system shows 'ENGINE.NLM
    
            NOT LOADED.  NEEDED SUPPORT MODULES NOT PRESENT.'  Central Console
    
            configuration report doesn't show TSA and SMDR as loaded modules.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
    
    
         *  A user has gone into Central Console Utilities, Tape Commands, and
    
            "suspended" the StorageExpress system.  Then, one of the utilities
    
            was run but not completed and the system was rebooted.  This
    
            process has put the Engine NLM on the StorageExpress system in an
    
            inactive state.  It will not execute jobs until the state is
    
            changed back to active. 
    
    
    
         *  The login used to associate the StorageExpress system to the server
    
            does not have full supervisor rights.
    
    
    
         *  TSA modules are not loading.  SMDR31X.NLM has been renamed.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
    
    
       From the Connect Menu:
    
    
    
         *  Disconnect then connect to the StorageExpress system.  An option
    
            for reactivating Suspended jobs will appear.  Select OK.
    
    
    
         *  Associate the StorageExpress system to the server using login
    
            supervisor and password.
    
    
    
         *  If the SMDR31X.NLM has been renamed, rename it back to
    
            SMDR31X.NLM.:"STORAG5.DEF">
    
    
    
    

    BO_INSERT ERRORS AND CORRUPTED FTS (FILE TRACKER) DATABASE

    
       Symptom:  (for v1.30.A.E)
    
       May see one or more of the following:
    
    
    
         *  Data not seen in the FTS browser.
    
    
    
         *  Entry in the Activity Log indicating: "Failed BO_<some-term>".
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       The StorageExpress system is powered off before it is downed or there is
    
       a power spike to an unprotected unit.  If the StorageExpress system is
    
       powered off during the Quick tape erase, Full tape erase, or Merging of
    
       a tape, the FTS database will be corrupted and a BO_<some term> error
    
       will show.  Quick Erase removes the tape name header and deletes
    
       information in the database associated with the erased tape.  This
    
       purging of information from the StorageExpress system could take as long
    
       as 45 minutes.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
    
    
         *  Map a drive or login as supervisor to the StorageExpress system:
    
    
    
            for example:
    
    
    
            Map  U:=[SE_name]\SYS:ENGINE
    
            Copy all the FTS files from the NULLFTS directory to the ENGINE
    
            directory.
    
    
    
           Ncopy   \Nullfts \FTS*.BTR \Engine
    
    
    
       Note:     When you try to copy these files from the NULLFTS (or TEMPFTS)
    
       directory to the ENGINE directory, an error may show that a file is in
    
       use and you will be unable to copy the files.  This error occurs because
    
       a file is in use by Btrieve.  To work around this problem, use Central
    
       Console to SHUTDOWN AND REBOOT TO Netware MODE and try the operation
    
       again or RCONSOLE into the StorageExpress unit.  From the colon prompt :
    
       type in:
    
    
    
            Unload MPP
    
            Unload FHM
    
            Unload Prune
    
            Unload Update
    
            Unload Btrieve
    
    
    
       Then exit Rconsole login into StorageExpress as supervisor and continue
    
       with the file copy.
    
    
    
    

    THE MESSAGE "ERROR" OR "CANNOT ASSOCIATE" RECEIVED WHEN ASSOCIATING SERVERS FROM CENTRAL CONSOLE

    
       Symptom:
    
       A message indicating "error" or "Cannot Associate" is received when
    
       trying to associate the StorageExpress with a file server.   If there
    
       are other servers in the network that have been previously associated,
    
       they may or may not show up as being currently associated.  In most
    
       cases they no longer show on the associated list.  There are several
    
       possible causes of this error:
    
    
    
       Solutions:
    
    
    
         *  For v1.30A.E. or less, check for the user GUEST as an account on
    
            the StorageExpress unit.  The StorageExpress unit MUST have a GUEST
    
            account in its bindery to perform several functions.
    
    
    
         *  Do not put a password on GUEST account.
    
    
    
         *  Check for restrictions to the user GUEST.  Account, Time, or
    
            Station restrictions should be checked in SYSCON to make sure any
    
            changes made to GUEST are not causing problems.
    
    
    
         *  If the adapter card is using a NE3200.COM driver, update to the
    
            newest driver and update the NET.CFG file:
    
    
    
            Link Driver NE3200
    
                 Double Buffer
    
                 Frame Ethernet_802.3
    
                 Protocol IPX 0 Ethernet_802.3
    
    
    
         *  Delete *.il and *.dl files from the central console directory
    
            (normally C:\CENTRAL).
    
    
    
         *  For v1.40A.E and 1.41.A.E, see if you can tell which FTS file is
    
            corrupted:  
    
    
    
           --  Look in the Activity.log, if you see BO_ errors, the message
    
              will be followed by the corrupted file name.
    
    
    
           --  Run BUTIL from the StorageExpress Sytem Console.   (Currently
    
              BUTIL does not come with StorageExpress backup system, however it
    
              does come with NetWare:  you will have to get it from another
    
              NetWare 3.11 file server.)
    
    
    
              RCONSOLE to the StorageExpress 
    
              Copy BUTIL.NLM to the SYS:SYSTEM directory of the StorageExpress
    
              :Load BUTIL -stat sys:\engine\ftsjob.btr 
    
              Run BUTIL for each btrieve file. If the file is corrupted, you
    
              will see an error message, *The command did not complete due to
    
              unrecoverable error*.
    
    
    
           --  If the file(s) that are corrupted are the FTSPATH.BTR and/or
    
              FTSJBDTL.BTR files, then you can copy just those two files from
    
              the StorageExpress SYS:NULLFTS directory.
    
    
    
              NThe FTSPATH and FTSJBDTL files must be copied together, never
    
              copy just one of them.
    
    
    
           --  If it is any other file, or you can not determine which file it
    
              is then copy ALL the files from the  SYS:NULLFTS directory. The
    
              files are FTSPATH.BTR, FTSJBDTL.BTR, FTSJOB.BTR, SLSET.BTR  and
    
              SLSETDTL.BTR.
    
    
    
              Once you have copied all the files from the SYS:NULLFTS
    
              directory, you May need to delete and recreate the streamlined
    
              jobs. 
    
    
    
       Login to the StorageExpress unit as supervisor.  Change to the PUBLIC
    
       directory.  Delete the EP.* file.  Reboot the StorageExpress and the
    
       work station.  You will need to reassociate all the servers and
    
       workstations to the StorageExpress.
    
    
    
    

    SOME WORKSTATIONS DO NOT APPEAR IN THE CONFIGURATION WORKSTATION LIST

    
       Product:  StorageExpress(TM) Backup Server
    
    
    
       Symptom:
    
       Some workstations do not appear in the workstation list in the
    
       configuration section of Central Console.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       The only workstations that can be seen are those that are logged into
    
       file servers that have been associated with the currently connected
    
       StorageExpress unit. 
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
    
    
         *  Associate the file servers that the user normally logs into.
    
    
    
         *  Log the workstation into an associated file server.
    
    
    
            Note:     The workstation only needs to be logged in at the time of
    
    
    
            the configuration, not at the actual backup time.  At backup time,
    
            the workstation agent needs to be loaded.
    
    
    
         *  Both the user's workstations and the workstation running Central
    
            Console must have the following IPX and NETX loaded.
    
    
    
                 - IPX.COM 3.1 or later
    
            - NETX.COM (XMS or EMS) 3.26 or later OR VLM.EXE 1.1 or later
    
            - IPXODI.COM 1.2 or later (if used)
    
            - LSL.COM 1.21 or later (if used)
    
    
    
         *  Check that the workstation running Central Console has at least 4
    
            megs of RAM.
    
    
    
         *  Check the SYSTEM.INI file under [386Enh].  The line "network="
    
            should be:
    
    
    
                 network=*vnetbios,vnetware.386,vipx.386
    
    
    
            Tip:  Best performance occurs when the StorageExpress unit and the
    
            Central Console workstation are on the same network segment. 
    
    
    
         *  Check your Windows Setup (located in the Main group of the Program
    
            Manager) for the Network shell version, it should say "Novell
    
            NetWare (shell version x.xx)."  The shell version should be 3.26 or
    
            higher.  
    
    
    
         *  Check the node address of the work station.  If this station has
    
            been configured before, it may be showing up under another user's
    
            login I.D.:"STORAG6.DEF">
    
    

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