Problems adding client

[jlipkin]

I'm having problems adding a client. The server and console are on an Intel Mac running Snow Leopard (client also runs 10.6.1). Retrospect is version 8.1.526, client is 6.3.019. At one point, I was able to add the client, but Retrospect no longer sees it. They are connected through a wireless router, whose IP is 10.0.0.1, though not wirelessly at the moment (ie both connect through the Ethernet port). I was getting a lot of -530 errors so I decided to remove and add the client again. When I try to do so by clicking on Add Client (Default and Use Multicast are selected), nothing shows up. When I test the client's address directly using the 'Test Address' button, the name and IP address of the client come up (10.0.0.5 for now, though it's assigned by DHCP). When I try to test address for the client when it's connected via wireless, the same thing happens.

 

In the general preferences tab of the console, the server address is 127.0.0.1.

 

Any thoughts as to what's going on? I'd like to do what I did under Retrospect 6 - initial backup via ethernet, then incrementals wirelessly.

[Mayoff]

If the test is successful, then something is blocking the UDP packets used to locate clients over multicast/subnet broadcast.

 

What happens with a wired connection?

[jlipkin]

Wired and wireless behave the same. Firewall is off on the client, on on the server machine. Server firewall is configured to allow incoming connections for Retrospect.

[Tree]

I just posted in another thread that I had some success dealing with a similar issue by removing the Firewall exception. In my case, I'm dealing with 10.5.8 computers (both for Engine and Client), so I'm not sure it works the same for Snow Leopard. However, by turning the Client truly off (Control+Click OFF radio button, to put it into "not running" status), then going into the Firewall settings and removing the "retroclient" entry, I was able to essentially reset things. When I clicked ON in the Client after that, it asked me whether to allow incoming connections for that application, which basically recreated the Firewall exception. Somehow, that cleared things up for me.

 

Your case is also different in that the Firewall which needs the exception set is not at the Client, but rather at the "server" (i.e. Engine). Still, maybe this gives you an avenue to explore.

[jlipkin]

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried turning off the client, adding a firewall (had been inactive before). Then upgraded to the most recent version released this afternoon. Exactly the same behavior occurs.

[jlipkin]

Any other thoughts? I'd really love some help here.

 

Thanks

[jlipkin]

I've also tried adding the client with the "Add Source Directly" button. After putting in the IP and passsword, I check "Add", a green check appears, but nothing happens.

[Mayoff]

What happens when you add by IP address? Does the client not even show under Sources?

[jlipkin]

In the Add Client Dialog, I click Add Source Directly, then input the IP address and root password for the client, then click ADD. A small green check mark appears next to Add. The client has now appeared in the Sources list - wasn't there before. In the router setup, I assigned a specific IP to the client, which seems to have fixed the problem.

 

Here's another question. The above solution worked when the client was using a wireless connection, and the router assigned a specific IP address to the client. I want to do the initial backup (which is about 120G) over ethernet, then incremental backups wirelessly whenever the laptop comes in range. Performing the initial backup wirelessly would take way too long.

 

But, I can't assign the IP address to the client both wired and wirelessly (the router sees different MAC addresses).

 

If I add the client at 10.0.0.5 on ethernet and at 10.0.0.2 wirelesly, will Retrospect see it as the same client?

 

Many thanks for your help

[jlipkin]

PS, when I added the client with the router-assigned IP for ehternet (10.0.0.5), it updated the client's IP address from what it had been before with the router-assigned IP for wireless (10.0.0.2). Do I simply need to re-add the client each time I need to do a full backup?

[rhwalker]

PS, when I added the client with the router-assigned IP for ehternet (10.0.0.5), it updated the client's IP address from what it had been before with the router-assigned IP for wireless (10.0.0.2). Do I simply need to re-add the client each time I need to do a full backup?

Depends. If you can get multicast working, then Retrospect will be able to find the clients.

 

Or, if your router can assign DHCP leases by a static map based on MAC addresses, you could get your router to assign the same DHCP leased IP address to the client each time a DHCP request is made.

 

If your client IP addresses keep changing, and if you can't get multicast working, then Retrosepct won't be able to locate the clients and you will have to let Retrospect know each time the client's IP address changes.

 

Russ

[jlipkin]

Execution died halfway through with a -519 error, after about an hour of copying. I dont' think that I changed any network settings during the backup.

[rhwalker]

Could you check to see what the DHCP lease time is, and whether the client's IP changed from what it was at the beginning of the backup?

 

Perhaps you might want to set the client up with a static IP or something. I'm wondering if a DHCP lease renewal is, for some odd reason, producing a different IP. That could happen if the DHCP server on your network (you indicate that the DHCP assignment is being done by your router) is rebooting and forgetting outstanding DHCP leases.

 

If you do use a static IP, make sure that it is outside of the DHCP lease pool that the DHCP server uses, or else grave disorder could result.

 

Russ

[jlipkin]

I just chedked and the IP address is the same - the router assigns a particular IP to this machine, and it should stay the same each time I connect.

 

I ran the backup script again, and it seems to be working fine now, backing up the other 50% of the files.

[rhwalker]

Ok. You might get some details about lease time, the DHCP server used, etc., by the following Terminal command:

ipconfig getpacket en0

 

Russ

[jlipkin]

This is from the client

 

~ $ipconfig getpacket en0

op = BOOTREPLY

htype = 1

flags = 0

hlen = 6

hops = 0

xid = 2357051397

secs = 0

ciaddr = 0.0.0.0

yiaddr = 10.0.0.5

siaddr = 0.0.0.0

giaddr = 0.0.0.0

chaddr = 0:26:4a:3:42:98

sname =

file =

options:

Options count is 7

dhcp_message_type (uint8): ACK 0x5

server_identifier (ip): 10.0.0.1

lease_time (uint32): 0x15180

subnet_mask (ip): 255.255.255.0

router (ip_mult): {10.0.0.1}

domain_name_server (ip_mult): {10.0.0.1}

end (none):

[rhwalker]

Ok, it's a standard long lease of 86400 (0x15180) secs.

 

Russ