Screenshot verification Windows Server over proxy fails

[Martijn]

For over a few years I still cannot get the screenshot verification up and running for a Windows Server (at this moment 2022). The VM Recovery boot is slow as the Windows Server is using iSCSI and because of that a Nakivo proxy is needed.

So setup is: Synology NAS -> ESXi proxy -> ESXi recovery host.

I already put the VMTools service as delayed start, changed the registry for a longer service timeout (ServicePipeTimeout to 240.000) and set the screenshot settings in Nakivo to:

- VMs simultaneously: 1
- Recovery time: 30 min
- Screenshot delay: 800 seconds.

Is there anything else possible to get this to work? For example put the VMTools service as dependent on another important service?

[Official Moderator]

2 hours ago, Martijn said:

For over a few years I still cannot get the screenshot verification up and running for a Windows Server (at this moment 2022). The VM Recovery boot is slow as the Windows Server is using iSCSI and because of that a Nakivo proxy is needed.

So setup is: Synology NAS -> ESXi proxy -> ESXi recovery host.

I already put the VMTools service as delayed start, changed the registry for a longer service timeout (ServicePipeTimeout to 240.000) and set the screenshot settings in Nakivo to:

- VMs simultaneously: 1
- Recovery time: 30 min
- Screenshot delay: 800 seconds.

Is there anything else possible to get this to work? For example put the VMTools service as dependent on another important service?

@Martijn Sorry, but Support Team needs more information for further investigation.

Please provide us support bundle, including the main database (https://helpcenter.nakivo.com/display/NH/Support+Bundles). Do not forget to indicate your ticket number #193534. Thank you so much for your attention and participation. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

[Official Moderator]

On 4/5/2023 at 9:27 AM, Martijn said:

For over a few years I still cannot get the screenshot verification up and running for a Windows Server (at this moment 2022). The VM Recovery boot is slow as the Windows Server is using iSCSI and because of that a Nakivo proxy is needed.

So setup is: Synology NAS -> ESXi proxy -> ESXi recovery host.

I already put the VMTools service as delayed start, changed the registry for a longer service timeout (ServicePipeTimeout to 240.000) and set the screenshot settings in Nakivo to:

- VMs simultaneously: 1
- Recovery time: 30 min
- Screenshot delay: 800 seconds.

Is there anything else possible to get this to work? For example put the VMTools service as dependent on another important service?

Hello @Martijn, thank you for your patience during our investigation.

In your log, we have found the following error:

2023-04-04T20:46:19,729 [ERROR][Events] [SYSTEM] [JOB-13/VMware backup job][VM-1011/Server18] error144: EventError144{jobInfo='EventJobInfo{jobId=13, jobExecutionId=null, jobScheduleName=null}', title='Verification of the "Server18" VM has failed', description='Screenshot verification has failed for the "Server18" VM because VMware Tools are not available or out of date. Install the latest VMware Tools on the source VM to avoid this problem for future recovery points.', transient='null'}

Please perform the following steps for further investigation:

+ Access the expert mode, then enable 'system.vmware.skip.outdated .tools.checking' option
https://helpcenter.nakivo.com/User-Guide/Content/Settings/Expert-Mode.htm

+ Make sure the VMware Tools are up to date. Reinstall if possible

Then please try again and share the result with us.

We are looking forward to hearing from you. Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

[Official Moderator]

On 4/5/2023 at 9:27 AM, Martijn said:

For over a few years I still cannot get the screenshot verification up and running for a Windows Server (at this moment 2022). The VM Recovery boot is slow as the Windows Server is using iSCSI and because of that a Nakivo proxy is needed.

So setup is: Synology NAS -> ESXi proxy -> ESXi recovery host.

I already put the VMTools service as delayed start, changed the registry for a longer service timeout (ServicePipeTimeout to 240.000) and set the screenshot settings in Nakivo to:

- VMs simultaneously: 1
- Recovery time: 30 min
- Screenshot delay: 800 seconds.

Is there anything else possible to get this to work? For example put the VMTools service as dependent on another important service?

Hello @Martijn

We appreciate your patience during our investigation.

The VM(s) could not be bootable because of inconsistent backup created without App-Aware mode (quiescing). 

That's why we recommend always using App-Aware mode enabled(fail on the error) and performing VM/Screenshot verification every job run.

Nothing can be done from our side to fix these backups, and we recommend starting new chains from scratch (old backups you can use for file recovery only).

You can perform the following steps to achieve this:
1. Open the job for editing.
2. Select 2. Destination.
3. Open advanced options.
4. Select the VM with inconsistent points.
5. Disable tick 'Use existing backup as a target'.
6. Delete old backups or save them and start a new backup chain from scratch.

We are looking forward to your feedback. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further information.