Unablet to use backup regime on a Dell GX GX760 and GSS v2.5
Updated: 28 Jul 2010 | 3 comments
This issue has been solved. See solution.
I currently am using GSS 2.5. I have a problem that is baffling me to no end. It has to do with the back-up regime in the ghost console and the Dell Optiplex GX 760 PC. When I run the back-up, it gets all the way to virtual partition with success. Then 9 seconds after the transfer of the image beings, the backup fails. This happens only at 1 specific location.
We have a central location we work out of called “Central” and we have 4 Satellite locations which we call Satellite 1, Satellite 2, Satellite 3, and Satellite 4.
I can take this specific GX760 PC to ANY satellite location, except Satellite 3, and back it up over the network. At Satellite 3 is where it fails 9 seconds in to the image transfer. I am able to back up other models of PCs at Satellite 3 again except for the GX760 (To keep my testing consistent I have been using the same GX760 for testing at all locations). Now if I am performing a backup of another modem of PC at Satellite 1 and Satellite 3 and I am 10 minutes in to the backup and then I try to backup a GX760 at satellite 3, 9 seconds after the transfer of the image begins the back-up for both machines at satellite 3 will fail, the PC at satellite 1 will continue with its backup.
Now if I take the server out to Satellite 3 I am able to back up the GX760 over the local network. If I leave the server at Satellite 3 and bring the GX760 back to central, I am able to backup the PC with no problem. So it looks like backups coming from Satellite 3 pose a problem but making a backup to Satellite 3 when we place the server out there is not a problem.
We are using a Metro-E network to connect the Satellite locations to the central location. There is no firewall between the satellites and central. I did have my network admin take a look at the switches and compare the settings between the satellites, he advises they all have the same configuration (Cisco 3230s). In addition when he looked at the firewall log for traffic trying to get out to the internet he noticed that once in a while will sees the ghost server IP address reversed. For example our ghost server is 172.18.0.100. He sees traffic from the PC being backed up trying to go to 100.0.18.172 which is being directed to the internet.
This is truly a weird one and was wondering if anyone has any ideas. The GX760 will work at all location except satellite 3, so I believe it is not the drivers. I can back up other PCs at satellite 3 as well. When I am backing up other PCs at satellite 3 then start a GX760 all backups fail about 9 seconds after the image transfer of the GX760 begins.
Any and all suggestions are welcome.
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Have you tried another GX760?
It would appear that you have only used one particular GX760 which demonstrates the problem.
I think it is important to perform the same testing with a different GX760, to establish whether the issue is specific to all GX760s or just one of them.
If only one GX760 is showing the problem, then there could be a hardware issue with the NIC on that machine, causing it to send corrupt packets, for example. This might also account for the reversed IP address if the internal register logic in the NIC has a dodgy bit.
If you have a low level network analyser then that could be used to confirm the packet integrity on this machine.
If all GX760s are showing the same issue, then a call to DELL may be the best way to start further action.
If your issue has been solved, please use the "Mark as Solution" link on the most relevant thread.
Hi EdT, Thanks for the
Hi EdT,
Thanks for the reply. It is all GX760's this one specific location. I used one Specific 760 to test at all other locations and we needed the other GX760's to be used for production. I did call to Dell when I first discovered the issue. Dell was not able to help. They suggested updating the driver (as other on here have suggested as well), that did not help. I have 2 more tricks up my sleeve that I am going to try when I get a change to get out t our Satellite Office but I still welcome any suggestions.
Check the bios version
Checking the bios version where one model appears to be out of step with others is always a good move. If you can "borrow" a production machine long enough to swap hard disks with your "faulty" machine, you can then return your "faulty" machine as a production item, and test the "production" machine to see if the fault moves to the new hardware.
If the fault now moves to the machine you have put into production, it will at least confirm that whatever the problem is, it is specific to that one machine. You can try changing RAM around in that case, but my instinct would be to blame the NIC hardware on the failing machine since changing drivers did not make any difference.
You could also try plugging in a NIC card and adding the appropriate drivers for it, and perhaps disable the onboard NIC if the bios permits - then see if the problem changes. At least in this way you may narrow down the cause which would facilitate a warranty repair on the DELL even if their support is unable to suggest further lines of investigation - and if it IS a NIC hardware issue then only a network analyser is likely to be able to confirm what the issue is and whether packets have been munged up.
One other thing worth checking is whether the bios configuration on your "failing" machine matches the bios configuration on a working machine. I don't know what options are available in the GX760 bios, but things like memory timings could affect behaviour of the hardware in a marginal situation.
Finally, just try googling on "GX760" and "NIC error" and see if anything is thrown up. It is not unusual for some hardware lines to exhibit consistent misbehaviour and the online forums will then carry many postings which may relate directly to your own situation.
If your issue has been solved, please use the "Mark as Solution" link on the most relevant thread.
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