8.1 Troubleshooting the Server Consolidation Utility

General Troubleshooting

Explanation: In general, when troubleshooting errors in the Server Consolidation Utility, first ensure that the latest smdr.nlm and tsafs.nlm modules are loaded on the source and destination NetWare servers.

The log files contain detailed information about what was successfully copied (success log) and what was not copied and why (error log). The log files are written to the project folder, which is located by default in My Documents.

Utility Hangs when Selecting Source and Destination Trees

Problem: When running the Server Consolidation Utility on a Windows 2000 workstation, the application hangs when selecting the source and destination trees for the consolidation project.
Action: Install Windows 2000 SP 2 or later on the workstation to correct this issue.

Error Code: 0Xfffffd63 - Contents of the eDirectory Container Can’t Be Listed

Possible Cause: Your workstation is not running the latest support pack update of the Novell Client for Windows 2000/XP version 4.91.
Action: Download the latest version of the Novell Client 4.91 software from the Novell Downloads page and install it on your workstation. See Workstation Requirements for other workstation requirements.
Possible Cause: Authentication to eDirectory failed due to invalid password.
Action: Make sure you are authenticated to the eDirectory tree.
Possible Cause: When the source server attempts to synchronize with the target server and the server's database is locked.
Action: Make sure the target server’s database is not locked.
Possible Cause: NICI is corrupt.
Action: Reinstall NICI.

Volume Contents Do Not Display

Problem: No data appears in the Volume object after dropping a container into a volume that has not been opened.
Action: Map a drive to the volume from the workstation.

“SMDR Not Communicating” or “Error Opening Connection to SMDR” Errors

Possible Cause: The Storage Management Data Requester (SMDR) and Target Service Agent (TSA) are not loaded on either the source or the destination server, or the sys:etc/hosts file does not contain the server IP addresses, or Service Location Protocol (SLP) is not properly configured.
Action: Check to see if smdr.nlm is running on a NetWare server by entering m smdr at the server console.

If SMDR is not loaded on the source or destination server, manually load it. enter, load smdr.

Action: Check to see if tsafs.nlm is running on a NetWare server by entering m tsa* at the server console.

If TSAFS is not loaded on the source or destination server, manually load it. enter, load tsafs.

Action: On a small network with three or fewer servers, you do not need to configure SLP. Instead, edit the sys:etc/hosts file on the source server to contain the IP address and DNS name of the destination server, and vice versa on the destination server.

After editing the sys:etc/hosts files, you might need to reload smdr.nlm and tsafs.nlm on your NetWare servers.

Action: Enter display slp services smdr.novell//(svcname-ws==source_ server_name) (replace source_server_name with the name of your source server) at the destination server console.

If it appears there is a problem with SLP, go to Novell’s Knowledgebase and search for SLP-related configuration information.

Trustee Rights Restored to Wrong User in Tree-to-Tree Copy

Problem: In a tree-to-tree consolidation scenario, it is possible to have users with the same Common Name (CN) that exist in multiple contexts in the destination tree (for example, jdoe.users.novell, jdoe.mktg.novell, and jdoe.sales.novell). If you do not match up the user in the source tree with the desired user in the destination tree, SMS automatically copies trustee rights to the first user match it finds.
Action: Before running the consolidation, be sure to match up the users in the source tree with the correct users in the destination tree.

Server Consolidation Performance Problems

Explanation: The performance of a project can be determined by looking at the success log after a project completes. The success log gives the amount of time the project took to complete and the amount of data copied.

There are several factors that determine the performance of the file copy. It is also important that each server be updated to the latest Support Pack to ensure you have the latest performance enhancements for SMS.

Possible Cause: Heavy traffic on the network.
Action: Speeds can be increased by connecting servers and the workstation to a dedicated switch.
Possible Cause: A mismatch in duplexing among servers, switches, and the workstation.
Action: Make sure all hardware is set to either full duplex or half duplex. Setting all hardware to half duplex might result in greater performance than full duplexing.
Possible Cause: Virus scan software running on the source or destination servers.
Action: Turn off any virus scanning software on the source or destination servers to increase the speed of the consolidation. Turn the virus scanning software back on after the consolidation completes.
Possible Cause: An incorrect version of smdr.nlm is loaded on a NetWare server.
Action: At the NetWare server, unload smdr.nlm, then load the version of the smdr.nlm file that comes with the newest Support Pack.
Possible Cause: Small file sizes.

In general, the larger the file sizes, the better the performance. Copying a single 500 MB file will be significantly faster than copying five thousand 100 KB files.

Possible Cause: Hardware configuration.

The performance of the Server Consolidation Utility varies according to the environment. Using a 100 MB LAN, tests have measured speeds ranging from 3 to 15 GB per hour, with the most common speed being between 5 and 8 GB per hour. You should check the performance of your LAN before copying very large amounts of data.

The Server Consolidation Utility copies data at a faster rate than a Windows file copy.

Server Consolidation Utility Copies Incomplete Data Files

Problem: Files copied to the destination server have any of the following characteristics:
  • Destination is a 0-byte file.

  • Creation time and date are incorrect when compared to the source server.

  • Modification time and date are incorrect when compared to the source server.

  • File was not completely copied. (This would be indicated by the destination file being smaller in size than the source file.)

Action: Use the latest SMDR and TSAFS modules on the source NetWare server.

Path Size Limitations for Data Copy

Problem: Because the Server Consolidation Utility is a Windows-based program, it is subject to the path size limitation of Windows, which is 255 characters. If you have data where the path name is longer than 255 characters, the Server Consolidation Utility cannot copy data that exceeds this maximum.
Action: One workaround is to reorganize the data on your source server so that the path size does not exceed 255 characters.
Action: Another possibility is to use the server-based processing feature to copy the data. Since the workstation does not monitor the file copy process, it is not subject to the path size limitations of the workstation. However, the server-based processing copy is limited by the supported path size of the server operating system. For example, if the server allows path sizes up to 1024 characters, then data is copied up to the 1024-character path limit.

“Trustee Not Restored” Errors When Copying Double-Byte Character Data Tree-to-Tree

Explanation: In a tree-to-tree consolidation, the Server Consolidation Utility stores the full distinguished names of trustees in a file that is stored on the destination server. This file is stored using the local code page of the destination server. Object names containing double-byte characters (Japanese and other oriental languages) may not match if the local code page versions on the source and destination servers do not match exactly.
Problem: When the object names do not match between the source and destination server, you might see messages such as “Trustee name was not restored for path, because the trustee IDs are different.”
Action: Because of known limitations with code pages, this issue cannot be resolved in the current version of the Server Consolidation Utility. Novell plans to address this in a future release of the Server Consolidation and Migration Toolkit.

Errors When Migrating a Cluster Volume

Problem: When using the Server Consolidation Utility and migrating data from or to a cluster volume, an error (0xFFFDAE) might occur if your cluster server nodes are spread throughout different eDirectory contexts. If the server (from the SCU project) that holds the mounted cluster volumes does not have rights to the cluster Virtual Server object and the cluster-enabled Volume object, and does not have a Read/Write replica of the partition these objects reside in, then a failure fffdae is displayed on the verification screen of the Server Consolidation Utility.
Action: To resolve this, add the server as a trustee of the context that contains the Virtual Server and Cluster Volume objects. The default rights assigned when adding the trustee are sufficient.
Problem: When migrating data to or from a NetWare 5.1 cluster volume, the copy fails with a critical error: “Error opening connection to SMDR.”
Action: For the Server Consolidation Utility to function properly with a NetWare 5.1 cluster-enabled volume, you must use the server name followed by an underscore followed by the Volume Name object (for example, server1_vol1). For details, see Section 6.9, Consolidating Data to or from a NetWare 5.1 Cluster.

Unloading NUWAGENT.NLM on an Nterprise Branch Office Appliance

Problem: When running the Server Consolidation Utility in conjunction with an Nterprise Branch Office appliance, if an error state occurs and you are asked to unload nuwagent.nlm, the system might not allow you to unload the module.
Action: Perform a reboot of the Nterprise Branch Office appliance.

Errors When Connecting to a NetWare 4 Server

Problem: When attempting to connect to a NetWare 4 server, any of the following types of errors are returned:
  • An error occurred opening the file. filename was invalid.

  • Error opening connection to SMDR.

  • The name spaces couldn’t be checked.

  • 8998 error. NWGetVolumeNumber.

Action: There are several actions to take if errors are returned when trying to connect to a NetWare 4 server, including the following:
  • If your source server is NetWare 4, make sure that you have IPX on your client. For information on verifying IPX on your client, see Section 6.11.3, Verifying IPX Is Bound on the Client.

  • Add a mapped drive to the source server.

  • Ensure that SLP is configured properly on the servers involved in the consolidation project.

Problem: NetWare 6.5 won't communicate with NetWare 4 during a consolidation. IPX was not installed during the NetWare 6.5 installation.
Action: Add IPX to the NetWare 6.5 server after the NetWare 6.5 installation is complete.
  1. Enter edit sys:system/autoexec.ncf at the NetWare 6.5 server console.

  2. Add the server ID of the source server and save the autoexec.ncf file.

Problem: IPX connection is not communicating.
Action: Ensure that there is an IPX connection to the server.

To verify that the source and destination servers can see each other via IPX:

  1. On the server console of the destination server, enter serverid xxxxx, where xxxxx is the unique server ID number for the server.

  2. Enter load ipxping.

  3. Enter the internal IPX number of the source server.

  4. Repeat this process on the source server, replacing the internal IPX number of the source server with the destination server's internal IPX number in Step 3.

Action: Bind IPX on the destination server.
  1. At the destination server console, enter inetcfg.

  2. Select Boards and press Enter.

  3. Press the Insert key.

  4. Select the appropriate network interface and press Enter.

  5. Enter a board name and slot number, then press the Esc key.

  6. Select Yes to save changes and press Enter.

  7. Press the Esc key to return to the main Internetworking Configuration screen.

  8. Select Protocols and press Enter.

  9. Select IPX and press Enter.

  10. Enable and configure IPX and exit the inetcfg utility.

HINT:If you prefer, IPX can also be enabled on the server by adding the appropriate Load and Bind commands to the server’s autoexec.ncf file.

Action: Verify that IPX is bound on the client running the Server Consolidation Utility:
  1. Right-click the red N in the system tray on your workstation.

  2. Select Novell Client Properties.

  3. Select the Protocol Preferences tab.

    If the Protocol window displays both IP and IPX, the client has IPX bound.

    If the Protocol window displays only IP, then IPX needs to be bound on the workstation.

Action: Bind IPX on the client running the Server Consolidation Utility:
  1. Obtain the latest Novell Client software and run the installation program.

  2. Select the appropriate language and click Next.

  3. Select Custom and click Next.

  4. Click the radio button next to one of the following two choices:

    • IP and IPX

    • IP with IPX compatibility

      HINT:You can select this choice if you are running in an scmd environment.

  5. Click Next > Next > Finish.

Action: Ensure that the correct smdr.nlm and tsa.nlm are loaded on the server.
  1. On the server console, enter unload smdr.

  2. Enter smdr new.

  3. Enter N when asked if you want to disable NDS.

  4. Enter N when asked if you want to disable SLP.

  5. Enter N when asked if you want to disable SAP.

  6. Enter N when asked if you want to disable name resolution through sys:\etc\hosts file.

  7. Enter load smdr on the server console.

  8. Enter load tsafs on the server console.

NUWAGENT Won’t Load (NetWare 4.2 Only)

Possible Cause: Clibaux.nlm is not loaded.
Action: Go to the server specified in the error message and at the server console, enter load clibaux.nlm.

NDPS Printer Agents Don't Migrate

Possible Cause: If after a migration, it appears NDPS Printer Agents have not migrated, it is possible that eDirectory has not had time to properly synchronize.
Action: Wait for a few minutes, then check again to see if eDirectory has been updated to reflect the Printer Agent migration.
Action: If the Printer Agents have still not migrated after allowing eDirectory to synchronize, ensure the Novell Distributed Print Services Manager (ndpsm.nlm) is loaded on either the source or destination server.