VVEngine Cannot Access Network Files

ShytKicker · Joined: 10 Mar 2008 Posts: 10

I am trying to sync a different server with VVEngine, but whenever I restart the computer that VVEngine is installed on, VVEngine says "Status Details: Folder not accessible: \\networkpath\content_images"

But, once I run ViceVersa Pro and hit the button "Compare", and then run the VVEngine profile again, it will work. Basically, it only connects whenever ViceVersa is running in the background.

Is this some kind of bug? I need the VVEngine to sync with other servers within the network, but they are password protected. How can I make it work?

Edit:

Well I got it to work with VVLauncher somehow, and I have it set to run whenever file changes are detected, but it doesn't do that.

It only runs when I hit the RUN button or when it starts up.

Any ideas?

TGRMN Software · Site Admin Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 8759

Hi, what scheduling settings are you using with this profile in VVEngine? thanks
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ShytKicker · Joined: 10 Mar 2008 Posts: 10

I installed both VVLauncher and VVEngine as a service.

The scheduled settings in VVEngine are as follows:

img375.imageshack.us/img375/1180/schedulerti5.gif

VVEngine will not start, says that the UNC path is not accessible. Although, VVLauncher does work with the path, except that it does not for some reason detect file changes. It runs every 5 minutes as I have set it, but I need it to work INSTANTLY once a file is added to the source directory since we want to use this software in order to replicate images in our load balanced servers.

VVlauncher:

img362.imageshack.us/img362/3741/vvlauncheryw1.jpg

TGRMN Software · Site Admin Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 8759

I think it is due to the monitoring of the remote folder.

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ShytKicker · Joined: 10 Mar 2008 Posts: 10

TGRMN Software · Site Admin Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 8759

Please try the following in VVengine:

- activate the scheduling option "Check if source and target aqre accessible on the server using PING command only"

- disactivate the option "Monitor target and run when file changes are detected"

please let me know if this works

thanks!
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ShytKicker · Joined: 10 Mar 2008 Posts: 10

That did the job! Everything is now running PERFECTLY!

If I have any problems, I'll be sure to post. Thank you.

Jerbear · Joined: 03 Jul 2008 Posts: 10

Hi, I been having similar problem this user has been experiencing but the propose configuration did not work for me.

I agree with him that I do not understand how VVlauncher running as a service using an account that has network access can monitor the UNC path and detect a change and synchronize the files and VVEngine can not do it or fails to monitor network resources. I have used other products that can detect UNC paths changes and trigger a replication like Robocopy.

Here is the profile settings:
Folders
- "\\stzvw0001cn01.test.bpa.gov\uploads$\" <to> "W:\stage\uploads\" (Include Subfolders)
- "\\stzvw0001cn02.test.bpa.gov\uploads$\" <to> "W:\stage\uploads\" (Include Subfolders)
- Create sources/targets that do not exist
- Exclude hidden files
- Exclude system files
- Exclude subfolders: "W:\stage\uploads\ratecase\temp"
- Exclude subfolders: "\\stzvw0001cn01.test.bpa.gov\uploads$\ratecase\temp"
- Exclude subfolders: "\\stzvw0001cn02.test.bpa.gov\uploads$\ratecase\temp"
- Exclude hidden subfolders
- Exclude system subfolders
Comparison
- Comparison Type: Size and Timestamp
Execution
- Method: Synchronization
- Tracking Database: "L:\ViceVersaPRO2\db\UploadsDB.tdb"
- Log File: "L:\ViceVersaPRO2\uploadlogs.log" (max 10000 KB)
- No archive for deleted/replaced source files
- No archive for deleted/replaced target files
- Process Priority: Normal
- Speed: 100 Buffer Size: 32768 (flush the buffer every write)
- Copy files even if timestamp changes after initial comparison
- Copy directly to destination file (do not use a temporary file)
- Try to copy files that are in use by other applications
- Run custom scripts after execution

Here is the VVEngine settings:
Schedule: Monitor source(s) and target(s) and run when file changes are detected - If error occurs rerun after 5 minutes - Check if source and target are accessible on server using PING command only

Here is the error message I get from VVEngine:
Status Details: Folder not accessible: \\stzvw0001cn01.test.bpa.gov\uploads$

Keep in mind this works just fine with VVLauncher.

Thanks, Jerry

pharcyde · Guest

I am having the same issues as Jerbear. I would really like to see the advertised ability of realtime file replication work with network shares as this is why I am recommending the purchase of ViceVersa over other file replication tools. I had a bat file that ran a Robocopy job running as a service that was able to monitor changes on a network share and replicate changed content so why can't the VVEngine?

And here's the kicker: when I run VVEngine as a domain user that has full permissions on the share, I get the folder not accessible message when trying to enable the profile with Monitoring enabled. Now, when I run the VVEngine as a local account that exists and an administrator on both the target machine and the server running VVEngine, I don't get this error.

What's the deal? What permissions do I need for the VVEngine to work over the network share? I'm not comfortable with running it as an administrator and leaving it at that.

pharcyde · Guest

I updated the user that the VVEngine service ran as back to the domain user. The profile failed when I did this. I noticed however that why I made the domain user an administrator on the server that the VVEngine was running on, I was able to run the profile with the Source and Target monitoring. Note that the domain user is not an admin on the Source or Target machines, only the server running VVEngine. My question is this: what security rights do I need to give the user running VVEngine in order for it to be able to access network shares? I am not comfortable running this service as an admin on the server if I can avoid it.

pharcyde · Joined: 24 Jul 2008 Posts: 3

Note that when I changed the domain user to be an admin on the box I had to restart the VVEngine service for it work.
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TGRMN Software · Site Admin Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 8759

If Robocopy can monitor a UNC path for changes running as a service and under a specific account, then VVEngine should be able to do the same (and VVLauncher too) ...

For Jerbear :
Which account are you using to run VVEngine that gives the error?

For pharcyde:
Are you also getting the error:
Status Details: Folder not accessible: xxxxxxxxxx

thanks
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pharcyde · Joined: 24 Jul 2008 Posts: 3

Yes, I am getting that error you mentioned if I do not place the domain user that I am running VVEngine as in the Administrators group on the server. Once I place the user in the admin group and restart the service I no longer get the error enabling the profile and it works fine. I've tried placing the User in the Backup Operators, Power Users and Users groups on the server but that didn't work.
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~Pharcyde

Jerbear · Joined: 03 Jul 2008 Posts: 10

I use a local user account on each server called “repl” and I configure VVEngine service to run under the local account “.\repl”. This was how I configured Robocopy in monitored mode. I configured robocopy to run as a service using a utility in the Windows 2003 reskit and it run under the same local account “repl” and it work just fine.

The web servers in our DMZ are standalone servers and do not belong to any domain, so putting a server name or domain in front of the user will cause it to fail since we have multiple web servers.

Jerbear

Jerbear · Joined: 03 Jul 2008 Posts: 10

Interesting, I did what some other users have done by putting the “repl” account in the Local Administrator group and it was able to see the network shares and detect changes just like VVLauncher. However, by putting the “repl” account in the Local Administrator group doesn’t adhere to Least Privilege Security model being adopted by our industry as well as violates our cyber policies. VVLauncher doesn’t require the “repl” account to be a part of the Local Administrators group to monitor or detect network shares so it is interesting that VVEngine does. I will do some more testing to see why VVEngine is requiring the higher privilege access.

Jerbear