Microsoft SBS 2000 -- BackUp Exec 8.6 and SBS

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I recently rebuilt a server for a customer, and in the process added a new and bigger tape drive. The drive added was the OnStream ADR2.120Si , a wonderful product in and of itself, but the lack of support from OnStream caused me to go searching for help elsewhere.

Andy Goodman walks through an unsupported tape drive installation and shares what he learned about getting the OnStream ADR2.120Si to work with Vertias’ Backup Exec and SBS 2000.

Being a long time user of Vertias’ Backup Exec, I was very annoyed when the OnStream Tech told me that the only solution to installing its tape drive would be to quit using Backup Exec and switch to TapeWare. I called three times and got the same guy all three times. He could not understand why I would not switch over to TapeWare for the slight fee of — $799!

Sure, they give it to you for free, but that is a the workstation version. Worthless for SBS, or any real server, for that matter.

On Veritas’ Web site I found a tech support e-mail link. Being desperate, I sent an e-mail, figuring it would be ignored for days like most tech support e-mail systems I have used in the past.

Serveral minutes later the obligatory automated response came in, telling me someone would get back to me “eventually.”

To my delight (not to mention surprise), another message hit my
inbox within 15 minutes. It was from Vmail Support at Veritas. It started out
with a disclaimer that this was an unsupported drive, but to my
great delight it proposed a solution to my problem:

Just change the block size from 1 K to 64 K or 512 K.

Now this is how all tech support should be!

In the same message was a link to Veritas’ tech update service and its knowledge base. The knowledge base included a number of articles about SBS-related issues that can be found at

http://seer.support.veritas.com/search/techsearch.asp.

Should you need to install one of these drives with Backup Exec and prefer to bypass OnStream’s support, here is the solution that worked for me:

Start Backup Exec
Select the Properties of the ADR2 120si Device in the Devices Tab
Click on the Configuration Tab
Change the Block size from 1 K to 64 K or 512 K (I found it performed better at 64 K, but your mileage may vary)

And here is what the tab should look like:

As for the drive itself, it is a screamer. It backs up and verifies 30 gig in about 6.5 hours, regularly. My only hope is that OnStream will improve the support it offers.

Also, here is a list of the hot fixes you should apply (as of press time) if you are running the SBS 2000 and Backup Exec 8.6.

All the files below can be found at http://seer.support.veritas.com/target.asp?u=support.veritas.com/ftp/files/filelist_ddproduct_BEWNT.htm.

First, make sure you have the latest driver file, currently bnt80idrv_230139.exe

Then load, at a minimum, the following hot fixes:
Note: They need to be loaded in numerical order, as indicated below.

Hot Fix 8

Hot Fix 13

Hot Fix 15

Hot Fix 33

Hot Fix 42

Hot Fix 43

Individual circumstances may require other hot fixes, but I believe all installations of BE 8.6 SBS on SBS 2000 will, at a minimum, require this list.

While you’re tweaking Backup Exec, take a look at TechNote No.
191472 if you would like to turn off that annoying virus signature message
because you use another AV Solution.