NetWorker: How to troubleshoot Scheduled Cloning Issues

Summary: This article explains how to troubleshoot NetWorker Scheduled Cloning Issues.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

For general information regarding cloning, see: NetWorker: Introduction to Save Set Cloning

Clone Actions:

The standard configuration for cloning is under Protection -> Policies -> Workflow -> Actions.

Cloning Actions 

The properties of the clone "type" action detail the selection criteria, source, and target.
Clone Options 

This defines:

    • The cloning schedule and what actions it follows. When the clone action follows a backup action, it clones any save set that successfully completed its backup.
    • The source storage node (whether it is the NetWorker server (nsrserverhost), or a stand alone "remote" storage node).
    • The destination storage node (whether it is the NetWorker server (nsrserverhost), or a stand alone "remote" storage node).
    • The destination clone pool.
NOTE: You must consider what hosts are involved and the target media when troubleshooting cloning issues. For example, when remote storage nodes are used, the communication between the storage nodes, and NetWorker server, must be considered. Different media types (for example, Another Data Domain, Tape devices, Cloud Tier, AFTD) all perform differently for both read and write operations.

Media Type:

After identifying the Destination Pool, go to Media -> Media Pools.
Open the Destination Pool's properties:
The Selection Criteria tab defines the Media Type and which devices the pool is restricted to:
Media Pools Selection Criteria 

From Devices -> Devices, ensure that the device is mounted (shows volume label).
From Media -> Disk Volumes, ensure that the device is not "read-only," and reports as "appendable"
See: NetWorker: Device in Write Protected

NetWorker Communication:

The following article details methods for troubleshooting NetWorker communication between two hosts. This is primarily useful when the Source and Destination storage nodes differ: NetWorker: How To Troubleshoot Network Related Issues
The following article defines networking and kernel best practices for NetWorker Servers and Storage Nodes: NetWorker: Best practices for networking configuration

Target Media:

Troubleshooting approach differs depending on the source and destination storage media:

Debugging:

In order to debug the cloning operation, you can raise the debug level using one (or both) of the following options:

    • Raise the debug level of the nsrd process using the dbgcommand from an elevated prompt on the NetWorker server: dbgcommand -n nsrd Debug=9
    • Edit or create a file called nsrcloneconfig (no extension). This file must be created in the following directory:
      • Windows (Default): C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\debug\
      • Linux: /nsr/debug/
      • Set the file contents to: Debug=9

This causes the next cloning operation to run at debug level 9. It sends the logs to the same /nsr/logs/policy/[policy name] folder.

WARNING: Ensure to disable debugging once troubleshooting efforts have concluded. Do not leave debug settings enabled for long periods of time. This can result in excessive log growth and file system usage on the host.

To disable debug:

    • When using dbgcommand, set the process debug level back to zero: dbgcommand -n nsrd Debug=0
    • When using nsrcloneconfig file, delete the file, or set Debug=0 in the file.

Log Collection and Support Engagement:

Affected Products

NetWorker

Products

NetWorker, NetWorker Series
Article Properties
Article Number: 000040541
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 26 Feb 2026
Version:  7
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