V-275-10000 - Information regarding the Backup Exec Backup to Disk Test Tool - B2Dtest.exe

Problem

V-275-10000 - Information regarding the Backup Exec Backup to Disk Test Tool - B2Dtest.exe

Solution

The Backup Exec Backup to Disk test tool (B2Dtest.exe) is a stand-alone tool intended to test the basic functionality of a device as it relates to being used as a Backup-to-Disk device in Backup Exec. This tool is not intended to certify full support for a particular device, but merely ensure basic file level functionality.  The tool runs a series of file copy, create, delete, and other file level operations required during a typical backup.  This tool is not intended to test every aspect of Backup Exec's Granular Restore Technology (GRT), therefore the output of this test should not be an indicator that every GRT agent will also work with this device.
 

To run , browse to C:\Program Files\Veritas\Backup Exec and execute B2Dtest.exe
The test results will be in the log file created in <%ProgramData%> \Veritas\Backup Exec\Logs\B2DTest.log.

The tool can also be run from the command prompt to display the results at the end of the test.

For older versions of Backup Exec, save the B2DTest_32.exe (32 bit) or B2DTest_64.exe (64 bit) attachment at the bottom of this document to any Backup Exec server that has access to the target device and run it from a command prompt window. 

This tool should be run from the Backup Exec Server.

Generally there is no need for command line parameters, but if desired, B2DTest can be run from the command line with -h for help: b2dtest –h  

• If this tool reports every test passed, it means the device should work with Backup Exec for files and GRT.  Backup Exec technical support will offer appropriate assistance.
• If the tool reports warnings, it means the device should work with B2D for file based backups, but possibly not with GRT agents.  Backup Exec technical support will offer appropriate assistance. The reparse and sparse file warnings have a workaround, see below in "Notes about Reparse Points and Sparse Files".  The File Handles warning is relative to the backup strategy being used, refer the "Note about Files Handles" section below for more information
• If the tool reports failures, please contact the vendor for that device (NAS, JBOD, Flash drive, External HDD, etc....), it is unlikely Backup Exec technical support will be able assist with the issue discovered. A possible workaround to a Sparse File failure is to disable NTFS compression.  A possible workaround to a semaphore timeout failure is to change the RAID Write Policy.

This tool moves 4GB of pseudo data to or from the tested device up to 4 times, so please be aware that it may take some time to complete and may impact the performance of a production environment.  Off peak times or non-production environments are suggested.  Performance of this tool across multiple targets may give you a relative comparison of the backup performance that may be available.  This test is designed to be non-destructive to your existing data, but it is always good to have a backup.  This tool will attempt to create, open and access 10,000 tiny files at once. Accessing a large number of open files is a common issue with B2D devices performing GRT backups.  The tool attempts to clean up after itself, but if it fails to clean up, it is safe to delete everything in the path given for testing.

• This tool will request the make, model, firmware information for the device being tested.  This information is optional, it simply gets put in the log file, but is recommended to prevent multiple log files from getting confused.  Please make sure to fill in these fields as accurately as possible if you are working with a support organization or experiencing issues.

• This tool will request a path to the device being tested.  This path is required and must already exist (the tool will not create it). The path should be a local drive or a UNC path.  Do NOT enter a mapped drive (such as “X:\”) as Backup Exec does not support mapped drives as B2D targets.
   

• This tool will ask for a user name (and password) if credentials are needed to access the path entered.

A verbose version of what is displayed on-screen is logged at:

• C:\ProgramData\Veritas\Backup Exec\Logs\B2DTest.log (ProgramData is a hidden folder by default) 

The log file location is technically:  <%AppData%> \Veritas\Backup Exec\Logs\B2DTest.log. This log file is appended to, so you may wish to rename it between test runs.

Notes about Using B2DTest with the Backup Exec DeDuplication Option

Adding the switch "-pdde" to indicates that the targeted storage is to be used for DeDeuplication (PDDE) and to take it into account when evaluating test results.  If not specified the tool assumes regular B2D.

Notes about Traverse Volumes

The following warning may be seen in the console and can be ignored if the device mentioned in the log is not the device being tested:

• • 05/01/09 10:38:05 Traverse Volume Info
    05/01/09 10:38:05       ===> WARNING - FindFirstVolumeMountPoint() failed: (0x5) Access is denied.
  
  
   

With the corresponding entry in the log file:

• • 05/01/09 10:38:05 Traverse Volume Info
    05/01/09 10:38:05 TRACE: Volume: \\?\Volume{6b8196aa-90b1-11d9-9479-806e6f6e6963}\
    05/01/09 10:38:05 TRACE: Device: \Device\HarddiskVolume2
    05/01/09 10:38:05    ===> WARNING - FindFirstVolumeMountPoint() failed: (0x5) Access is denied.
  
  
   

In this example, HarddiskVolume2 was NOT the target of the test. In this case the above error can be ignored.

Notes about Reparse Points and Sparse Files

The following warnings indicate that the device under test is not sufficient on its own for GRT use and the warnings are expected on most non-Windows based NAS devices:

• • 04/07/09 19:45:39 Reparse Points - WARNING - Reparse points not supported on appliance: (0x32) The request is not supported.
    04/07/09 19:45:39    The appliance does not support reparse points.  Some
    04/07/09 19:45:39    of the advanced B2D technologies such as GRT may not
    04/07/09 19:45:39    function.
    04/07/09 19:45:39
    04/07/09 19:45:39    For GRT to function correctly, either the B2D path
    04/07/09 19:45:39    or the temporary path for GRT operations must be an
    04/07/09 19:45:39    NTFS partition that supports reparse points.  If this
    04/07/09 19:45:39    is not the case, GRT operations will fail.
    04/07/09 19:45:39
    04/07/09 19:45:39    For more information on this topic please refer to
    04/07/09 19:45:39    the Backup Exec Administrators Guide.
    04/07/09 19:45:39 Sparse Files - WARNING - Sparse files not supported on appliance: (0x32) The request is not supported.
    04/07/09 19:45:39    The appliance does not support sparse files. Some
    04/07/09 19:45:39    of the advanced B2D technologies such as GRT may
    04/07/09 19:45:39    not function.
    04/07/09 19:45:39
    04/07/09 19:45:39    For GRT to function correctly, either the B2D
    04/07/09 19:45:39    path or the temporary path for GRT operations
    04/07/09 19:45:39    must be an NTFS partition that supports sparse
    04/07/09 19:45:39    files.  If this is not the case, GRT operations
    04/07/09 19:45:39    fail.
    04/07/09 19:45:39
    04/07/09 19:45:39    For more information on this topic please refer
    04/07/09 19:45:39    to the Backup Exec Administrators Guide
  
  
   

As the B2Dtest tool indicates, the B2D folder or GRT temporary path must point to a place where there must be a sufficient NTFS volume. The B2D test tool will only test one destination at a time, and is not aware of the temporary staging area used for GRT.

Users who receive the warning regarding Reparse Points or Sparse Files should run a second B2Dtest against the temporary GRT staging area. The GRT staging paths can be determined in Backup Exec by going to Options Icon upper left | Configuration and Settings | Backup Exec Settings | Granular Recovery Technology (c:\temp by default).
If B2Dtests run against the B2D location as well as the staging area both fail to create sparse files, then GRT will not work as expected.

Notes about File Handles:

The number of File Handles needed by Backup Exec for GRT usage depends upon the backup strategy.  A large, or more complex, environment may  need a large number of available handles.  An environment that runs Exchange backups more frequently may need fewer File Handles than an environment that runs fewer backups.  We believe that if B2DTest reports that the device supports more than 8,000 open file handles, GRT should operate properly in most environments, but may still fail in a worst case scenario.  If simple file backups (not GRT) are being done, then this test can be ignored.

Release history:

13.0.4164            Added the –pdde command line option

12.6.2729            Fixed issue with B2DTest.exe failing to run on Win2000 servers due to a kernal32.dll error

Fixed issue with Sparse file testing and test results messaging on Win2008

12.6.2690            First release