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972 - SIMS for ESE: troubleshooting tips

Jacques van Rensburg
  • Updated
    Tags:
  • ESE
  • SQL Server
  • SIMS
  • bitly
  • ESS
  • Education Software Solutions
  • SIMS warning
  • SIMS error

Page contents

 

SIMS and TLS

For security purposes, Redstor no longer supports connections other than TLS 1.2 for communication between the ESE agent and the SIMS application. If the underlying SQL does not allow higher TLS versions, the agent will not be able to communicate with SIMS. To rectify this, install the latest Microsoft updates. This may involve a SQL update and/or a .NET Framework update, as outlined by Microsoft here.

 

Problem: Could not connect to SIMS SQL server

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

sims_cannot_connect.png

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 below:

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 service SQL Server Browser 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.

startup_type_automatic.png

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

5. Add the SIMS server for backup in the ESE Agent again.

 

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.

tcp_port_1235.png

5. Click OK to save the changes.

6. In the ESE Agent, when attempting to re-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 presents:

 

  • Error: Backup failed: Could not find the tool 'DbAttach.exe' for Capita Module 'SIMS'/'FMS'

To rectify this:

  1. Check that all details in the SIMS.ini file (default location C:\Windows) are correct, as these determine the default settings for the tabs in ESE.

    sims_ini.png

  2. Stop the Redstor backup service.
  3. Delete the file CapitaModel.json 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: Conflicting base setup found

The Agent retrieves two vital paths (SIMSSQLAppsDirectory= and FMSSQLAppsDirectory=) from the file SIMS.ini (default location C:\Windows). If these are not present, the SIMS, DISCOVER and FMS tabs will not appear in the Agent. 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 Agent service and exit the Agent from the task tray icon.
  3. Delete or rename the file CapitaModel.json.
  4. Restart the service and run the Agent from the start menu.
  5. Reconfigure the SIMS/FMS/Discover plugins again.

 

  • Error: [SIMS] Database '[DBName]' could not be saved for backup

This often occurs when an SE Agent with the SIMS plugin is converted to ESE.

To rectify this:

  1. Open the SIMS tab on the ESE Agent and click Edit on the server.
  2. Change the Backup To path to a new location.
  3. Save the server settings.
  4. Run the backup.

 

Problem: Could not connect to database server

When upgrading to ESE v22.04 or later, a warning "Could not connect to database server" presents:

sims_warning.png

This happens because the SQL database that is running the SIMS instance is still using an earlier TLS protocol (e.g. 1.0 or 1.1), most likely as a result of the system's Microsoft updates not being up to date. To rectify this, install the latest Microsoft updates. Also see SIMS and TLS above.

If you are unable to update, you can alternatively use VSS backups of the SQL database and the SIMS shared directory, and DocStorage folders via the Files view in ESE. This will protect the same data, although the Data Selected figure may be slightly higher because the VSS backup does not compress the database as thoroughly.

 

Problem: Could not execute DBCC check

On running a backup of SIMS using the SIMS plugin on ESE, you may encounter an error similar to the following: "Warning: The database check for CAPITA database 'master' completed with warnings: Could not execute DBCC CHECK for database 'master': The database could not be exclusively locked to perform the operation."

sims_error_blurred.png

The database that is impacted may vary between master, SIMS, FMS, etc. Sometimes multiple databases are affected.

This is not an indication of backup failure, only a warning that Redstor's system cannot check for database corruption as part of the backup. 

To address this, first check if it is possible to manually run the DBCC check within SQL. If this is also not possible, it indicates that the error is simply Redstor's system warning users about an issue with either SQL itself or third-party software.

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