WHS2011 - one client not waking for client backup

[Jason]

WHS2011 client backups are running nightly as expected. All client PCs are correctly displayed as online or offline according to their current status. All client PCs are correctly waking/sleeping according to their respective client backup session with the exception of one Dell E6420 laptop PC.

 

Client PC is:

- running win 7 x64

- has WHS2011 connector installed

- will backup if a manual backup is initiated

- is configured for WOL

- is configured to respond to timed events (both in BIOS and the Win 7 Power Settings)

 

How/where can you tell what might be preventing the client PC from responding to its corresponding backup window?

 

EDIT: I've also configured that this client PCs scheduled backup time is 2:47 AM per task scheduler. In addition, there are no events in the Windows Event Viewer at the time of the backup.

[jmwills]

Make sure you configured both the wired and wireless NIC's.

[ikon]

Also, if you know which NIC is supposed to be used (i.e. if the laptop is hard wired then it should use that NIC, if not, then the wireless NIC) you could/should actually disable the other one, at least as a test, to ensure the system doesn't try to use the wrong one for backup.

 

And some random thoughts:

 

I recall, at work, with Dell computers, there were 2 BIOS settings we had to check/set in order to get WoL working. I can't recall exactly what they were, but I do recall there were 2 of them, and that they both had to be set correctly.

 

Try uninstalling & reinstalling the Connector on the laptop.

 

Try uninstalling the Connector on the laptop and also removing the laptop from the DashBoard, then reinstall the Connector afresh.

 

Download MC-WoL.exe from the internet and run it from your server, or another computer, to try to wake up the laptop. If it doesn't work then it seems very unlikely the server will be able to wake it either.

[Jason]

Confirmed - both NICs have been configured and are working. In other words, I can connect wirelessly when cable not connected and vice versa. If I initiate a manual backup from the connector installed on the same device, it successfully connects and performs an incremental backup as expected.

 

Also, do I understand correctly that the WHS 2011 client backups occur using a timed system event initiated from the client PCs task scheduler and do not use WOL in any way?

[ikon]

Also, I forgot, have you checked the log files: C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows Home Server\logs ?

[Jason]

Oddly enough my Win 7 x64 client stores these logs in c:\programdata\microsoft\windows Home Server\logs. Also, I've noticed that the last logs created were ~ april 2012 which seems peculiar.

[ikon]

Double oddly enough, my Win7x64 seems to be storing them in both locations! And mine, too, seems to have it's last entry in April. I'm wondering if MS sent out an update in April that turned off the logs, or put them somewhere else.

[Jason]

ikon, I've since uninstall the WHS2011 connector then delete any windows server folder leftovers from c:\programdata and/or c:\program files (x86). Then reinstall the connector and started a new client backup. Immediately a new folder was created in \programdata but NOT \program files (x86). And the data in the \logs folder was timestamped today. Peculiar nonetheless. Will see whether this in any way remedies my client backup issue tonight.

[ikon]

Fantastic. Thanks for reporting back with your results.

[Jason]

Turns out - after previous steps (uninstalling WHS 2011 connector app, deleting leftover directories and re-installing the connector), my client PC woke per the time set in the task scheduler last night and performed the expected client backup. Still not sure the reason, but nevertheless hope this might help someone else in the future. I suspect a log/file of some sort existed prior that was causing the client PC to skip the scheduled task.