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Conference decwet::networker

Title:NetWorker
Notice:kits - 12-14, problem reporting - 41.*, basics 1-100
Moderator:DECWET::RANDALL.com::lenox
Created:Thu Oct 10 1996
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:750
Total number of notes:3361

518.0. "Hostname UPPERCASE, problem #1." by TRN02::FRASSINO () Sat Mar 22 1997 12:47

    Hi all,
    installing NSR v4.2b I've found a really not easy problem.
    Suppose to have to install a node named PSAPOPC1, uppercase.
    This is the rc.config file of the node:
    
    HOSTNAME="PSAPOPC1"
    
    and the /etc/hosts has an entry like
    
    161.27.6.13	PSAPOPC1 psapopc1 nsrhost	
    
    I've installed only NSR-server and jukebox license, but at the startup
    of the deamons I see in daemon.log:
    
     3/21/97 10:05:39 nsrd: server notice: started
    brxlmf_addclient: client psapopc1 failed to obtain license
    DECNSR-NET-CLNT.
     3/21/97 10:05:39 nsrd: server notice: Too many clients,
    DECNSR-NET-CLNT license was not
    found
    brxlmf_addclient: Exiting. 0 licensed, 0 exempt.
    brxlmf_addclient: Licensed list:
    empty list
    brxlmf_addclient: License exempt list:
    empty list
     3/21/97 10:05:39 nsrd: RAP error, Too many clients, DECNSR-NET-CLNT
    license was not
    found
     3/21/97 10:05:43 nsrmmdbd: media db is cross checking the save sets
     3/21/97 10:05:43 nsrmmdbd: media db is open for business
     3/21/97 10:05:46 nsrd: server info: Portions Copyright � Digital
    Equipment Corporation 1996. All
    rights reserved.
    
    I suppose this is due to the uppercase host, converted in lowercase
    somewhere in the code ( also /nsr/index/sapopc1 directory is in
    lowercase ...). When checking license, the code compares HOSTNAME with
    hostname, and, being different ( ah, Unix ... ), says that hostname is
    a client, so no license is present.
    
    If I change hostname in lowercase, in rc.config and in /etc/hosts, the
    deamon.log says:
    
    /21/97 10:22:57 nsrd: server notice: started
     3/21/97 10:23:00 nsrindexd: checking index for psapopc1
     3/21/97 10:23:00 nsrindexd: completed checking 1 client
     3/21/97 10:23:02 nsrmmdbd: media db is cross checking the save sets
     3/21/97 10:23:02 nsrmmdbd: media db is open for business
     3/21/97 10:23:04 nsrd: server info: Portions Copyright � Digital
    Equipment Corporation 1996. All
    rights reserved.
     3/21/97 10:23:04 nsrd: index notice: completed checking 1 client
    
    If I start nsrd with -D4 option to debug, I see in the lowercase case
    that server is exempt.
    
    I suppose this is a bug;unfortunately I have to manage a production
    system with ASE installed, and change HOSTNAME in hostname is not so
    easy ...
    
    Have I to submit an IPMT ??
    
    Best Regards and ciao! 
    			*8-) Pierpa
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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518.1as stated elsewhere, NSR likes lowercase bestDECWET::EVANSNSR EngineeringMon Mar 24 1997 10:495
I think this comes from a standards committee but Legato has
 said it has no intention of supporting mixed case hostnames
 because the standards don't imply support is required.

I'll bow to the more informed opinions of my teammates, however.
518.2BACHUS::DEVOSManu Devos DEC/SI Brussels 856-7539Tue Mar 25 1997 14:2915
    Fred,
    
    It is not the problem of "mixed case" hostname, but "all uppercase"
    hostnames.
    
    Youmost likely know that DIGITAL VMS customers, migrating to UNIX, are
    using UPPERCASE HOSTNAME simply because they used to use uppercase in
    VMS. Officially, the hostname can be any string of UPPER, lower or
    mixed case in UNIX, so if you are interested in doing business in
    DIgital Unix, you should raise this problem to a high priority because
    it is a very frustrating change for our customer.
    
    Please, please...
    
    Manu.
518.3RHETT::CHOYThu Mar 27 1997 10:2517
    
    nsr translates all mix-cased, uppercase hostnames to all lowercase.
    as you have seen, this creates problems on backup, license,
    recover, ...
    
    a workaround is to edit /nsr/res/nsr.res and change the all
    lowercase hostname to what it is setup. E.g. in this file,
    there is a entry
    	name: psapopc1
    change to
    	name: PSAPOPC1
    then re-start nsr.
    
    this seems to work for some customers.
    
    steve
                                    
518.4SANITY::LEMONSAnd we thank you for your support.Wed Apr 02 1997 13:4013
    Speaking of hostnames, what should we be using?  Our collective memory
    is that whatever the 'hostname' command outputs, then that's what we
    should use for the 'Name' value on the Client screen in NetWorker
    Administrator.
    
    On Windows NT, this outputs 'hostname'; on Digital UNIX, this outputs
    'hostname.hlo.dec.com' (at our site).
    
    Should we be using the IP long name as the client name, or the short
    name?
    
    Thanks!
    tl
518.5I vote for simple hostname.BACHUS::DEVOSManu Devos DEC/SI Brussels 856-7539Thu Apr 03 1997 05:3019
    Hi,
    
    I just read the V4.2A Addendum Manual where it is adviced to
    synchronize the time between the server and the client with xntp and
    also to run the server and the clients in the same TIME ZONE.
    
    I agree that a bind domain is not always in a different timezone than
    another one, but can be. Thus the advantages to use the fully qualified
    hostname can be that the server can backup clients outside of its bind
    domain, but the disadvantages are that a time desynchronization is
    likely to occur causing problems in browsing/retention policies and
    schedules.
    
    I bet for the hostname expurged of its bind domain info, with the fully
    qualified name placed as an alias name.
    
    Regards, Manu.
    
    
518.6DECWET::FARLEEInsufficient Virtual um...er....Thu Apr 03 1997 10:487
When the addendum talks about it being better for server & client
to be in the same time zone, it is not referring to BIND.  It
is referring to the NetWorker server and client.  Generally, if your
NetWorker server and client are far enough apart to be in separate timezones,
backup performance would be completely unacceptable.

Kevin