Commvault Restore of Networker Server

How are you actually trying to "move" a NW server? With moving you mean having it run on another server actually, and on another physical location also at that? So moving away from windows 2012 to another, more recent Windows server version? Or what do you mean with move?

You cannot simply restore the Networker folder unto another windows system and then expect the software to work, as you'd be missing all registry entries for example? As you would not have actually installed the NW server software?

If you are moving from one nw server to another, you'd have to use the NW disaster recovery procedure, restoring its configuration from a NW bootstrap backup. Also depending on the current NW version, restoring to a host with a different name is not even possible/supported, as from nw9 onwards you cannot rename a NW server (at least not in supported way, might require way too much fiddling with various configuration files all over the place).

I assume you are also talking about a physical Windows server? Moving the actual server to the new location is out of the question? If it is a VM, then a you'd be able to move a VM?

So for an actual meaningful reply, you'd have to shed a bit more light on what you have, what you intend to work towards and the way to get there?

I mean restoring data using another backup tool, could be possible, but I don't reckon the way you go at it would even be possible that way? However restoring a NW server from a VM image level backup made with another backup product, should definitely be possible, but that does not seem to be an option/the case here?

So please enlighten us about your setup and intentions?

You might also wanna reconsider your NW server DR approach, if you depend on another backup product to do so as that might require an specific approach to even make that work, that goes beyond simply restoring a directory structure...

Hi.

Thanks for your reply. Some background. We are physically moving the Networker server from one Data Centre to another at a different location. So it will be the same server. The problem is that the EMC Networker folder is on SAN attached storage and we do not have a means of replicating the data to the new site. So we were hoping to run a full Commvault backup prior to the move, with all Networker services stopped, and then move the server and restore the EMC Networker folder from the backup. I am testing this on the current server, by renaming EMC Networker folder and then running the restore, that is when I get the error that I mentioned in my first post.  

What NW server version is this even?

What folder exactly did you rename? I assume then something like on D:\ or whatever? Where is NW installed?

Also you should then be able to compare the original amount and size of files/directories and their ownership and permissions with the ones from the CV restore to see if they are even the same?

You don't have the option to perform a NW server DR using nsrdr and restore the NW server configuration from the NW server bootstrap backup?

I mean for more than a decade now even cross platform migrations from for example 32bit to 64 bit is no longer supported to be done by customers, only through Dell professional services if they even would wanna burn their fingers on such a thing that is. But as you stay on the same platform and even physically the same NW server, you should be able to perform a NW server DR procedure with nsrdr, but that of course assumes you have access to the bootstrap backup of the NW server.

The Dell Solve Online https://solve.dell.com/solve/home/31 refers to a very old Migration KB article https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000004887?lang=en which points to https://support.emc.com/docu8856_Cross-Platform-Migration-of-the-NetWorker-Server.pdf?language=en_US that states doing things like making a dump of the NW mediaDB with nsrmmdbdasm and zipping the contents of:

C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\res
C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\index

And then unpack the archives and import the mediaDB using nsrmmdbdasm.

If that even would actually work on a more recent nw version like 19x, would even remain to be seen... and that doesn't even take into account having the NMC also in that structure. As said that is a rather ancient procedure.

So possibly your issue might lie in permissions and ownership?

I don't know sizes in your case, but as you remain on the actual same system, if zipping the appropriate directories would be possible (depending on size and a location to be able to put it)?

But as said, fiddling around with a NW server configuration like that, might be asking for problems. A NW server DR procedure should always work. In your case you even could take the liberty to move to a higher supported Windows version by setting up a system with the same name (and IP as otherwise also you'd have to get a new license to reflect the new IP). From NW9 onwards renaming a NW server is not supported at all anymore. Then you'd perform a NW server DR from a bootstrap backup to repopulate the NW configuration again.

I would however would only wanna do that, if I'd have a test system available to perform any such peculiar DR procedure, especially when involving a 3rd party backup product... but because you already are dealing with windows 20212 and a physical server at that, I doubt you'd have an easy possibility for an actual NW test server?