Must be logged in for Proactive?

[Guest]

Hello,

 

Using Server 7.0.9.103 I set up a proactive script using the excellent guide in the D-D-T whitepaper. After starting the Proactive backup, I go to close down Retrospect to log out of the server, and it prompts me that the Proactive script will end. I clicked yes, thinking that the scheduling service would fire it up as indicated in other threads in this forum. Unfortunately, my Proactive script does not run unless someone is logged into the server and the Retrospect UI is running. As that's a pain in the neck, what can I do to get Proactive script running automatically?

 

State Info:

- Windows Server 2003

- The RetroRun service is running and properly executing manual scripts

 

Thanks. -- John

[natew]

Hi

 

Retrospect should autolaunch and run even when a user is not logged in. However, due to its flexible nature proactive can start running as much as an hour after the scheduled start time. This is not unusual.

 

Do normal scripts autolaunch when users are logged out of the machine?

 

Thanks

nate

[Belaldur]

Hi. I faced a similar problem. I'm running Ver 7.0.249 on a Win XP server backing up multiple workstations.

 

For some weird reason, for a stretch of 8 days, no backup was done even though the back ups are scripted. Instead, Retrospect started to do a series of 6 backups today.

 

I suspect that there could have been a power failure sometime during the 8 days causing the server to shutdown and logout.

 

I'm just wondering why the sudden stoppage in back up occurred and what caused it to restart.

 

Thanks, Oscar

[natew]

Hi

 

First - update to Retrospect 7.0.326

 

If the machine is running Retrospect should launch no matter who is or isn't logged in.

 

Thanks

Nate

[Belaldur]

Thankz Nate for the tip.

 

Just to make sure. To update from Retrospect V7.0.249 to V7.0.326, I'll just have to download and install the V7.0.326 Installer from the Dantz website right?

 

It is ok to run the installer if I have already patched the system with the Retrospect Update 7.0.10.101?

 

Thanks a million,

Oscar

[Guest]

I used the patch updates to update. The about box reports:

Version 7.0.301

Retrospect Update, version 7.0.10.101

Per the instructions above, I am downloading the 7.0.326 version and will apply that as soon as the current copy to tape finishes.

 

After a week of fiddling with Proactive backup, here's what I'm seeing:

 

1. I have to be logged in with Retrospect running to get Proactive backups to work at all.

2. I have the Proactive schedule set to run from 12:00 AM to 8:00 AM. If I do not stop and restart Proactive from the Proactive tab in the Activity Monitor window, a couple of hours before 12:00AM, Proactive will not do a backup. In other words, if I leave Proactive running after it's completed a backup, no backups take place. There's been some activity in Proactive because the next backup field flips to ASAP, but clicking on the individual Sources in the Proactive window show the last backup from the previous day.

3. Normal scripts are running just fine. I've got the disk to tape script set to start at 08:15 AM on Fridays and it's was pumping away.

 

Obviously, what I'm seeing with the Proactive isn't right. I'll upgrade to 7.0.326 and see if that changes anything.

 

What exactly is the difference between the Retrospect Update and the Retrospect Installer?

[Guest]

More data after a couple of days:

 

1. Still, if the backup account is *NOT* is logged into the server, with Retrospect running, *NO* Proactive backups occur. I left the server running with no one logged in for the last three days and zero proactive backups took place.

2. Scheduled backups for regular scripts, run fine.

 

More:

- I upgraded Retrospect on the server to 7.0.326.

- Whenever I exit Retrospect, an entry is written to the Events window saying 'Script "Proactive Backup" stopped by operator. That sounds like something is killing the proactive backup script on exit.

 

What I want to have happen is for the Retrospect Proactive backup to execute when *NO ACCOUNT* is logged in. Is that evern possible? Why are Proactive scripts different than normal scripts that require the backup account to be logged in with Retrospect running?

[natew]

Hi

 

This should be working regardless if someone is logged in or not.

 

Please try this:

1)Set up a standard backup script to run a small backup

2)Log out

 

Retrospect should launch and run that backup. Afterward it will stay open and continue to run proactive backups.

 

If that does not happen try creating a new backup user account for Retrospect and run the same test again.

 

Retrospect should _absolutely_ autolaunch when no one is logged in. This would only fail if the launcher service isn't running or the user account specified does not have correct permissions.

 

Thanks

Nate

[Guest]

Thanks, Nate.

 

Embarrassingly, I have to admit that part of the major malfunction here is me! I guess I've been doing hardcore Windows software development for way to long (since 1991) and am in the old habit of shutting down all my apps before logging out so nothing hangs during logout. When I was shutting down, I was closing Retrospect, which stops the Proactive backup. When I finally realized that if I just leave Retrospect running when you log out, it stays there ready to rumble! Sorry for being such an idiot! (Sheez!)

 

HOWEVER, all is still not great in development land. My first proactive backup on 1/3/06 went perfectly with no one logged in. Retrospect was sitting there all great telling me the next backups would occur after 12:00 AM on 1/4/06. Thinking I'd figured out my major malfunction, I didn't bother to check the backup status on 1/4/06. When I checked this morning, 1/5/06, Retrospect was saying Proactive Action was Inactive, but the next backup would be 1/4/06! Checking the events, nothing happened the last two Proactive sessions.

 

Oddly, all my managed scripts where I'm doing the disk snapshot transfers have run perfectly.

 

Retrospect is running as Administrator, so got the rights to do whatever it wants. How can we get Proactive tickled to consistently run between 12:00 and 8:00 every morning?

 

Thanks for all your help!

[Guest]

More info from this morning:

 

0. Still no Proactive backup even though Retrospect was running correct. Because of the WMF patch, I had to reboot the machine and subsequently restarted Retrospect.

1. The scheduled disk snapshot transfer tripped off at 08:15 as expected.

[edwardotis]

Proactive backups in Retrospect version 6 would not run as an NT service. Thus, if your server reboots automatically, then Retrospect won't run any proactive backups until you, the admin, log back into the server.

 

When, Retrospect 7 came out, I checked to see if proactive backups had been updated to run as an NT service. Dantz did not do this, so I didn't bother upgrading.

 

I am looking into Firedaemon as a way to get get proactive backups to run as an NT service.

http://www.firedaemon.com/

[Guest]

Here's the latest status:

 

- If I log out, leaving Proactive Backup running, the backup will run correct the first time, but *NO* subsequent Proactive backups run. At 12:00AM when it's supposed to kick off, a message appears to flash on the screen, and Proactive just stays in the idle state. The one time I caught the message it said something about the tape for the managed scripts I used to copy from disk to tape.

- Since Proactive will only run the first time, I now use the Windows scheduler to kill the RETROSPECT.EXE process at 11:58 PM every night. (Note that I'm using a death kill, which is a process that calls TerminateProcess on the RETROSPECT.EXE process to rip it out of memory.) At 11:59, I restart RETROSPECT.EXE. That seems to get Proactive backup tickeled so that it runs. This is similar to running RETROSPECT.EXE as a service, but means everytime I want to check the backup status, it has to shut down the scheduler started RETROSPECT.EXE as it's not associated with a Windows Station.

- All managed scripts run like clockwork as they always have on this machine. It's only Proactive that doesn't run correctly.

 

Does anyone have any ideas why Proactive backup only runs once? Is there any diagnostic logging I can turn on to see why Proactive wants to stay in the idle state during it's 12:00AM-8:00AM run time?

 

PS: If anyone else is having this problem, you can use the KILL.EXE program that's part of the Debugging Tools for Windows download from Microsoft.