Server AdministrationWindows Servers

DPM Error 337: Manually Set Name of Allowed DPM Server on Client

When installing a Protection Agent from DPM 2007 on a server on a Windows 2003 Domain I ran into a wacky problem where the DPM Administration Console errored out during Install.

A server errored out with a 337 error.

You cannot install the protection agent on MYSERVER because access to the computer has been denied.

The Microsoft Documentation says that the recommended action is “Do the following to troubleshoot this issue: ”

1) If another DPM server is currently protecting MYSERVER use that DPM server to uninstall the protection agent from MYSERVER. Then, use this DPM server to install the protection agent on MYSERVER.

2) Verify that the time on the DPM server and the selected computer is synchronized with the domain controller. At a command prompt, type “net time /set” to synchronize the time with the domain controller.

3) If the computer is a domain controller, verify that the primary domain controller (the PDC Emulator) is running Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), and that Active Directory has completed replication between the domain controllers since the Windows Server 2003 SP1 installation.

So I start debugging with item 1.  Since I am not the first Administrator to work on this installation AND there is another DPM server located elsewhere on the network which was recenctly installed,  it seems possible that something odd was done with this computer wpointed to another DPM Server.

First I try uninstalling the client locally on the system and I log into the server to remove the program using Add/Remove Programs,  however the Add/Remove Programs listing is completely blank.  I do a bunch of research on this and eventually  I determine that the Unistall information must somehow be corrupt,  the system needs a OS restore or something.  I cant afford this and will plan to do this another day.   I start browsing around in the Program Files directory for the DPM Client to try and find an uninstall program or something and I happen upon an executable that looks interesting.  I open a command prompt and run the program to find out what it does.

#> cd C:Program FilesMicrosoft Data Protection ManagerDPMbin
#> setDPMServer.exe /?

This shows me how to run this program

#> SetDPMServer -dpmservername < servername>

So I run it with the name of my DPM server

#> SetDPMServer -dpmservername MYSERVER

And it clearly does something giving me the following information.

Configuring dpm server settings and firewall settings for dpm server =[MYSERVER]
Configuring dpm server settings and firewall settings for dpm server =[W2K.DOMAIN.COMMYSERVER]
Configuration completed successfully!!!

Now I head back over to my DPM server and run the install again from the Management Tab of the DPM 2007 Administrator Console.  And would you beleive it?  It installed perfectly.  So there are two things I need to get in order to address the other issues on my network (find out why Add / Remove Programs is not coming up,  find out if anyone is trying to protect some of the computers using another DPM server on the network).
The thing I never found out was if it could have been items 2 or 3 where there is a time sync problem between the AD controller and the server.  It might have been better to start with the easy fixes described in those steps since that would have been easier and would have ruled it in our out.

Until then though this will work; Mystery Solved!