972 - SIMS for ESE: troubleshooting tips

Problem: Cannot connect to SIMS SQL server

While adding a SIMS Server for backup, the ESE Backup Client is unable to connect to SQL server instance. 

A Java exception is also visible in the backupservice.log file located in the ESE installation folder:

2017-03-21 15:08:45,218 ERROR CapitaSqlServerService - Could not connect to server 'com.attix5.capita.common.ServerName@851e3e6'
com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerException: The connection to the host WIN2K12R2SIMS, named instance SIMS failed. Error: "java.net.SocketTimeoutException: Receive timed out". Verify the server and instance names and check that no firewall is blocking UDP traffic to port 1434.  For SQL Server 2005 or later, verify that the SQL Server Browser Service is running on the host. 

To establish a connection, the "SQL Server Browser" service must be running on the local machine. Two workarounds are suggested:

A. Configure the SQL Server Browser service to start automatically

B. Configure a static port for the SIMS' SQL Server instance

A. Configure the SQL Server Browser service to start automatically

1. Open your Windows Services on the server where the SQL Server instance is running.

2. Look for the "SQL Server Browser" service in the list. Double-click it to open its properties.

3. The Startup type will be set to "Disabled". Change this to "Automatic" and click Apply.

4. Before closing the window, click Start to ensure the service is started.

5. Attempt adding the SIMS server again for backup in the ESE Backup Client.

B. Configure a static port for the SQL Server instance

1. Open the SQL Server Configuration Manager.

2. Open the entry "Protocol for SIMS" under the "SQL Server Network Configuration" node in the left-hand pane.

3. Double-click the "TCP/IP" entry in the right-hand pane. The TCP/IP Properties window will appear.

4. Scroll down to the "IPAll" entry and update the "TCP Port" to a desired value e.g. "1235":

5. Click OK to save the changes.

6. In the ESE Backup Client, when reattempting to add the SIMS server for backup, specify the configured port in the Server Name field:

Problem: Backup fails with error

If the capitamodel.json file contains an incorrect SIMS component location or other setting, one of the following errors is presented:

Error type 1: Backup failed to complete: capita.0.tool.1.not.found.2

To rectify this:

1. Check that all details in the SIMS.ini file are correct (these determine the default settings for the tabs in ESE).
2. Stop the Redstor backup service.
3. Delete the capitamodel.json file from the ESE install directory (default location C:\Program Files\Redstor Backup Pro\Backup Client ESE).
4. Restart the service.
5. Reconfigure the SIMS/FMS/Discover tabs. 

Error type 2: Conflicting base setup found

The backup client retrieves two vital paths (SIMSSQLAppsDirectory= and FMSSQLAppsDirectory=) from the file C:\Windows\sims.ini. If these are not present, the SIMS, DISCOVER and FMS tabs will not appear in the client. The paths on these lines must point to a folder containing an up-to-date version of dbattach.exe. A common issue is that when SIMS (or the SQL instance that SIMS is running on) is updated, the application directory/directories change, but the sims.ini file is not always updated to reflect this.

To rectify this:

1. Check that the details are correct in C:\Windows\sims.ini.
2. Stop the backup client service and "exit" the client from the task tray icon.
3. Delete or rename the file "CapitaModel.json".
4. Restart the service and run the client from the start menu.
5. Reconfigure the SIMS/FMS/Discover plugins again.