How to test NetWorker with an empty resource or metadata database

NetWorker Databases

NetWorker maintains multiple databases for configuration, backup media, backup content, authentication  and task management:

Authentication database (authc)

• Stores user credential information with NetWorker 9.0 onwards
• Located on NetWorker server

Resource database (nsrdb)

• Stores configuration details about all systems and hardware used by NetWorker for creating and managing backups
• Located on NetWorker server
• Associated service or daemon: nsrd

Media database (mm)

• Stores information about the backup media volumes and the backups stored on those media volumes.
• Located on NetWorker server
• Associated service or daemon: nsrmmdbd

Client File Index database (CFI or index)

• One client file index is created for each unique client that is backed up by NetWorker
• Used to contain individual file information for each backup taken from the client
• Located on NetWorker server
• Associated service or daemon: nsrindexd

Peer Information database (nsrladb)

• Stores strong authentication certificates
• Peer information database created on each NetWorker component (server, storage node, client, NMC server)
• Associated service or daemon: nsrexecd

Jobs database (jobsdb)

• Stores dynamic information for all tasks performed by NetWorker
• Located on NetWorker server
• Associated service or daemon: nsrjobd

NetWorker Management Console database

• Stores configuration and reporting information for one or more NetWorker servers
• Located on NetWorker Management Console (NMC) server
• Associated service or daemon: gstd

Troubleshooting Steps:

When troubleshooting issues with the associated service or daemon failing to start or exiting unexpectedly it may require the use of an empty database to confirm whether the issue is with the associated binary or with the  associated database.

Note: These troubleshooting steps only apply to the NetWorker server or NetWorker Management Console server

NetWorker server

To use an empty database for troubleshooting purposes on the NetWorker server a full backup of the NetWorker server including a bootstrap backup and backups of the client file index databases MUST be created before proceeding.

CAUTION: Always make a copy of the media database contents even if the database under investigation is not the media database. This will be required if any of the other databases need to be recovered to resolve a problem with that database.

Use tar (Linux) or zip (Windows) to make a compressed copy of the media database directory while the NetWorker services are down.

Testing with an Empty Resource or Metadata database:

1) Confirm there is no activity on the NetWorker server
2) Create a bootstrap backup on the NetWorker server 
3) Create a backup of the NetWorker Management Console server
4) Open a command prompt as user administrator or root and run:

mminfo -B

to identify the bootstrap that has just been created and the device and volume where the bootstrap is located.

e.g.



The latest bootstrap backup from the example is: 4293486223
The device where the bootstrap is located is: D:\AFTD
The volume containing the bootstrap backup is: nw85w2k12r2.001

5) Shutdown the NetWorker services
6) Rename nsrim (Linux) or nsrim.exe (Windows) to a different name
7) Make a copy of the nsr\res directory
8) Make a copy of the nsr\lockbox directory
9) Make a copy of the C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\authc-server\tomcat\data directory
10) Use tar (Linux) or zip (Windows) to make a compressed copy of the media database directory

Authentication database (authc)

• Default location:
  • C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\authc-server\tomcat\data (Windows)
  • /nsr/authc/data (Linux)
• Do not rename this database
• Recover the authc database from a previous bootstrap

Resource database (nsrdb)

• Default location:
  • /nsr/res/nsrdb (Linux and Unix)
  • C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\res\nsrdb (Windows)
• Rename the nsrdb directory to a different name
• When NetWorker is restarted it will build an empty resource database

Media database (mm)

• CAUTION: Renaming the media database and starting NetWorker with an empty media database risks the removal of all disk based backups. This is why nsrim or nsrim.exe and unmounting the devices is required as this will prevent this from occurring.
• Default location:
  • /nsr/mm (Linux and Unix)
  • C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\mm (Windows)
• Rename the mm directory to a different name
• When NetWorker is restarted it will build an empty media database

Client File Index database (CFI or index)

• Default location:
  • /nsr/index/{client_name} (Linux and Unix)
  • C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\index/{client_name} (Windows) 
• If only one client is affected then rename the directory for that client only
• If all client file index databases are affected then rename the index
• When NetWorker is restarted it will build an empty index database

Peer Information database (nsrladb)

• Default location:
  • /nsr/res\nsrladb (Linux and Unix)
  • C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\res\nsrladb (Windows)
• Do not rename the nsrladb database
• Recover the nsrladb database from a previous bootstrap

Jobs database (jobsdb)

• Default location:
  • /nsr/res/jobsdb (Linux and Unix)
  • C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\res\jobsdb (Windows)
• Rename the jobsdb directory to a different name
• When NetWorker is restarted it will build an empty jobsdb database

NetWorker Management Console server

To use an empty database for troubleshooting purposes on the NetWorker Management Console server a backup of the NetWorker Management Console server MUST be created before proceeding.

NetWorker Management Console database

• Default location NetWorker 8.x:
  • C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\Management\lgto_gstdb (Windows)
  • /opt/lgtonmc/lgto_gstdb (Linux)
• Default location NetWorker 9.x:
  • C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\Management\nmcdb (Windows)
  • /opt/lgtonmc/nmcdb (Linux)
• Do not rename the NetWorker Management Console database
• To create an empty database, uninstall and re-install NetWorker Management Console and choose to overwrite the existing database

To Revert to the Original version of a database:

NetWorker server

1) Shutdown the NetWorker server services or daemons
2) Change the renamed nsrim or nsrim.exe to its original name
3) Only if a bootstrap recovery was performed to re-build the nsrladb or authc databases, delete the media database directory (mm) and re-create by extracting from the compressed copy
4) Rename the directory containing the affected resource or metadata database back to its original name
5) Restart the NetWorker services or daemons

NetWorker Management Console server

• Recover the NetWorker Management Console database from a previous backup

If the daemons or services start correctly with an empty resource or metadata database then the problem is with the database which needs to be recovered from an earlier backup.

Note: If the daemons or services start correctly with an empty resource or metadata database then the problem is with the database which needs to be recovered from an earlier backup.