TrueImage Agent - TCP/IP

Hello, can someone help me understand better how to use TrueImage 9.1 Agent?

I have created the bootable CD with all Acronis products available on the computer, including the TI Agent. After the CD loads, I am presented with the window that says that the Agent is running and I can now connect from a remote computer running Management Console. However the TCP/IP address is something like 169.254.xxx.xxx with 255.255.0.0 subnet mask.

My network does not use this scheme but rather static IPs. No wonder I cannot connect from the remote machine with the Management console. Of course if I temporarily change that machine's IP to match that of the computer now running the TI Agent, I can connect with no problem.

This is not however, I suppose, how Acronis meant this program to be used.

I am doing something wrong here. Can you help please? Is there a way to specify what IP The Agent will assign once loaded? The previous bootable disks of, say, TI8 (not with Agent) allowed you to modify the NIC settings under Menu/Options etc. But now, with the Agent there seems to be no way to modify anything after it loads.

I thank you in advance for your help!

Psfm NetAdmin

 

lost most control of my fingers so pleaqe bear with me, it hurts like hell 2 type.

>However the TCP/IP address is something like 169.254.xxx.xxx with
>255.255.0.0 subnet mask

i assume you R using a router? Well it should be setup to define the DHCP addresses of the computers on your network (and u should be able to use the mac address of the nic's 2 define that addreess-hope i said that correctly). then when that particular systtem boots TI will see that defined address and use it.
----------------
example...
DHCP 192.168.2.1 (router LAN ip addresss)
Define DHCP range 192.168.2.2 thru 192.168.2.6)
range defined as how many nics in network
-
192.168.2.2 mac address (of next computer netcard) xx.xx.xx.xx
192.168.2.3 mac address (of next computer netcard) xx.xx.xx.xx
etc...
these set in your router... router sees mac address, router defines that defined ip.. acronis ti uses that address.. everything cool,kosher,a-ok...

 

Thank you for the response!

Unfortunately I am a novice with all this stuff and I was not able to understand your suggestion.

My only reaction would be that this is a big business network that consists of 6 (soon to be 7, then 8, etc.) smaller networks, physically separated but connected via a VPN. Having said this, it would be a monumental task to reconfigure all these routers and firewalls considering that there are approximately 20 - 30 computers on each network.

I was wondering if someone from Acronis could help out or at least point us to a (hopefully) online help document for the "TI 9.1 Agent" providing us with tips and hints on its effective use.

I would really like to be sure if this program along with TI 9.1 and Universal Restore is exactly what I am looking for (Easy management of remote backup and seamless restoraton of any PC on the VPN network) before we spend the $$$. And we're talking many licenses here.

Thank you!

PsfM NetAdmin

 

I have the exact same problem

Our company is using static ip's instead of DHCP
when inserting the bootable cd and choosing to run the bootable agent, i get a screen saying the bootable agent is currently running and that i can use the remote management console to connect to the remote computer
but the top of the screen is saying:
Acronis Bootable Agent ((none) 169.254.x.x) ofcourse this is due to the fact that there is no DHCP available

The Workstation 9.1 edition has a "Tools -> Options -> Network Adapter" setting available to set a static IP, but this is not the case in the Enterprise Server 9.1 edition.
So I would like to know how i could set a static ip on the remote computer to continue the restore.

Everything went very well so far, but this static-DHCP issue is a major problem for our company.

Hopefully someone could help

 

Seems I have solved the problem

Static IP configuration is NOT available when choosing the bootable agent on the rescue bootable cd which is a big shame.

I had to install the Enterprise Server locally first from the bootable cd
And yes, now I can change the IP settings.

 

Texarcana, thanks so much for your posts!

I am, too, experiencing exactly what you describe in your first message.

But I got a bit confused when at the end you say:

Do you mean that FIRST I have to install ATIES locally and then I will be able to set a static IP so that once Bootable Agent loads and is running can use it instead of that 169.254.x.x ? Because yes, with ATIES locally installed you can always recover using F11 or booting from the Resue Media. But that requires that someone competent enough is physically THERE where the problem is. The key here is LOCALLY vs. REMOTELY. Can you please clarify?

Can someone from Acronis officially confirm (or not) that the TrueImageEnterpriseServer 9.1 Bootable Agent will ONLY work with DHCP running on the network and not with a Static IP configuration? Is there an acceptable workaround for this? And if indeed this is all ture, is there any possibility that a later ATIES release will address this issue?

Because, if this is indeed true then I see no practical use of ATIES 9.1 + Universal Restore being such an expensive package. If I can't remotely recover a server because of this DCHP vs. Static IP issue and I have to physically be where the problem is, what's the point of spending $1,298 (ATIES9.1 + UR + tax) when, say, even ATIS8 can still so the trick?

Please let's keep this thread alive until we come up with a solution.

Thank you all very much

PsfM NetAdmin

 

Hello PsfM,

Thank you for choosing Acronis True Image 9.1 Enterprise Server.

We are sorry for the delayed response.

Please notice that IP address can be specified by doing the following:

- Boot from Acronis True Image Agent bootable CD or from PXE Server
- Once you get the menu where you are prompted to select which component to launch (Acronis True Image Agent, Windows etc.) press F11
- After getting the parameters window please modify it the following way:

quiet if=eth0 ip=x.x.x.x dns=x.x.x.x gw=x.x.x.x mask=x.x.x.x

where "if" is the identifier of the network card (eth0 is used by default), "ip" is the ip-adress, "dns" is the DNS ip-adress, "gw" is the gateway ip-adress, "mask" is the subnet mask.

- Press OK and select the Acronis True Image Agent component.

After Acronis True Image Agent starts it should receive the IP-adress you have specified.

Thank you.
--
Marat Setdikov

 

Hello Marat

I tried the steps that you described, then pressed OK and selected the agent component, but when the agent starts I'm still getting a 169.254.x.x address.

I supplied the following when pressing F11:

quiet if=eth0 ip=10.7.30.253 dns=x.x.x.x gw=10.7.30.1 mask=255.255.255.0

where 10.7.30.253 is the IP of the server that needs the restore
I replaced the the dns entry here with x's (it is the same one as the rest that is used in the company so I'm sure this one is correct)

I also tried eth1 but it gives the same
I have no idea what I'm doing wrong here, backup went ok so there is no problem with the NIC

 

Hello to all and thanks to Acronis support for the response.

I have to agree with Texarcana, I followed the steps exactly as posted by Marat but I still get the ((none)169.254.x.x) address. In my case I did not even try eth1 since I only have one NIC installed.

One thing that needs to be clarified is this:

Marat cleary states " - Boot from Acronis True Image Agent bootable CD or from PXE Server".

I am assuming this CD is the disk that comes in the packaging if you bought the product in a store. Where as if you bought the software online you can only create the Emergency Bootable Media. This is also true for those evaluating the product from a trial version (my case).

What needs to be clarified is if any of these two CDs will produce the same results according to Marat's instructions. I am not an expert but my assumption that it should n't matter whether you're booting from the originally purchased CD or the CD made using the Create Bootable Media wizard. Also, is there any difference if you have activated the feature from within Windows and just boot using the F11 key?

I am sure with Marat's help we will find the solution to this.

Thanks again to all!

 

Hello PsfM and texarcana,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Remote Server Backup Software.

Please notice that Acronis True Image Agent bootable CD refers to "Emergency Bootable Media" containing only Acronis Bootable Agent component and created on a CD media. The bootable media may also contain other components if you decide to include them, and be created on other removable media (DVD, flash). The CD supplied with the package is essentially the same.

Could you please collect some information to let us investigate the issue thoroughly?

Please boot into Acronis Agent and try pinging the ip address it shows from the PC where management console is installed.

Please create net.txt report file the following way:

- Boot from Acronis True Image Agent bootable CD or from PXE Server
- Once you get the menu where you are prompted to select which component to launch (Acronis True Image Agent, Windows etc.) press F11
- After getting the parameters window please remove the "quiet" word, click on the "OK" button, choose Acronis Agent and wait for # prompt to appear. Please insert a diskette into a floppy disk drive and issue the following commands:

cd tmp
mkdir mntdir
mount /devfs/floppy/0 mntdir
cat /proc/net/dev > mntdir/sysinfo.txt
umount mntdir

Then submit a request for technical support. Attach all the collected files and information to your request along with the step-by-step description of the actions taken before the problem appears and the link to this thread. We will investigate the problem and try to provide you with a solution.

Thank you.
--
Marat Setdikov

 

Marat, thanks again for the feedback.

I will do what you suggested and submit all collected files and information to Acronis support.

In the meantime here's some of my thoughts:

You suggest creating the "Emergency Bootable Media" CD with the Agent component using ATIES 9.1 (or even from the Management Console in Windows, right?). Then, to boot a workstation using that CD and once Agent loads to try and ping it from the Management Console. Well, I understand the instructions but I am not sure what is the expected outcome? The ping will surely fail since the "remote" computer will be using 169.254.x.x and 255.255.0.0 while the Management Console machine (a Win 2003 Server BTW) is using 10.100.x.x and 255.255.255.0.

As I've mentioned in a previous post, if I, now, change the Server's IP to "match" the IP scheme of the workstation everything works fine and I can proceed with remote management (because both machines are physically on the same network). But, for obvious reasons, this is not how things should work, especially when my intention is to use ATIES 9.1 + Agent + Universal Restore to remotely backup/restore computers via the company's VPN.

In my case we're talking of 8 physically separated networks: I.e. 7 remote locations connecting to 1 corporate office, like a star. All networks use the 10.100.x.x range with 255.255.255.0 mask. Each network has a full T1 and DIA (direct internet access) via a Cisco 1841 router. There is also a VPN configured in a way that allows all 7 locations connect to the central corporate office without the use of client software. Of course we also have telecommuters (on the road or from home) who must use the Cisco VPN Client software to connect to the gateway of their preference and then use Remote Desktop or VNC or PCAnywhere to access their PC.

Finally, when you refer to "PXE Server" is this the feature included with (if I am not mistaken) SnapDeploy? I have not tried using this so I have no clue.

If we could get ATIES 9.1 + AGENT + UNIVERSAL RESTORE work, I would be a much happier person and definitely sleep better at night knowing that in the event of a disaster I can remotely restore any machine on the network.

Thank you very much again,

PsfM (=Pete's friendly Market)

 

Hello PsfM,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Remote Server Backup Software.

I'm sorry for not being accurate enough in my explanation. What I meant was to use Microsoft "ping" command the following way:
- run cmd from Start -> Run on the machine where Acronis Management Console is installed;
- in the opened DOS-like window issue the command "ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" using the ip address displayed by Acronis Remote Agent.
The purpose of that was to determine if the agent is able to detect and connect to network at all, but as you said you can connect to the agent using the ip address it shows, it is not necessary.

PXE server is indeed a component of Acronis Snap Deploy 2.0.

Thank you.
--
Marat Setdikov

 

Hello,

Sorry for my late response but I was on a short holiday,
I did the procedure for creating the sysinfo.txt and have send it with a technical support request today.

the output of the sysinfo.txt was this :

Inter-| Receive | Transmit
face |bytes packets errs drop fifo frame compressed multicast|bytes packets errs drop fifo colls carrier compressed
lo: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
eth0: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Please note that the following procedure gave an error.
cd tmp
mkdir mntdir
mount /devfs/floppy/0 mntdir
cat /proc/net/dev > mntdir/sysinfo.txt
umount mntdir

When I typed mount /devfs/floppy/0 mntdir I got an error like this: Nls_cp437.o: no module by that name found

So I used this procedure to make the sysinfo.txt:
mkdir /mnt/t
mount -t vfat /devfs/floppy/0 /mnt/t
cat /proc/net/dev > /mnt/t
umount /mnt/t

 

Sorry for the delayed response, I was actually "down and out" with a severe case of the flu.

I too had the same results like Texarcana with what Marat suggested. Unfortunately, I am not that technical to attempt to do what Texarcana did. However the F11 method and inserting the desired network config manually still does not work with me...

Is this thread abandoned or should we keep posting?

Thanks,

PsfM