NetBackup status code: 6
Message: the backup failed to back up the requested files
Explanation: Errors caused the user backup to fail.
For VMware backups, this error can occur for the following reasons:
VMware item 1: The virtual machine and the backup host virtual machine (for hotadd backup) may contain too many disks. If the total is too great for the SCSI controllers on the backup host, a backup with the hotadd transport mode fails. The following appears in the job status log:
ERR - Error opening the snapshot disks using given transport mode: Status 23
VMware item 2: If the VMware backup host cannot access the datastore over the selected transport mode, the backup fails. The detailed status log on the backup host may contain the following:
12/4/2009 1:12:34 PM - Error bpbrm(pid=21376) from client vm4: ERR - Error opening the snapshot disks using given transport mode: Status 23
VMware item 3: Storage vMotion migrated the virtual machine's files when NetBackup performed a backup of the virtual machine directly through the ESX server.
VMware item 4: For hotadd backups: The backup host was unable to resolve the host name of the ESX server. This error may occur if DNS is not correctly configured on the virtual machine where the backup host is installed.
VMware item 5: For hotadd backups: If the VM to back up and the VM that contains the backup host do not reside in the same data center, the backup fails.
VMware item 6: A previous hotadd backup of the virtual machine may have failed, as follows:
In hotadd backup, VMware creates a linked clone of the VM's disks and attaches the cloned disks to the backup host. (The attached disks can be seen in the vSphere Client.) If a hotadd backup of the VM fails, NetBackup may be unable to remove the cloned disks from the backup host. In the backup host, the cloned disks prevent subsequent backups from completing.
In a VM backup, VMware creates mount directories in the C:\Windows\Temp folder on the backup host. After the backup, VMware automatically removes the mount directories. In some cases, such as when the backup uses the hotadd transport mode, NetBackup may be unable to remove the mount directories.
VMware item 7: Although vSphere 6.0 supports Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), it does not support dual-stack configurations with both IPv4 and IPv6. (In a dual-stack network, network nodes are enabled for both IPv4 and IPv6.)
Note the following:
If both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are enabled, vCenter 6.0 uses IPv4 addresses only.
If a vCenter server DNS name resolves to both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and the IPv6 address is unreachable, note that the VMware VDDK APIs attempt to communicate over IPv6 and fail. As a result, a NetBackup backup job also fails, with status code 6.
Recommended Action: Do the following as appropriate:
Verify that you have read access to the files. Check the status or the progress log on the client for messages about why the backup failed. Correct problems and retry the backup.
The following information applies only to Windows clients:
Verify that the account used to start the NetBackup Client service has read access to the files.
For a UNIX or Linux database extension client (for example, NetBackup for Oracle), this status code can indicate a problem with the script that controls the backup.
Check the progress report on the client for a message such as the following:
Script exited with status code = number
The number varies. The progress log usually names the script.
Check the script for problems. Also, check the troubleshooting logs created by the database extension. See the NetBackup guide that came with the database extension for information on the scripts and the troubleshooting logs.
VMware item 1: Add more SCSI controllers to the backup host virtual machine.
VMware item 2: Select a different transport mode and retry the backup.
VMware item 3: To avoid conflicts with Storage vMotion in vSphere 5.0 or later, NetBackup should conduct backups through the vCenter server. For more information, see the NetBackup for VMware Administrator's Guide.
VMware item 4: On the virtual machine, you can enter the IP address of the ESX server into the hosts file:
\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hostsVMware item 5: For a successful hotadd backup, the two virtual machines must be in the same VMware data center.
VMware item 6: Certain mount directories or cloned disks must be manually removed to allow hotadd backups to succeed, as follows:
Remove the cloned disks from the VMware backup host and retry the backup.
Remove the mount directories from the \Temp folder and retry the backup. The folder name contains a string such as VMware-System.
VMware item 7: Ensure that the vCenter's DNS name resolves to either an IPv4 or IPv6 address (not both).
Click here to view technical notes and other information in the Veritas Knowledge Base about this status code.