Categories: XenServer, Alike v3, Alike v4

Introduction

The following article assumes you are familiar with ABDs and how they work in general. For some basic background information, please refer to our Understanding ABDs KB article for an overview on ABDs and how they work.

The Alike ABD has several areas of configuration that can cause problems if not properly set. Most important are the assigned Xen Network and IP Addresses. Always ensure the Xen Network assigned to the ABD is correct, and able to route/access the network where your ADS is located.

ABDs always access your ADS via CIFS, so double checking your ADS path in the Alike Manager, and that your CIFS share is available.

*Please Note: If you select a local path for your ADS, Alike will automatically create a CIFS share, and local user account to access it as part of the Installation Wizard. Domain Controllers (including SBS Servers) do not allow local users, and will cause Alike to fail during installation. For domain controllers, please use an external CIFS share.

ABD Checklist

• ABD template has been deployed to shared storage, if in a pool
• ADS CIFS share exists/accessible
• ABD Xen Network can access ADS share
• ABD IP addresses are correctly entered (for Xen Network)
• No NAT IP is assigned to the ABD, unless explicitly required

Alike can provision multiple temporary ABDs to process concurrent jobs. Each ABD requires 1 IP address, which must be configured for each ABD pool. Improper configuration of ABD IP addresses can cause failures during jobs, or delayed jobs if not enough have been added. Typically, 1 IP address per concurrent active job is required. So for example, if you wanted to run 4 simultaneous backup jobs, you would need to have 4 IPs available.

*Please Note: Alternate IPs are only necessary when the Alike services must access the ABD via a NAT IP. Using an Alternate IP for any other situate will cause job delays or failures.

Final Notes

Common ABD Errors