SMVI - Single File Restore IPv6 Address Oddities

A bit of a random problem I came across whilst testing the Single File Restore feature of NetApp’s Virtual Storage Console.

THE PROBLEM

SnapManager for Virtual Infrastructure (SMVI) single file restore notification email gives an IPv6 addressed web link to download the single file restore client, and the GuestRestoreClientSession.sfr contains the same IPv6 address

Environment Information:

- NetApp Virtual Storage Console (VSC) 4.1 with Backup and Recovery Version 5.0 (Build: 1445).

- VMware vCenter Server version 5.1.

- The VSC is installed on a Windows Server 2008 R2 box which has IPv6 disabled!

- The VSC and vCenter are on the same server as per best practice, and - being a lab environment - SQL Express is on there too.

Using the Single File Restore feature of the VSC, the restore notification email is delivered successfully but contains an IPv6 addressed web link. The environment is all IPv4 so this doesn’t work. Substituting the IPv6 address with the IPv4 address of the VSC server makes the download possible.

Image: SMVI Single File Restore Notification email with IPv6 web link

After downloading the RestoreAgentSetup.exe via the correct IPv4 address and installing it; the GuestRestoreClientSession.sfr configuration file is loaded into the Restore Agent MMC, only to present the error below:

Error - There was no endpoint listening at https://[FE80:0000:0000:0000:0000:0100:007F:FFFE]:8043/smvi/services/hvss that could accept the message. This is often caused by an incorrect address or SOAP action. See InnerException, if present, for more details.

Examining the contents of the GuestRestoreClientSession.sfr reveals the same IPv6 address.

Image: GuestRestoreClientSession.sfr with IPv6 addressing

THE RESOLUTION

Part 1: Set the Restore Agent location

vSphere Client > Home > Solutions and Applications > NetApp

Backup and Recovery > Setup > Single File Restore > Edit…

Set the ‘Restore agent installer location’ to the correct IPv4 address.

Image: VSC Single File Restore Session Setup

Part 2: Configure the smvi.overrides file

Suspend any SMVI backup jobs.

Stop the service ‘NetApp SnapManager for Virtual Infrastructure’.

Edit the file C:\Program Files\NetApp\Virtual Storage Console\smvi\server\etc\smvi.override with the lines:

smvi.address=X.X.X.X

smvi.hostname=FQDN

Restart the service ‘NetApp SnapManager for Virtual Infrastructure’.

Resume any SMVI backup jobs.

Image: smvi.override file edited as above

THE CAUSE

Unknown (I don’t have a clue)!

In this instance, IPv6 had been disabled from before the VMware vCenter software and the VSC were installed. The IPv6 address could not be found in any config file anywhere.

A scan of the registry was done and picked up one reference to this IPv6 address at -

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.VIM_SQLEXP\MSSQLServer\SuperSocketNetLib\Tcp\IP5

- which turned out to be in the TCP/IP properties of the VIM_SQLEXP SQL instance and the IP5 IP Address, but there’s no reason why SMVI should have picked this up.

The SQL entry was changed to the IPv4 address, but his made no difference. Even re-installing the VSC (retaining the SMVI config for backup and restore purposes) onto a new server, same problem!

Image: The one appearance of the fe80 address in SQL Server Configuration Manager

USEFUL TIP

In the process of troubleshooting this, I learnt the SMVI backup and restore/migrate process very well.

1. Suspend all the backup jobs.

2. Stop the ‘NetApp SnapManager for Virtual Infrastructure’ service.

3. Take a copy of the folders:

C:\Program Files\NetApp\Virtual Storage Console\smvi\server\repository

C:\Program Files\NetApp\Virtual Storage Console\smvi\server\etc

Since I’m using SV-SMVI, we also need:

C:\Program Files\NetApp\Virtual Storage Console\smvi\server\scripts

And the sv-smvi.exe from:

C:\Program Files\NetApp\Virtual Storage Console\smvi\

4. Uninstall the NetApp Virtual Storage Console 4.1 for VMware vSphere software.

5. Reinstall the NetApp Virtual Storage Console 4.1 for VMware vSphere software (on a different server).

6. Stop the ‘NetApp SnapManager for Virtual Infrastructure’ service.

7. Restore the folders below (replace the newly installed ones):

C:\Program Files\NetApp\Virtual Storage Console\smvi\server\repository

C:\Program Files\NetApp\Virtual Storage Console\smvi\server\etc

C:\Program Files\NetApp\Virtual Storage Console\smvi\server\scripts

And restore the sv-smvi.exe file to:

C:\Program Files\NetApp\Virtual Storage Console\smvi\

8. Start the ‘NetApp SnapManager for Virtual Infrastructure’ service.

9. Resume any SMVI backup jobs.

Note: With restoring the VSC config itself, it is sufficient to just add/edit the storage controllers under ‘Monitoring and Host Configuration’ > Overview.