NetWorker: Bootstrap backup fails when saving the authentication database. Error: `nsrauthcasm' exited with code 1 Can't encode arguments

Summary: NetWorker: Bootstrap backup fails when saving the authentication database. Error: `nsrauthcasm' exited with code 1 Can't encode arguments.

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Symptoms

NetWorker: Bootstrap backup fails when saving the authentication database. Error:
`nsrauthcasm' exited with code 1 Can't encode arguments

Error from the Server db Backup action log:

save: Step (4 of 7) for PID-3224: Successfully connected to the target media device through the nsrmmd process on the host '<NetWorker server>' for the save set 'bootstrap'.
save: Step (5 of 7) for PID-3224: Reading the save sets and writing to the target device.
nsrauthcasm: The temporary file 'C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\authc-server\tomcat\data\authcdb_000001' for backup did not get generated correctly.
nsrauthcasm: XDR flush failed.
save: external ASM `nsrauthcasm' exited with code 1
:save: C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\authc-server\tomcat\data\authcdb.mv.db was not successfully saved
Can't encode arguments
save: save of 'bootstrap' to server '<NetWorker server>' failed.

Cause

Authentication database files mismatch. The authentication data is composed of two files: authcdb.mv.db and authcdb.lock. In this situation, the authentication data location has a copy of authcdb.h2.db which is being updated instead of authcdb.mv.db.

Resolution

Re-create the authentication database. 

Linux NetWorker Server:

  1. Open an elevated prompt on the NetWorker server.
  2. Stop NetWorker services: nsr_shutdown or systemctl stop networker
  3. Rename the authc folder: mv /nsr/authc /nsr/authc_$(date -I)
  4. Reconfigure AUTHC: /opt/nsr/authc-server/scripts/authc_configure.sh
  5. Start NetWorker: systemctl start networker

Windows NetWorker server:

AUTHC can only be configured during the installation process. NetWorker must be uninstalled and reinstalled.

NOTE: This does not pose any risk to your existing NetWorker configurations or backups; uninstalling NetWorker does not delete critical files or databases.

Perform the following steps:
 

  1. Uninstall NetWorker from Programs and Features.
  2. Rename the authc-server folder. Default location: 'C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\authc-server'
  3. Reinstall NetWorker over the existing file structure. A new authc-server directory is created.

Additional Information

If the NetWorker server's local AUTHC database is used to process authentication for the NetWorker Management Console (NMC) or NetWorker Web User Interface: NetWorker: How To Identify Which Server is the Authentication Server Used By NMC and NWUI

If AUTHC self-signed certificates were replaced with CA signed-certificates, the CA certificates must be reimported to the new AUTHC path.

Affected Products

NetWorker

Products

NetWorker Family
Article Properties
Article Number: 000217686
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 25 Feb 2026
Version:  2
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