B
Client Server Communications

Many of the problems that LSM users report when they set up and configure LSM are actually problems with the communications in their networks. This section contains a procedure for testing the communications in a network.

How to Troubleshoot IP Errors

1. Read this section. Document the steps you take and the results, especially error messages, in case you need to contact Oracle Support Services.

2. Set up host tables for LSM clients and the LSM Server. See the following section, "How to Set Up Host Tables".

3. Use ping to establish basic connectivity. See "How to Use ping to Verify Network Connections".

How to Set Up Host Tables

Legato recommends that you troubleshoot IP problems using only host tables. Troubleshooting using only host tables does not mean you cannot use your name service (for example, DNS) with LSM. Test using only host tables to determine whether you have LSM installed correctly. After you know LSM works with host tables, you can enable whatever name server you are using.

To configure host tables on a server or client:

1. On the LSM client, list the client and the LSM Server to which it connects, for example:

   127.0.0.1 localhost loopback
   123.456.789.111 client client.domain.com
   123.456.789.222 server server.domain.com
   
   

2. On the LSM Server, list the LSM Server itself and all of its clients, for example:

   127.0.0.1 localhost loopback
   123.456.789.111 server server.domain.com
   123.456.789.222 client client.domain.com
   
   

3. Use the guidelines in the following section, "How to Use ping to Verify Network Connections" to ensure the highest success rate for host table parsing within any operating system.

Notes for host table configuration:

• Do not use blank lines in the body of your host tables.

• The end of the host table should always contain a blank line.

• The first unremarked entry should always be the loopback line in the exact order and format shown in the previous examples.

• The last character of each unremarked line should be a space, not a carriage return.

On Windows, the host tables reside in C:\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.

Host tables can be used in addition to DNS where necessary, but it is simplest to temporarily disable DNS for troubleshooting purposes.

How to Use ping to Verify Network Connections

After you have created the host tables, test with ping. Use just the steps marked with an asterisk (*) if the server is the only client.

On the LSM client:

• ping the client short name (host name) from the client

• ping the client long name (host name plus domain information) from the client

• ping the client IP address from the client

• ping the server short name from the client

• ping the server long name from the client

• ping the server IP address from the client

  The following example shows pinging the client short name and client long name from an LSM client called mars in the oak domain:

  ping mars
  ping mars.oak.com
  
  

On the LSM Server:

• ping the server short name from the server *

• ping the server long name from the server *

• ping the server IP address from the server *

• ping the client short name from the server

• ping the client long name from the server

• ping the client IP address from the server

How to Verify Firmware for Switches and Routers

If you are using switches or routers from any vendor, make sure that the switch or router firmware is dated after August 1995 (wherever they exist on your network) to ensure that RPC traffic is handled properly. Most of the switch and router vendors with whom we have worked have significantly improved their handling of RPC traffic since August 1995.

Configuring Server Communications

You establish communication between the LSM Server and the Oracle Server (as an LSM client) by assigning values in both the Set Up Server dialog box and the Client dialog box in the LSM Administrator GUI. To help you understand how these values work together, this section discusses communication issues internal to LSM. LSM relies on full and accurate configuration of the network to implement features that protect data and ensure security.

Configure your server by using the Set Up Server dialog box (Figure B-1). Here you make choices that affect the performance and security of your backups, such as setting the server parallelism, enabling concurrent devices, and adding or changing LSM administrators.

Figure B-1 Set Up Server Dialog Box

Text description of the illustration nt_serve.gif

Click Set Up Server in the Server window of the LSM Administrator GUI to open the Set Up Server dialog box. The Set Up Server dialog box contains overlapping tabs containing resource attributes to configure your LSM server. Many of these attributes are determined when you initially install your LSM Server software.

Some attributes are read-only, or contain information more advanced and detailed than most LSM users need, particularly if Hidden Attributes is enabled. Technical support engineers might request that you provide information displayed in these attributes to understand your system configuration. Click Field Help to learn more about each attribute.

The following sections address various communication issues using LSM.

Host Name Determination

Your Windows LSM server gets its host name from its TCP/IP setup. You can access both the server and domain name through the Windows control panel. This name is not necessarily the computer name that is common to other Windows applications.

To access your server and domain names, follow these steps:

1. From the taskbar, select Start > Settings > Control Panel to open the Control Panel window.

2. Double-click the Network icon to open the Network dialog box. Note that your computer and domain names are displayed in the Identification tab. However, this display is read-only.

3. Select the Protocols tab to make it active.

4. Double-click the TCP/IP Protocol from the Network Protocols list to open the TCP/IP Properties dialog box.

5. Select the DNS tab to make it active. Your server's host name and domain names are located here and can be modified.

Name Resolution

In a pure Windows environment, you may find using WINS or LMHOSTS is adequate for using LSM. However, using LSM with other types of clients requires using a local host file or DNS name resolution.

You must add the LSM server name to either the local HOSTS file located in C:\system32\drivers\etc or the Domain Name Server (DNS) which contains the names of all the servers on your network.

Backup Operators Group

The Backup Operators local group provides its members the rights necessary to backup and recover data from a Windows system. A user requesting a backup must be in the Backup Operators or Administrators group of the domain into which they are logged. The Backup Operators group is assigned on a computer-by-computer basis. It is not assigned globally by the domain. If you are having trouble performing tasks on one LSM Server but not another, check the problematic computer's Backup Operators group to ensure you are properly assigned.

DHCP Clients

Typically, addresses for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) clients change because they use dynamic addressing. If your LSM Server is a DHCP client, you must reserve a static TCP/IP address on your DHCP server. If the address changes, the authorization code for that LSM Server becomes invalid.

Backup and Recover Service

In the Windows operating system, the service named NetWorker Backup and Recover Server is normally started by the Windows System account. This allows the LSM services to be running even if no one is logged onto that system.