Issues with Remote PowerShell to Windows primary servers

Concurrent Remote PowerShell Connection Limits

The NetBackup primary server limits the number of remote connections. The server defaults are typically sufficient.

In high usage installations it may be necessary to increase this limit. If the limit is exceeded the following error may occur:

NetBackup server name Connecting to remote server NetBackup server 
name failed with the following error message : The WS-Management 
service cannot process the request. The maximum number of concurrent 
shells for this user has been exceeded. Close existing shells or 
raise the quota for this user. For more information, see the 
about_Remote_Troubleshooting Help topic.

To increase the limit:

On the NetBackup primary server, run the PowerShell command that is shown to determine the number of connections allowed:
Get-Item WSMan:\localhost\Shell\MaxShellsPerUser
On the NetBackup primary server, run the PowerShell command that is shown to increase the number of connections allowed:
Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Shell\MaxShellsPerUser interger_value

Concurrent User Operation Limits

Symptom of reaching this limit is an error similar to:

RunCommand failed.
"C:\Program Files\Cohesity NetBackup\NetBackup\bin\admincmd\bpimagelist" 
"-d" "03/02/2015 09:58:11" "-e" "03/02/2015 11:58:11" 
"-json_compact"
Run-Process script threw exception:
Starting a command on the remote server failed with the following 
error message : The WS- Management service cannot process the 
request. This user is allowed a maximum number of 15 concurrent 
operations, which has been exceeded. Close existing operations for 
this user, or raise the quota for this user. For more information, 
see the about_Remote_Troubleshooting Help topic.

Windows 2012 defaults to 1500. On the NetBackup primary server, run the command that is shown to increase this limit:

winrm set winrm/config/Service @{MaxConcurrentOperationsPerUser="1500"}

PowerShell Connection Pooling

By default, Windows locations use PowerShell Connection Pooling. This option allows much higher throughput when you call PowerShell on the NetBackup primary server. Higher throughput is achieved because every call does not require the computer to create and destroy a new Run Space.

Settings

Table: The backup server fields that are used for PowerShell Connection Pooling

Name	Details
NetBackup Use Pooled Connections	Determines whether PowerShell connection pooling is enabled. Connection pooling is enabled by default to improve performance. Only change this value if instructed to do so by Support.
NetBackup Minimum Pool Size	Minimum number of connections in the PowerShell connection pool. If value is empty, the default is 1. Only change this value if instructed to do so by Support.
NetBackup Maximum Pool Size	Maximum number of connections in the PowerShell connection pool. If value is empty, the default is 3. Only change this value if instructed to do so by Support.

Diagnostics

The diagnostic tracing captures a large amount of information about the PowerShell connection creation, use, and disposal.

The following PowerShell script can be used to find information about the connections to a NetBackup primary server:

$machineName = 'netbackup_primary_server_machine_name'
$userName = 'user_name_-_same_as_the_location_integration_setting'
$password = '<password>'

$connectionURI = ('http://{0}:5985/wsman' -f $machineName)

$securePassword = ConvertTo-SecureString $password -AsPlainText -Force
$credential = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential 
($userName, $securePassword)

$connections = Get-WSManInstance -ConnectionURI $connectionURI 
-Credential $credential -ResourceURI shell -Enumerate #| where 
{ $_.Owner -eq $userName } 


if($connections.length -eq 0) { "There are no remote PowerShell 
connections" } 

$connections | ForEach-Object {
    # To remove the connection, uncomment the line below
    # Remove-WSManInstance -ConnectionURI $connectionURI shell 
      @{ShellID=$_.ShellID}

    $_
    "Owner: {0}" -f $_.Owner
    "HostName: {0}" -f (Resolve-DnsName $_.ClientIP | select 
    -expand NameHost)    
    "-------------------------------------------------------"
}

Monitoring Scheduled Tasks

Self Service runs a number of scheduled tasks in the background. These scheduled tasks synchronize data between external systems and keep the user interface as up to date as possible. The status and timing of these tasks is displayed to the left of the Monitoring page when logged on as non-tenant administrator user.

The action cog is red if there are any problems running a particular task. If you click the task name, the Scheduled Task Details window is displayed. This window shows any error messages, which aids the troubleshooting process. You can resolve errors and then click Run Now in the drop-down to retry the task.

The Activity area of the Monitoring page displays tasks queued for action. If this queue is over ten items and shows no sign of change over several minutes, there could be a problem with the main task engine of Self Service. Make sure the Windows Service is running and review the Error log found in %ProgramData%\Cohesity\NetBackupSelfService. You can initiate a rebuild of the utilization data from the Monitoring page. This action updates both current month and previous months' data.

Table: Background tasks and descriptions

Background task	Description
System Sync	Imports backup images from all backup servers since the last time it ran. The task expires old backup images and calculates usage. This task runs once per day on schedule.
System Update	Performs system updates such as syncing backup images and updating active requests. This task runs once per minute on schedule.
Asset Import	Synchronizes the computers from NetBackup Import or vCloud Director, according to configured imports. This task runs once per day on schedule but can be initiated manually.

Issues with Remote PowerShell to Windows primary servers

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