[Samba] Veritas Backup Exec 8.6 & Samba: Take Two!

[Bruce Lane]

Hi, gang,

	There have been numerous postings, scattered across various Internet forums (including this one), about problems encountered using Veritas Backup Exec 8.6 and higher with Samba-sourced shares from *nix servers. In my particular case, I have a Windows NT Server 4.0-based backup system, which is supposed to be able to back up the other Windows systems on the LAN, plus several SPARC boxes running NetBSD 1.6.1 and Samba.

	I started running into problems when I updated from Samba 2.2.8a to 3.x. Specifically, trying to browse and select the Samba-sourced share, from within Backup Exec, would cause a Dr. Watson error of the 'Exception: Access Violation' nature, which was also causing the main Backup Exec server engine on the NT side to shut down.

	When I switched back to Samba 2.2.8a on the BSD side, all my problems along those lines vanished. 

	I'm definitely not anywhere near enough of a programmer to begin to make sense of the source code, but I am really curious as to what, exactly, changed between 2.2.8a and 3.x that caused Backup Exec to choke. I will add that I sometimes got other interesting errors on the NT side, with Samba 3.x on the BSD side, like 'The Remote Procedure Call Failed' or 'The Handle is Invalid.'

	I've also tried other backup software. Computer Associates 'Brightstor ARCServe' 9.x package works fine no matter what the Samba version is, but I didn't like the way CA did their UI, nor was I fond of the program's reluctance to sequence to the next tape cartridge in line, and the resultant self-aborting of the backup job, if the first cartridge it loaded was not to its liking.

	The bottom line for those of you in similar situations to mine, at least from what I can see: If you're using Backup Exec, and your *nix boxes are not Linux-based (they can usually use the Backup Exec Linux Agent if they are), then don't go above Samba 2.2.8a if you expect your backup system to work with your existing *nix-box shares.

	Constructive criticism and countering viewpoints are welcome, of course.

	Keep the peace(es).


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner & Head Hardware Heavy,
Blue Feather Technologies -- http://www.bluefeathertech.com
kyrrin (at) bluefeathertech do/t c=o=m
"If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped with surreal ports?"