I just tried against one of my 64 bit 2008 servers, and I got this error too:

11:08:57.538 [3540.2740] <4> nbliveup main: INITIATING nbliveup.exe
11:08:57.538 [3540.2740] <4> nbliveup main: argv[0] = C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\nbliveup.exe
11:08:57.538 [3540.2740] <4> nbliveup main: argv[1] = liveupdateServerProtocolOverride
11:08:57.538 [3540.2740] <4> nbliveup main: argv[2] = http://it.domain.local/netbackup/win_x64
11:08:57.538 [3540.2740] <2> makeSocketLinger: setsockopt SO_LINGER on 420 ok
11:09:03.491 [3540.2740] <4> nbliveup copy_and_fork: Started "C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\var\nbliveup.exe" liveupdateServerProtocolOverride http://it.domain.local/netbackup/win_x64 -f (pid=3228)
11:09:03.819 [3228.3584] <4> nbliveup main: INITIATING nbliveup.exe
11:09:03.819 [3228.3584] <4> nbliveup main: argv[0] = C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\var\nbliveup.exe
11:09:03.819 [3228.3584] <4> nbliveup main: argv[1] = liveupdateServerProtocolOverride
11:09:03.819 [3228.3584] <4> nbliveup main: argv[2] = http://it.domain.local/netbackup/win_x64
11:09:03.819 [3228.3584] <4> nbliveup main: argv[3] = -f
11:09:03.819 [3228.3584] <2> makeSocketLinger: setsockopt SO_LINGER on 420 ok
11:09:09.022 [3228.3584] <16> nbliveup main: RegOpenkeyEx() failed: The system cannot find the file specified.  2
11:09:09.022 [3228.3584] <4> nbliveup Exit: EXIT STATUS 11

Hi Ron,

I thought the liveupdate agent was installed automatically? As far as I know the clients are just standard installs. I've tried re-running the client install and it doesn't specifically include or avoid LiveUpdate.

I've only one NB server, and backups to/from that client are running ok.

Hi Ron,

Just an update for you... but I've opened a case with support.  they seem stumped too so far.

This works fine against a test machine that I handbuilt myself.  But the production machines were built by a third party company.

Basically it looks like the nbliveup.exe file has some issue running. But all the files are there, and the permissions look ok.

On a good client, the log finishes with. the below.

I'm still not sure how you install the agent without the liveupdate part.

....

15:53:02.271 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup main: argv[3] = -f
15:53:02.275 [972.1268] <2> makeSocketLinger: setsockopt SO_LINGER on 420 ok
15:53:07.992 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup main: Updating LiveUpdate Server location to: http://it.domain.local/netbackup/win_x64
15:53:07.994 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup main: Started "C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\LU_Registration.exe" -OperationType CreateHostFile -Server http://it.domain.local/netbackup/win_x64 (pid=2768)
15:53:08.046 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup main: pid=2768 is complete. dwRetCode = 1.
15:53:08.051 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup main: Started "C:\Program Files (x86)\Symantec\LiveUpdate\LUALL.EXE" -s -h "C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\LiveUpdateHost.hst" (pid=3936)
15:53:14.665 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup main: pid=3936 is complete. dwRetCode = 1.
15:53:14.665 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup main: LUComServer.exe is still running. Pausing for 5 seconds.
15:53:19.666 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup main: LUComServer.exe is still running. Pausing for 5 seconds.
15:53:24.666 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup read_util: Copying data in file C:\Program Files\Veritas\Patch\History.Log to server.
15:53:24.666 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup read_util: Copying file C:\ProgramData\Symantec\LiveUpdate\Log.LiveUpdate to C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\Logs\LiveUpdate\092911.log
15:53:24.673 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup Exit: EXIT STATUS 0

The only thing I can think of is if permissions are not set on the server hosting liveupdate to allow the browsing of the files. I noticed that you had the path split on where the binaries are located. Best practice is to place ALL of the update and install files into the base web document path for the web server. The clients will know how to determine which package, patch, etc. that they need by doing a comparison of what they have today with what is registered on the liveupdate server. 

Otherwise check both the directory permissions and the IIS or apache configuration to make sure that http users can browse and read from the top directory and down.

Ignore my first question, I didn't see the line where you said they had 7.1 installed; 7.1 always installs LiveUpdate.

In the output of the job that worked, the line "15:53:07.992 [972.1268] <4> nbliveup main: Updating LiveUpdate Server location to: http://it.domain.local/netbackup/win_x64" . This is the same line from the jobs that are failing, but they show "11:09:09.022 [3228.3584] <16> nbliveup main: RegOpenkeyEx() failed: The system cannot find the file specified.  2".  Something is preventing the failing production servers from communicating with the LiveUpdate server.

Is your web server hosting the LiveUpdate files using HTTP, or HTTPS? 

Can you verify that forward and reverse DNS lookups between the NBU master/client/LiveUpdate server are all correct?

Can you double-check the LiveUpdate policy and verify that the clients are specified there with the correct Windows x86 or x64 version?  And is NetBackup also showing the correct version when you bring up the client properties in the NBU GUI?

Hi,

yes we checked connectivity.. I can browse to the HTTP site ok in IE from all of the clients - no proxies involved either, no HTTPS involved.

RDNS and DNS records for the Master/Media server all look ok.

For testing, I've put one of the production machines into my test ploicy (that same policy works ok against my test VM), and just added that machine, 64bit, 2008 confirmed.  It failed (under Supports viewing). I then manually updated it to 7.1.0.2, which all went ok. Backups from that client, also OK.