Knowledge Base Articles

DeltaV Backup and Recovery Best Practices and Troubleshooting Guide

Article ID: AK-1300-0057

Publish Date: 09 Jul 2021
Article Status: Approved
Article Type: General Product Technical Information
Required Action: Information Only

Recent Article Revision History:

Revision/Publish Description of Revision
09 Jul 2021 Reviewed and determined applicable to DeltaV v14.FP2.
(See end of article for a complete revision history listing.)

Affected Products:
Product Line Category Device Version
DeltaV Workstation Software VF1021x – VF1024x Backup and Recovery v1.1
DeltaV Workstation Software VF1027x – VF1031 Backup and Recovery v1.2
DeltaV Workstation Software VF1042x – VF1044 Backup and Recovery v2.3
DeltaV Workstation Software VF1048x Backup and Recovery v2.3.1
DeltaV Workstation Software VF1060x Backup and Recovery v2.3.2
DeltaV Workstation Software VF1061x Backup and Recovery v3.3
1 Introduction
2 DeltaV Backup and Recovery guidelines
2.1 Supported architectures
2.2 Installation requirements
2.3 Licensing
2.4 Data backup
2.5 Data recovery
3 Troubleshooting common issues
3.1 Importing licenses
3.2 Remote deployment/installation
3.3 Backup Plan Templates
3.4 Disk imaging failures
3.5 Performance issues
3.6 Recovery issues
3.7 Backup issues
4 Collecting information for DVBR issues
4.1 DVBR First Input Template
4.2 Useful files for investigation

1 Introduction
This document serves as a guide for customers and Emerson affiliates who work with the technical aspects of DeltaV
Backup and Recovery. It provides best practices when configuring and using DeltaV Backup and Recovery, and it
includes basic troubleshooting techniques in approaching and resolving common issues.
Applicability is limited to DeltaV Backup and Recovery v1.3 and later.
This guide should be used in conjunction with Acronis Knowledge Base Articles and other related Knowledge Base
Articles found in SMS.
To avoid experiencing known issues that have already been resolved, you must keep all the DeltaV systems up to date
with the latest Windows Security Updates and DeltaV hotfixes. Also, only the tested hardware and software must be used.

2 DeltaV Backup and Recovery guidelines

This section provides guidelines on the aspects of DeltaV Backup and Recovery.

2.1 Supported architectures

• DeltaV Backup and Recovery has three available supported architecture options. The location of the Management
Server defines the options.
o The Management Server is installed on a DeltaV Application Station and is used to back up workstations and
servers within the same DeltaV System.
o The Management Server is installed on a non-DeltaV PC located on the network level above the DeltaV area
control network (“level 2.5”). The Management Server is located within the DeltaV system firewall and is used
to back up workstations and servers within a single DeltaV system or possibly multiple DeltaV systems that
share the same level 2.5 network and reside within the same system firewall.

Page 2 of 25
 o The Management Server is installed on a non-DeltaV PC located on the plant LAN (“level 3”). The
Management Server is located outside the DeltaV system firewall and is used to back up workstations and
servers within a single DeltaV system or multiple DeltaV systems connected to the same level 3 networks
and/or AMS Suite and/or non-DeltaV workstations and servers on the level 3 networks.
For more information regarding the supported network architectures, refer to the Backup and Recovery Product
Data Sheet and BackupRecovery.pdf in the installation media.
• Install Backup agents only on Emerson and non-Emerson PCs involved in the operation of the DeltaV System or
AMS Suite.
• If the Management Server is on a DeltaV Application Station, it is recommended to use a separate “backup
network” created by configuring the third network interface card (NIC) in the DeltaV workstations and servers. If it
is not possible to create a separate backup network and there are only a few stations to back up in a redundant
DeltaV area control network, the DeltaV area control network may be used. In this case, it may be considered to
adjust the backup plans to limit the amount of network bandwidth consumed by the backup data transfer.

2.2 Installation requirements

• Backup and Recovery uses TCP port 9876 for local installation and communication between components. The
setup program automatically opens this port through the Windows Firewall. If a different firewall is used, make
sure that the port is open for both incoming and outgoing requests through that firewall.
Backup and Recovery also uses TCP ports 445 and 25001 for remote installation. Make sure that these ports are
added to exceptions in the firewall settings on the remote machines. TCP port 445 is added to exceptions
automatically by Windows Firewall when File and Printer Sharing is enabled. After the installation, change the
ports at any time to match your site security policy.
Changing the default port number requires a restart of the Acronis Remote Agent service.
• Installation of Backup and Recovery components:
o The Backup and Recovery components may be installed on a single PC or multiple PCs, as required by
specific needs and network architecture.
o A backup agent must be installed on every PC that requires backup.
o The management server, license server, and storage vault(s) should be installed on one or more conveniently
located PCs.
o The management console can be installed on the management server PC or on any PC that requires access
to a backup agent.

2.2.1 Installing DeltaV Backup and Recovery

To install DeltaV Backup and Recovery, perform the following steps:
1. Copy the Backup License Utility from the DVD to the C:\ drive on the computer where the license server will be
installed, and then generate the license order code. Take note of where the License Order Code is generated.
2. Send the license order code to Emerson ([email protected]), along with the following
information, to receive the encrypted license file:
• Emerson sales order number
• DeltaV System ID
• The serial number of each license ordered as found on the license certificate
3. Use the Backup License Utility to decrypt the license file, and then create a text file that includes the license keys.

Note: The BackupLicenseUtility.exe should be run from the same hard drive location where the signature
was originally generated.

4. Run the setup program for Backup and Recovery, including any licensed options, such as Universal Restore or
Deduplication.

Page 3 of 25
 5. Import Emerson Backup Plan Templates on the management server, and then assign them to managed
machines.
After installing Backup and Recovery, you can configure it and import the Emerson Backup Plan Templates as required.
For more details on the installation process, refer to the Introduction to Backup and Recovery document located on the
Backup and Recovery DVD.
• If the DeltaV Application Station is used as the management server, no other DeltaV Applications can be used on
the Application Station.
• The management server and other Backup and Recovery management components may be installed on a non-
Emerson PC. We recommend installing the management server and other Backup and Recovery data
management components on a Dell R710 or other DeltaV system-approved Dell Server.
• The management server may be installed on a PC running Windows XP SP3, Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit),
Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. For performance
reasons, consider using a server-class machine if more than a few PCs must be backed up.
Further details on installation instructions can be found in the BackupRecovery.pdf included in the installation
media.

2.3 Licensing
2.3.1 Agent license
Backup and Recovery is licensed by the number of PCs that needs to be backed up and the operating system installed on
the machines. Each backup agent requires a license.
Also, the Deduplication and Universal Restore additional features are licensed per agent. Other components do not
require a license.
To properly license and install Backup and Recovery, determine:
• The number of workstations and server-class PCs to be backed up
• Which workstations and servers require Deduplication and/or Universal Restore
• How many copies of the media pack are required. At least one copy of the media pack is needed to install the
software, but multiple copies can be purchased as needed.
Refer to section 2.2.1 Installing DeltaV Backup and Recovery for instructions on how to load the licenses.

2.3.2 Version upgrade license

The version upgrade licenses are used to upgrade from a previous version of Backup and Recovery to the latest version.
• To upgrade to the latest version of Backup and Recovery, you need a version upgrade license for each PC that
you want to upgrade. Each PC that will be upgraded must also be licensed with its existing version license. For
example, if you want to upgrade a PC from Backup and Recovery v1.2 to Backup and Recovery v2.3, you will
need a Backup and Recovery v2.3 upgrade license, and the PC must have a license for Backup and Recovery
v1.2.
• The version upgrade license must match the previous version license to retain the functionality of the latest
version.
• An existing version of Backup and Recovery can be upgraded by installing the latest version “on top” of the
existing version. Details on upgrading the Backup and Recovery can be found in the documentation on the
Backup and Recovery DVD.
• The latest version of Backup and Recovery does not include a standalone edition. However, the standalone
edition from the earlier release can be upgraded to the latest version by purchasing the appropriate Backup and
Recovery Server and Workstation upgrade licenses for the PCs running Backup and Recovery Standalone Server
and Standalone Workstation, respectively.

Page 4 of 25
2.3.3 Evaluation license
The Backup and Recovery evaluation license provides a fully functional, 30-day limited-time version of Backup and
Recovery Server with Deduplication that you can use to evaluate the Backup and Recovery software on a PC running any
of the supported Windows operating systems.
To upgrade to the full version of Backup and Recovery, purchase the appropriate licenses and apply the new licenses to
the license server. Up to three evaluation licenses may be purchased per site.

2.4 Data backup

Backup and Recovery uses backup plans to define what data is backed up. The backup plan defines what data is backed
up, when it is backed up, and where the backup data is stored.
Backup plans may be created to back up any data related to your DeltaV system or AMS Suite. In addition, Emerson
provides several backup plan templates to be used when backing up your DeltaV system and AMS Suite.
The backup plan templates provide everything needed to back up your DeltaV system data and workstations and AMS
Suite data. The backup plan templates may also be modified to add your specific files, folders, or databases that require
backup.
• The frequency of running the backup plans depends on your specific requirements.
• Storage data requirements depend on several factors such as but not limited to:
o How often the data is backed up
o What type of data is backed up
o Level of compression applied
o Use of Deduplication
In general, a full block-level backup with normal compression requires about 50% of the space required by the data on the
disk. For example, a backup data archive of one hard disk drive with 2 partitions, one partition of 100 GB with 5 GB used,
and a second partition of 200 GB with 15 GB used, would be about 10 GB (50% of 20 GB).

Note: With incremental/differential backups, the general rule is not as straightforward. The backup data
archive size depends on the data changes, which depend on system usage.

• Each backup plan can be configured to provide the desired level of compression on the backed-up data. Levels of
compression are: None, Normal, High, and Maximum. A higher level of compression means the backup file will be
smaller, but it also means the backup plan will take longer to complete. The default compression setting is
Normal, and there is not a large difference in compressed size when comparing Normal versus Maximum
compression.
• Archive protection can be configured in each backup plan to provide the desired level of security on the data
being backed up. If archive protection is enabled, a password can be set to an archive, and the desired level of
encryption can be selected. The archive protection feature provides four levels of encryption: Do not encrypt, AES
128, AES 192, and AES 256. The default archive protection setting is disabled.
Follow this procedure when transferring a vault, containing your backup data, to another server:
1. Copy the vault’s folder to the desired location.
2. Launch the Management console, and then connect to the Management Server.
3. Right-click the vault to be moved, and then click Detach.
4. Right-click Centralized, and then click Attach.
5. Attach the vault’s folder in the new location.
6. Under Vaults, click Refresh.
7. Verify that the vault is in its new location and that the previous backups are present.

Page 5 of 25
DeltaV Backup and Recovery may use tape drives to store data backups. For the list of tape drives supported and tested
by Acronis, refer to the Acronis Backup Advanced Tape Hardware Compatibility List. For tape drives that are not included
on the list, consult Acronis through the Global Service Center.
Please note that the functionalities of the hardware are not guaranteed.

Note: For Virtualization systems—To back up a virtual machine, it’s recommended to install the Agent
component directly on the virtual machine in the same way that you would install an agent on an actual
workstation or server. Agent for Windows license is not required if the host has Agent for Hyper-V license.

2.5 Data recovery

Individual file recovery tasks are created in the management console. Full image restores can be performed from the
Management Console but are much easier to do using the Acronis Bootable Media.
A recovery task defines the data to be recovered, the storage location where the data is to be recovered from, the
directory location where the data is to be recovered to, and the time when the data recovery occurs.
Follow the documentation in the BackupRecovery.pdf.
When recovering data, consider the following recommended practices:
• The instructions for recovering the DeltaV system and AMS Suite data are included in the Introduction to Backup
and Recovery user documentation provided on the Backup and Recovery DVD and in DeltaV Books Online and
AMS Books Online. Consult these documents for procedures and advisories regarding data recovery.
• The instructions for recovering data created by third-party software (such as Microsoft Excel) are not covered in
the Emerson documentation. Consult the user documentation from the third-party software supplier and Acronis
for procedures and advisories regarding data recovery.
• Before initiating a data recovery procedure, disable any scheduled or automated backup task operating in
associated system areas. Neglecting to suspend a related backup task could invalidate the integrity of recovered
data, backed up data, or both.
• Some DeltaV workstations automatically start a Windows service named DeltaV. Before recovering any DeltaV
system data, except for the DeltaV configuration database, manually stop the DeltaV service, and then
temporarily change its startup type to Manual or Disabled on any DeltaV workstation included in the data recovery
operation. Stopping the DeltaV service disables all other services related to DeltaV. After completing the data
recovery, reset the startup type for the DeltaV service to Automatic, and then restart the workstation, or to avoid a
reboot, restart the DeltaV service, and then launch DeltaV Logon from the Start Menu. Verify that all data was
recovered successfully, and then delete any temporary files or folders created during recovery procedures.
• Recover DeltaV system data to a temporary folder to verify the recovered data before bringing it back online.
When using the Emerson templates, the default recovery location will be the \EmersonTemporaryBackup
directory on the target machine.

3 Troubleshooting common issues

This section lists the common issues and their corresponding work-around or recovery.

3.1 Importing licenses

Symptom Work-around/Recovery

Page 6 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery
▪ Error message: “Machine does not appear to match…” Run the BackupLicenseUtility.exe from the same hard
▪ The machine signature is substantially different. drive location where the signature was originally generated.
If the License Order Code is generated with the Backup
▪ Error message: “This computer does not appear to match
License Utility run from the DVD, do not close the utility until
the one your Order Code was created on.”
the license file is received.
▪ The signature matches (with negligible differences Remove the extraneous character.
towards the end). 1. Move to the end of the last line in the file, and then press
▪ *.LIN files imported into SMS contained extraneous the Delete key several times.
carriage return (CR; 0x0D) at the end of the file. 2. Press Enter to recreate the empty new line, and then
save the file.
This procedure will remove the extra CR at the end of the
file.
Unable to load additional Licenses received from Emerson License files from Emerson (.LIN files) cannot be directly
to the Acronis Management Server loaded using the "Add License" option from the
Management Server. Use the Backup License Utility to
load/export the licenses.
Error message “License could not be applied. Make sure The custom license server on the DeltaV Backup and
they have not been loaded already.” appears when loading Recovery media might be affected by the issue.
the licenses. Follow these steps to recover:
1. Uninstall AcronisLicenseServer.msi.
2. Double-click the ABR11A_17318_en-US.exe file to run
the DVBR installation.
3. Click Manually select the components I want to
install, and then select only the License Server. Allow
the computer to complete the installation.
4. Rerun the Backup License Utility.
5. Browse to the .LIN, and then click OK/Next.
6. Continue the DVBR installation, as per the
documentation.
Agents cannot obtain licenses, with the error message, Unassign the old licenses to be able to use the new
“There are no available licenses on the specified license licenses.
server.” during upgrade to DeltaV Backup and Recovery
v2.3.

3.2 Remote deployment/installation

Symptom Work-around/Recovery
Agent Core was successfully deployed, but Agent for Perform a local installation of Acronis Agent for Windows.
Windows fails. Refer to KBA NK-1200-0282: Remote Installation of Acronis
Agent for Windows Fails.

Page 7 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery
Unable to add a machine to the Acronis Management ▪ Invalid User Credentials
Server [AMS]. o Ensure that the user credentials entered to connect to
Typically caused by one of two things: the AMS are valid for that machine.
▪ Invalid User Credentials ▪ An issue with name resolution between the remote
▪ An issue with name resolution between the remote machine and Acronis Management Server
machine and Acronis Management Server o Check network configuration or firewall blockage.
o If in a domain environment, verify that the machine can
be pinged by hostname, IP address, and FQDN.
o If the issue is with the DNS and the end-user does not
have the skillset to fix it, name resolution issues can be
fixed by making appropriate entries in the host file (in
%WINDIR%\System 32\Drivers\etc). This procedure
is the last resort approach because leaving the
networking issue as is might adversely affect other
systems on the machines.
“Failed to add the storage node” when adding the Reinstall the Storage Node Component.
Centralized Vault (See BackupRecovery.pdf for procedure)
“Access is Denied” when assigning a vault to a backup plan Verify that the credentials entered are correct.
Make sure that all unused NIC Cards are disabled.
Disable IPv6.
All Machines Are Grayed Out in Acronis Management Acronis Knowledge Base Article 38947
Server after Restarting Machine. (https://kb.acronis.com/content/38947) provides 2 available
solutions to recover from the issue. However, if the
solutions did not work and the machine no longer appears
in the Management Server, perform these steps:
1. Ensure that the SyncMasterID of the machine matches
the AMS CurrentMachineID of the Management Server.
2. Reboot the machine/restart the Acronis Managed
Machine Service.
3. Run the delete_machine_by_id.vbs script on the
Management Server (refer to this Acronis KBA for the
instructions:
http://kb.acronis.com/content/4327#guid).
4. Continue to add the machine to the Management Server.

Page 8 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery
A notification “The machine has been already registered” 1. Download delete_machines.zip from Acronis KB 4327:
appears when re-adding a machine to the Management Adding a Machine to Acronis Backup & Recovery
Server. Management Server Fails with "The machine has been
A machine might sometimes not be completely removed already registered."
from the Acronis Management Server due to certain (https://kb.acronis.com/content/4327)
orphaned records in the database. The Agent for Windows 2. Use the delete_by_name.vbs to remove the machine
on the client still considers itself as managed by the from the Acronis Management Server. Depending on
Management Server. how the machine was originally added to the
Management Server, use the IP address, hostname, or
FQDN.
3. If the management console component was installed
along with the Agent for Windows, connect to the
affected node from the Management Server via remote
machine or from the machine itself.
4. From the management console options menu, click
Machine Options → Machine Management. Click
Stand-alone management, and then click OK.
5. From the Management Console Options menu, click
Machine Options → Machine Management. Click
Centralized management, enter the IP address of the
Acronis Management Server, and then click OK.
“Windows cannot find C:\Program Files\Common Click Continue/OK to proceed with the installation.
Files\Acronis\TibMounter\TibMounterMonitor.exe”
is displayed when installing or reinstalling Acronis Backup
and Recovery v11.5.
Attempting to connect a local machine from Acronis Follow the instructions from Acronis KB37510, and then
Management Console or to add a local machine to Acronis apply the registry change to the agent machine.
Management Server fails with the following error message:
Code: 13.238.288(0x00CA0010)
LineInfo: 0xEC81F6265C057C51;
Module: mms_vs_32256
Message: The requested license holder
cannot be found

Page 9 of 25
3.3 Backup Plan Templates
Symptom Work-around/Recovery
Backup plans remain in the “Deploying” state. No work-around. This behavior is a known Acronis issue in
DVBR 1.1 and 1.2, which has been resolved in DVBR 2.3.
A successful backup was indicated, but there is no backup, Install the software solution.
or the backup has failed. See KBA NK-1200-0248: PRODUCT QUALITY
CONCERN: Process Systems and Solutions - DeltaV-
DeltaV Backup and Recovery may indicate a successful
backup even if part of or the entire backup has failed..
Unable to import Backup Plan Templates with an error Work-around:
message: “Cannot import the backup plan because it 1. In the Navigation pane, under All machines with
contains invalid items for backup.” Agents, right-click the machine, and then click Delete
machine from AMS.
2. Log on to the console of the remote machine, and then
disable any network interface cards that are not
currently connected (e.g. Media disconnected, Network
cable unplugged, etc.).
3. In the Navigation pane, right-click All machines with
Agents, and then click Add a machine to AMS. Supply
the appropriate information for the machine being re-
added.
4. Complete the registration process, and then close the
Add machine dialog box.
To verify that registration has completed properly:
1. In the Navigation pane, under All machines with agents,
right-click the newly added machine, and then click
Details. The previously missing information should be
filled in.
2. In the Navigation pane, under All machines with agents,
right-click the newly added machine, and then click
Connect directly. Once connected, click Backup
plans and tasks, and verify that the appropriate
backup plans have been deployed.
At a minimum, you should see
Centralized_InitializeBackup and
Centralized_ImageBackupAllDisks as these two
backup plans are assigned to the All machines with
agents group.

Page 10 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery
AMS Backup plan template fails. Follow the applicable work-around:
Possible causes: 1. The AMS backup plan template and AMS.bat file state
▪ An incorrect version of SQL in the backup plan. that:
▪ For AMS v12, the Acronis user has no privilege to back up “For DeltaV versions before version 11, replace the
the AMS database. Emerson2008 database name with Emerson2005 in
C:\EmersonBackupPlanTemplates\ams.bat”
Check the version of the AMS used, and then correct
the AMS.bat file with the corresponding SQL instance.
Allow the Acronis user to back up the database.
a. Run SQL Server Management Studio, and then
connect to <AMS_MACHINE_NAME>\EMERSON2008
instance.
b. Expand Security.
c. Right-click Logins, and then click New Login.
d. Click Search, enter the name of the Acronis
Managed Machine service logon account, and then
click OK.
e. Click Server Roles, and then select the check box
sysadmin role.
f. Click OK to save the changes.
Centralized_DVDataNonDatabase backup plan fails with To resolve the issue:
error message “Running backup plan 1. Open a command prompt.
‘CentralizedBackupDvDataNonDatabase - <node
2. Type SET ABR and then press Enter.
name>’ has failed.”
If the variable has been defined, the output will be as
The issue is caused by one of two things:
follows:
▪ The new Centralized_InitializeBackup, which creates a
new Environment variable (ABRDVDataPath) used by the ABRDVDataPath=D:\DeltaV\DVData
Centralized_DVDataNonDatabase backup plan, was not Otherwise, do the following:
run.
a. Close the existing command prompt.
▪ Acronis Managed Machine service was not restarted after
b. Run the new Centralized_InitializeBackup plan on
running the new Centralized_InitializeBackup plan.
the target machine.
c. Open a new command prompt window. Note that if a
new command prompt is not opened, it will not see
the new environment variable. These are read when
the command prompt is instantiated.
d. Type SET ABR again and verify if it is now defined
as above.
3. On the target machine, stop and then start the Acronis
Managed Machine service.
4. Rerun the Centralized_DVDataNonDatabase backup
plan, and then verify that it runs properly.
VCAT database backup fails if the database name contains a Edit VCAT.bat following instructions in KBA AK-1400-
lowercase “n” character. 0040: DeltaV Backup and Recovery Application of Version
Control and Audit Trail Fails.

Page 11 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery
Batch Historian backup fails if the database name contains 1. Edit BatchHistorianDBCompare.bat both in local
an “n.” machine and Management Server.
2. Delete “\n” from the line below, and then save.
@FOR /F "delims=\n" %%D IN
(Database_list.txt) DO (

Error code 41 and Error code 1024 appear when backing up 1. Verify that all Event Chronicle workstations have DeltaV
the Event Chronicle database through the Acronis Data 10.3.1 hotfix bundle W1 or later.
backup on a DeltaV 10.3.1 system. 2. Make a copy of the EventChronicle.bat under
C:\EmersonBackupPlanTemplates on the
Management Server.
3. Modify the file as follows:
Find the line in EventChronicle.bat, and then change it
from:
@if "%CurrentVersion%"=="10.3.1" (GOTO
:withoutScheduledFlag)
to:
@REM @if "%CurrentVersion%"=="10.3.1"
(GOTO :withoutScheduledFlag)
4. After the modification, copy the file to each workstation
(same location) that is running the Event Chronicle.
Monitor if the Event Chronicle backup plan can be run
successfully on those machines.
Error status appears on backup plans that run a Simple Modify the backup plan to use a custom backup scheme.
backup scheme.
Continuous Historian Legacy Backup Plan does not work. 1. Verify the PI version installed by checking
C:\PI\adm\PIversion → Properties.
2. If the PI version is 3.4.370 or later, modify the batch file,
ContinuousHistorianLegacy.bat, to use the command
for PI 3.4.370 and later.
If PI was installed on drive D instead of the default drive C,
modify the batch file to use the correct path.
A Backup plan created from an Objectivity template The Objectivity Backup plan creates backup files for the
continues to fail after failing once before. objectivity database and stores them in the
D:\EmersonTemporaryBackup\Objectivity folder on
the ProfessionalPLUS.
Sometimes the backup fails in the middle of the backup.
The TemporaryBackup folder would have some, but not
all, backup files. When this happens, the subsequent
backups will fail.
Delete all files under the
EmersonTemporaryBackup\Objectivity folder before
running the backup.

Page 12 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery
Backups go through an unintended network. To force the backup plan to use the DVBR network (in
cases that AMS is connected to the DeltaV and DVBR
networks):
1. Edit the backup plan.
2. Under Where to back up, click Location.
3. Instead of selecting a centralized vault (under
Centralized then name of the Vault), click Storage
nodes and in the Path: portion, type the IP address of
the Storage node (e.g. bsp://192.168.1.1/). Click the
green arrow, and then provide the credential to access the
storage node. Expand the IP address under the Storage
nodes and select the vault.
4. Save the backup plan.
DST (Daylight Savings Time) affects the start time of 1. Stop Acronis Management Server Service on the AMS
scheduled backup plans. machine.
2. If you have default SQL Express installation, go to the
Acronis Management Server (AMS) machine, and then
open CMD as administrator. Execute:
osql -E -S .\ACRONIS -d acronis_cms_cards
-Q "UPDATE AttachedMachines SET
LastOperationID = 0"
3. Start Acronis Management Server Service.
This procedure will force the resynchronization of all
agents with AMS generating many activities on AMS.
Please wait for an hour or two (depending on the
number of agents) for AMS to process all activities.
The backup plan fails with the pre-backup command, and The issue can be caused by the Environmental Variables
manually running the batch file fails. in Windows that are not using the default path.
▪ The backup plan fails with errors pointing to “Pre-backup To resolve the issue, ensure that the COMSPEC variable
command execution has failed.” is “%SystemRoot%\system32\cmd.exe”
▪ Running the batch files manually will show the error (C:Windows\System32\cmd.exe).
“Windows cannot find ‘C:\<batch file name>.bat’. To check the ComSpec variable:
Make sure you typed the name correctly, and 1. Go to Control Panel → System → Advanced System
then try again.” Settings → Advanced System Settings → Advanced
tab → Environment Variables.
2. Check if the ComSpec value is
C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe.
The Batch Historian backup plan fails for DeltaV 13.3.1 and Documentation for DVBR 2.3.1 and later incorrectly
14.3 versions if the BhTakeOwn.exe does not exist in the indicates that the BhTakeOwn.exe needs to be copied to
C:\DeltaV\bin folder of the Batch Historian Server. the Batch Historian server for DeltaV 13.3 and earlier
versions.
Copy the BhTakeOwn.exe from the Extras folder of the
DVBR media to the C:\DeltaV\bin folder of the Batch
Historian node for any DeltaV versions.

Page 13 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery
The Advanced Continuous Historian backup plan fails with Stop and then start the PiBackup service as part of the
the “Pre-backup command” error. ContinuousHistorianAdvanced.bat file. This step can be
The ContinuousHistorianAdvanced.log contains "PI Server done by adding the following in the first line of the batch
Backup Status = -16911" and "FAILURE ERRORLEVEL=- file:
16911". net stop pibackup
Another symptom is the “vssadmin list writers” command on
net start pibackup
the affected ACH server does not list the "OSIsoft PI Server"
writer.
Backup plans intermittently fail with “Faulting application Acronis has confirmed that the Acronis Backup Advanced
name:service_process.exe, version 11.7.0.50222…” in the 11.7.50222 (used in DeltaV Backup and Recovery 3.3)
Windows Event logs. build has an issue. Refer to KBA AK-1900-0047: Backup
Plans Fail Intermittently Due to service_process.exe
Encountering Issues for the resolution.

3.4 Disk imaging failures

Symptom Work-around/Recovery
Volume Shadow Copy failing to start. If the machine is a domain controller and SQL Servers are
running, change the logon account for each SQL Server
instance, i.e. logon name is “domain\username” instead of
“.\username.”
A warning message “Failed to get VSS metadata for This issue has already been resolved in DVBR v2.3, which
backup” appears when backing up all disk. uses Acronis Backup and Recovery v11.5.
All image backup plans fail with the error message “Failed Use a managed vault.
to open the backup archive by the ID” when an un-managed
vault is used.
This issue happens when backup plans for several agent
machines use the same un-managed vault. The backup
process running on one agent might delete an archive for a
different agent machine incorrectly during the cleanup.

3.5 Performance issues

Symptom Work-around/Recovery

Backup operations take a long time to complete. Check if there are multiple StorageServer.exe crash
events and if there is antivirus software installed.
Refer to the Acronis KBA: Acronis Backup & Recovery
11: Acronis Storage Node Crashes if Antivirus Locks
Managed Vault
http://kb.acronis.com/content/26184

The Acronis database consumes all free space on the Flush out extraneous synchronization records to return
partition where SQL Server Express 2005 is installed. the database to a reasonable size. Refer to KBA AK-
1300-0044: Acronis Database File
"acronis_cms_cards.mdf" Eventually Consumes a
Large Amount of Disk Space.

Page 14 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery

A backup plan “runs” but does not run on any actual This issue commonly occurs with the
nodes, and the Acronis Management Server service Centralized_InitializeBackup plan as users forget to
crashes. While navigating in the Acronis Management redo the group linkage after the plan is imported.
Server, an Operation Progress dialog displays 1. Right-click the backup plan, and then click Edit.
messages “Connecting to <managementServerName>”
2. Click Items to back up. Select the group(s)
and “Waiting for reconnection.”
appropriate for the backup plan in question.
The backup plan will usually report a successful
▪ For the Centralized_InitializeBackup plan, make
completion even though it did not run on any nodes.
sure that All Machines is checked.
▪ For all other backup plans, it will depend on
which backup plan it is and how the user has
configured the groups and plans.
3. Save the backup plan.
The backup plan will now deploy and run properly as
per the group assignment. The Acronis Management
Server service will no longer crash when the backup
plan is opened.

Backup failed with a “Failed to create volume snapshot” Download and run the Acronis VSS Doctor utility:
error message. https://www.acronis.com/es-es/personal/vss-
diagnostic-free-tool/
This utility helps diagnose and repair VSS issues on
the machine. Copy the downloaded file to an affected
agent machine, right-click on the file, and then select
“Run as administrator.” Examine the log generated by
the tool by checking the “NeedToFixStatus” and
“Status” from each required item. The tool would find
and correct the services that are either not started or
set up incorrectly.

Page 15 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery

The backup plan fails with the error message “The If any of the writes are in a state other than State:
activity state has been repaired after unexpected [1] Stable; Last error: No error
failure. The server was probably unavailable>” followed
Then, restart the service associated with that writer
by “Process ‘service_process.exe’ has failed.” in the
according to the table.
Acronis Activities log.
This error implies that the service_process.exe, which Service
VSS Writer Service Name
performs the backup, has crashed. Display Name
This error might be a memory issue, but it usually Volume
implies an issue with the Volume Shadow Copy ASR Writer VSS
Shadow Copy
Subsystem. To diagnose, execute the following from
the command line: Background
Intelligent
vssadmin list writers BITS Writer BITS
Transfer
Service
COM+ Volume
VSS
REGDB Writer Shadow Copy
Application
IIS Config
AppHostSvc Host Helper
Writer
Service
IIS Metabase IIS Admin
IISADMIN
Writer Service
Microsoft
Microsoft
Exchange
Exchange MSExchangeIS
Information
Writer
Store
Microsoft Hyper-V Virtual
Hyper-V VSS vmms Machine
Writer Management
Registry Volume
VSS
Writer Shadow Copy
Shadow Copy
Volume
Optimization VSS
Shadow Copy
Writer
Cryptographic
System Writer CryptSvc
Services
Windows
WMI Writer Winmgmt Management
Instrumentation

“Only Acronis Agent Core is installed” appears when The issue is related to Acronis Knowledge Base
managing a remote machine. 30660: Connection Attempt Fails with “Only Acronis
Agent Core is installed.”
(https://kb.acronis.com/content/30660)

Page 16 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery

The storage node fails due to memory allocation when If deduplication is enabled on the vault, the machine
there are not enough memories for the deduplication should have a 64-bit operating system installed as
database. required by Acronis.
Refer to:
http://www.acronis.com/support/documentation/ABR11
.5/#7143.html
Additionally, the Storage Node machine (usually the
Management Server) does not have sufficient RAM.
Please consult the Acronis Storage Node Calculation
Wizard.
Refer to: http://www.acronis.com/en-us/backup-
recovery/asn-calculator.html

MMS.EXE memory usage constantly increases. Use the Task Scheduler to schedule Windows
(Powershell) script and use "net stop" and "net start" to
restart the Backup and Recovery service periodically
at an appropriate interval.

Backup plans fail with the error message: “A required 1. Delete the machine from the Acronis Management
privilege is not held by the client.” Server.
This issue happens when the user account, run by the 2. Re-add, and then reassign the machine to its
Acronis Managed Machine service, is changed after appropriate Acronis group.
the backup plans have already been deployed to the 3. Verify that the corresponding backup plans deploy
machine. and can be executed successfully.

Booting a machine from the Acronis PXE Server fails. Use Acronis Bootable Media to boot the Acronis Agent
on the target machine.
Refer to KBA: AK-1400-0054: Acronis PXE Server
Fails to Work in DeltaV Backup & Recovery v2.3.x

Backup fails due to Management Server slow 1. Ensure that no active backups are running on any
performance issue, which is caused by increasing DML machines managed by the management server.
db file size (dml_object.db3) in 2. Stop the Acronis Management Server service.
C:\ProgramData\Acronis\AMS.
3. Run the script remove_history.bat (refer to
https://kb.acronis.com/content/31547), which will
clean up the Acronis Management Server
Database.
4. Start Acronis Management Server service.

Unable to complete a backup plan due to insufficient or A prompt “Interaction Required” will appear on the
unavailable storage. Management Console to notify the user. Ensure that
there is sufficient storage to accommodate the backup
data, and then acknowledge the message on the
“Interaction Required” prompt.

Page 17 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery

Tape vault becomes unavailable when rebooting the Restarting the Acronis Storage Node Service might
Acronis Management Server. Selecting the previously help with recovering from the issue. However, the
configured vault will prompt the error “The vault you Management Server might become busy during
have selected is unavailable at the moment. Select startup, causing the Storage Node startup to affect the
another vault.” tape vaults. Delay the startup of the service to resolve
the issue:
1. Ensure that the Management Console is closed.
2. Go to Start → Run → Services.msc.
3. Right-click on Acronis Storage Node Service →
Properties.
4. On the General tab, change the startup type to
Manual.
5. Click Apply.
6. Create a batch file to start the Acronis Storage
Node Service.
a. Open notepad and type the following
commands:
Timeout /t 300
net start storagenode
b. Save as *.bat file.
The timeout command is a delay to start the
service. “/t 300” means that it will be delayed by
300 seconds or 5 minutes. The delay can be
adjusted according to how fast the DeltaV
Backup and Recovery server boots up.
7. Create a scheduled task to run the batch file during
system restarts.
a. Go to Start > Task Scheduler.
b. Create a new basic task.
c. Select “When the computer starts.”
d. Select “Start a program.”
e. Browse for the *.bat file.
f. Set the task to “Run whether the user is logged
or not” and set to “Run with highest privileges.”
g. Reboot the Management Server. The Acronis
Storage Node Service will not be started initially
but should start after the timeout setting is
reached.

“Violation of UNIQUE KEY constraint ‘PK_Slice’. The error can be safely ignored. For more information,
Cannot insert duplicate key in object ‘dbo.Slice’.” refer to https://kb.acronis.com/content/9179, which is
appears in Management Server logs. applicable only for Acronis Backup 10. Acronis will
create a new KBA for version 11.5.

The image backup plan hangs during the validation Create a separate task to validate the image backup.
process.

Page 18 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery

“The XML file does not appear to have any style Acronis provides templates with style sheets to be
information associated with it.” appears when launching used for different reports. There are two options for
the report using the option View the report in the viewing the report in XML when using the option View
default browser. the report in the default web browser:
▪ Use “View the report in the in the default browser” to
generate the report, and then go to each
corresponding folder to view the report.
▪ Put the required style sheets and XML report in one
folder:
1. Generate a report for “Vaults’ Statistics” using
“View the report in the default web browser.”
2. When the report opens in the browser, take note of
the Temp folder location in the address bar.
3. Copy all files under the Temp folder to a location
where you want to save all XML reports.
4. Create a viewable report:
a. Always use “View report in the default web
browser” to generate any report. Go to the
Temp folder to copy the “Report.xml” file to the
same folder as all style sheets.
b. Generate the XML report using “Save the report
to the XML file.” Then, edit each report by
adding an instruction to link the XML file to a
style sheet based on the report type.
i. If the report contains subject=“Tasks’ Runs
Report”
Then add:
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl"
href="report_historical.xslt"?>
ii. If the report contains subject= “Vaults
Report”
Then add:
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl"
href="report_graphics.xslt"?>
iii. If the report contains subject= “Tasks
Report”, subject= “Machines Report”.
subject= “Backup Plans Report,” or subject=
“Backup Archives Report”
Then, add:
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl"
href="report.xslt"?>

Page 19 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery

The backup plan fails with “Child process has exited…” Failed backup plans having this kind of message mean
errors in the Acronis logs. that the batch file was not successful in creating the
backups (i.e. FHX is not successfully created in
D:\EmersonTemporaryBackup\ObjectivityExportFhx). If
this occurs, gather the log file (.log) created inside the
D:\EmersonTemporaryBackup\<type of backup>
folder. This step can provide information on why the
backup has failed.
Common causes:
▪ The associated batch file for the backup plan
located in the C:\EmersonBackupPlanTemplates
folder in the client machine) is not properly
configured.
▪ If the Acronis Managed Machine Service Account
has the required privileges for taking the backup

After an image recovery, R7910/T5810 machines run This behavior is documented in KBA NK-1700-0274:
slow as the software-based RAID controller takes ~45 Dell T5810 or R7910 Temporarily Slows Down After
minutes to 2 hours to complete its Initialization phase. Abnormal Shutdown.

Backups to a managed vault fail with “The Storage We recommended re-scheduling the backup plans to
Node is busy.” spread out the load on the Storage Node.
If this procedure would not be sufficient, follow the
Acronis article https://kb.acronis.com/content/54824

3.6 Recovery issues

Symptom Work-around/Recovery

An error message “Restore failed for Server Manually create the folder VCAT_<Database Name> in
‘<servername>’” appears when trying to recover <drive>:\DeltaV\DVData\databases before
Version Control and Configuration Database. restoring the VCAT database in SQL Management
Studio.
(See BackupRecovery.pdf – Recovering the DeltaV
Configuration and VCAT databases.)

The Acronis Backup and Recovery Bootable Media CD The earlier versions of DVBR (1.1/1.2), which use
does not detect Dell PE R720 disk partitions. Acronis Backup and Recovery v11, do not recognize
the hard drive controller or the network cards of R720
server machines.
Two options to recover:
▪ Create a custom Windows PE-based boot disk,
which includes the drivers for the devices.
▪ Acronis v11.5 supports these devices by default.
Upgrade to DeltaV v2.3.

Page 20 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery

A backup plan “runs” but does not run on any actual This issue commonly occurs with the
nodes, and the Acronis Management Server service Centralized_InitializeBackup plan as users forget to
crashes. While navigating in the Acronis Management redo the group linkage after the plan is imported.
Server, an Operation Progress dialog displays the 1. Right-click the backup plan, and click Edit.
following messages:
2. Click Items to backup. Select the group(s)
“Connecting to <managementServerName>” appropriate for the backup plan in question.
and ▪ For the Centralized_InitializeBackup plan, make
“Waiting for reconnection.” sure that All Machines is checked.
The backup plan will usually report a successful ▪ For all other backup plans, it will depend on which
completion even though it did not run on any nodes. backup plan it is and how the user has configured
the groups and plans.
3. Save the backup plan.
4. The backup plan will now deploy and run properly
as per the group assignment. The Acronis
Management Server service will no longer crash
when the backup plan is opened.

The modification date is changed when a backup file is The default setting when restoring files is the current
restored. Date and Time. To restore the file with the original
timestamp:
1. Select the Recovery options when creating the
recovery task.
2. Uncheck the Set the current data and time for
recovered files.
3. Click OK to save the settings.

Backups in the centralized vault cannot be viewed after The vault might be corrupted. Create a new vault and
upgrading to DeltaV v2.3. modify the backup plans to look at the new vault.
1. Create a new vault and configure as desired.
2. Modify all the backup plans to look at this new vault.
3. Detach the existing vault.
4. Configure the backup plans to use the new vault.

After recovering an image using Universal Restore, the 1. Execute the following from a command prompt:
user cannot rename the network connection or assign
SET DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1
appropriate IP addresses to the new network adapters.
The issue is caused by registry entries that are START DEVMGMT.MSC
retained when a network card is removed without being 2. Select Show Hidden Devices from the View Menu.
uninstalled from Device Manager.
3. Go to Device Manager → Network adapters and
remove ghost network adapters.
Important: Remove only the adapters that are no
longer present in the machine. Other ghost adapter
entries exist normally, such as RAS Async adapter,
Microsoft Virtual Miniport adapter #X, etc.

Unable to browse Dell 7910XL drives during image This behavior is a known issue with the current release
recovery when using bootable media. (Update 0). The bootable media component must be
updated with Update 5 or later installer. After that,
users will be able to generate a new disk that can
browse Dell 7910XL drives.

Page 21 of 25
 Symptom Work-around/Recovery

Recovering a Disk Image of a DeltaV node with Easy The Disk Image being recovered encounters BSOD or
Security Enabled fails with a BSOD (Blue Screen of will not boot (encounter boot cycle). This issue occurs
Death) / will not boot when using Universal Restore even if the recovery is done on the same hardware.
during the recovery. The issue occurs when Easy Security is enabled on
the image, and Universal Restore is used during the
recovery.
For the procedure, refer to KBA AK-1600-0064:
Restored Machine Fails to Boot on System with DeltaV
Easy Security or the Recommended Group Policy.

How to manually acquire the drivers to be used for A KBA is planned to distribute the required drivers and
Universal Restore from the Emerson Recovery DVDs firmware for server restores but is not yet available.
Until it is available, the required drivers can be taken
from the Emerson Restore DVDs that came with the
hardware you are restoring to. To grab the drivers from
the Emerson Restore DVD, perform the following:
1. Insert the Emerson Restore DVD for the hardware
and browse to the appropriate WIM file located in
the IMAGE directory.
2. Open this WIM file in a program that can work with
these file types (i.e. 7-zip).
3. In the WIM file, extract the
Windows\System32\DriverStore directory to the
local hard drive on a computer.
4. Place this directory on a flash drive.
5. Insert this flash drive into the machine you will
restore to, and then boot the machine using the
Acronis Bootable Media.
6. When you execute the Restore, make sure that a)
Use Universal Restore and b) Use Add Folder to
add the DriverStore directory on the flash drive.
This step will allow the machine to boot once the
image is restored.
7. Once you are rebooted into Windows after the
Restore, open Device Manager, select Show
Hidden Devices, and then locate any device that
shows under other devices.
8. For each of these Other devices, right-click and
select Update Driver, and then browse to the
DriverStore directory on the flash drive. Do not
search for drivers online. By updating all the drivers
from the DriverStore directory, we guarantee that
each driver on the system matches the officially
supported version.

Page 22 of 25
3.7 Backup issues
Symptom Work-around/Recovery

TFS Incident B152709: The backup using DVBR v3.3 The Acronis Knowledge Base Article
Hyper-V agent would backup either the primary virtual https://kb.acronis.com/node/61557 provides a work-
machines or replicas, instead of just the primary virtual around to this known Acronis issue. Emerson is
machines. working with Acronis to resolve the issue.

Multiple VMs consume a single (or none at all) DVBR This behavior is a known issue and will be addressed
Server or Workstation license count. in future versions of Acronis used for DeltaV Backup
and Recovery.
Acronis supports the 1-license-per-VM policy, and
Emerson complies with this requirement.

Page 23 of 25
4 Collecting information for DVBR issues
If you need assistance from the Global Service Center (GSC) to further troubleshoot a DeltaV Backup and Recovery
issue, get a full description of the issue, and then collect the information and files from the backup system.
GSC requires the following minimum information:

4.1 DVBR First Input Template

• What version of DeltaV Backup and Recovery is used?
o For DVBR 1.1/1.2, is it DVBR Standalone or Advanced Edition?
o For DVBR v2.3, is it a fresh DVBR v2.3 installation, or was it upgraded from DVBR v1.1/v1.2?
• What is the DeltaV version?
• Choose the area where the issue occurs:
o Importing a license
o Installation
o Importing Backup Plan Templates
o Running Backup Plans
o Performance
o Recovery
o DVBR v1.1/v1.2 upgrade to v2.3
• Where is the Management Server installed?
• Is deduplication enabled?
• What are the specifications of the Management Server/Storage Node machine?
o What processor?
o How much RAM does it have?
• Is there any error message encountered?
• Where does the issue exist?
o Management Server
o Agent machines
o Storage node
• What were the activities that led to the issue?
• Troubleshooting steps before the call was made
• Is remote connection via Webex possible?

4.2 Useful files for investigation

• Screenshot of the error message
• Screenshot of the affected backup plan template
• Windows Application and System Event Logs
• Acronis Event Logs

Page 24 of 25
Contact Information
Services are delivered through our global services network. To contact your Emerson local service provider, click Contact
Us. To contact the Global Service Center, click Technical Support.

Related products and services: DeltaV DCS | Lifecycle Services

Complete Article Revision History:

Revision/Publish Description of Revision
09 Jul 2021 Reviewed and determined applicable to DeltaV v14.FP2.
25 Jan 2021 Updated note in Section 2.4 with regards to back-up recommendation for virtualization
systems
17 Nov 2020 Added VM licensing usage issue with DVBR Server or Workstation Licenses on Section 3.7
17 Sep 2020 Added Section 3.7 - Backup Issues. Reviewed and applicable to DeltaV v14.FP1.
15 Jun 2020 Added information in Section 3.5 Performance Issues about backups to a managed Vault
Fails with "The Storage Node is busy".
20 Apr 2020 Added topic in section 3.3 about KBA AK-1900-0047.
30 Aug 2019 Reviewed and determined applicable for DVBR v3.3 on DeltaV v14.3.1
26 Oct 2018 Added common issues related to backup plan templates in Section 3.3 and performance
issues in Section 3.5
15 Feb 2018 Reviewed and determined applicable for DvBR v1.1 to v3.3 and DeltaV v14.3
04 Jan 2018 Added information on how to troubleshoot "Failed to create volume snapshot" (3.5)
13 Sep 2017 Added more information on how to investigate "Child process has exited..." (3.5) error and
manual driver extraction procedure (3.6).
23 Dec 2016 Reviewed and determined applicable to v13.3.1.
10 Sep 2015 Added latest issues and corresponding workaround for backup plans, performance &
recovery.
23 Dec 2014 Added latest common issues and corresponding workaround/recovery action for agent
installation, Batch Historian backup plan template, and image backup and recovery.
20 Jun 2014 Updated KBA for Guardian visibility.
14 Jun 2014 Added latest list of common issues and corresponding workaround/recovery action.
07 Mar 2014 Original release of article

©Emerson Automation Solutions 2009-2021. All rights reserved. For Emerson Automation Solutions trademarks and service marks, click this link to
see trademarks. All other marks are properties of their respective owners. The contents of this publication are presented for informational purposes
only, and while diligent effort has been made to ensure their accuracy, they are not to be construed as warrantees or guarantees, express or implied,
regarding the products or services described herein or their use or applicability. All sales are governed by our terms and conditions, which are
available on request. We reserve the right to modify or improve the design or specification of such products at any time without notice.

View Emerson Products and Services: Click This Link

Page 25 of 25