Where I’m @

20060125

Useful Veritas BackupExec Settings
Some glosses on BackupExec prefs settings (Tools --> Options in v9.1):

Settings:Catalog:Remove unused catalogs after [] days

We have decided that the default value of 90 is too short, but we’re not sure what we’re going to bump it up to. The problem is that each catalog file uses upwards of 20Mb, meaning that even our 800Gb server is going to fill up eventually (what with the server data temp backups and the RIS/Ghost images and all).

Settings:Database Maintenance:Delete expired data

In trying to re-catalog a couple of old tapes (see above), we kept getting an a00084ca error, The data being read from the media is inconsistent. We think that this is because the data is on a tape that had a major job failure when it ran. However, because our database maintenance deletes expired data, we have no record such a failure. So we can not catalog this tape (or pair of tapes, in fact). Which kinda makes the data on them useless. For now, we are going to set the day count for not expiring job history info to 365, the length of time we expect to care about any given backup. This may bloat the database, but we’ll unstick that wicket when we get to it.

Settings:Catalog:Catalog drive/Catalog path

In setting up the server we’re using for backing up other server data, we made the system partition a little small. Only 6Gb. Since catalogs can start to eat into your drive space (see above), we needed to change their location, which can be done with this setting.

posted by Tk at 16:12 • • sealed in amber

20060120

Helping Macs Connect to Windows Server 2003
We have seen some problems around here with Macs connecting to Windows servers (and we are not the first). There is one longstanding problem with connecting to a Windows 2000 Advanced Server machine for which we have not found an answer. There was one problem connecting to a Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition machine which was solved by changing the Group Policy; the policy in question is “Microsoft network client: Digitally sign communications (if server agrees)”. (Thanks to the good users at MacWindows for this one.) Now, there is a problem that mirrors the first, in that Macs cannot connect, but occurs with a Win2K3 server, which should be clear because of the policy change mentioned. Unfortunately, since we're mostly a Windows shop, the workarounds are numerous and the stakeholders are few.

posted by Tk at 14:46 • • sealed in amber

20060112

Veritas Password Aggravation
We changed our domain password recently and consequently had to change the password on tasks that use our account. The most troublesome was Veritas BackupExec for Windows NT v9.1. (We’re trying to use all the terms we searched for so that we can find this post again some day.) BEWNT needs three steps to change the account password you use, if you use one account for multiple pieces as we do.

1. You must change the services account via the BackupExec interface. (Or, if you use the Windows interface, make sure to not change the BackupExec Remote Agent service. That service must run as Local System.) As the interfaces will make clear, you must recycle the services once you change the account.
2. You must change the Network Logon account via the BackupExec interface. On the v9.1 menu, it’s Network --> Logon Accounts . . .
   We make a habit of creating a new account each time we change our password, with a small clue as to the origin of our passphrase (you know, the cultural reference point).
3. You must use the Replace function in the same Logon Account Management window to change the passwords on all the jobs you run under that account.

This last is what caught us unawares and made our nerves bad for a few days. (Well, that last and being too cheap to call incident support at Veritas, er, Symantec.)

posted by Tk at 17:28 • • sealed in amber