Problem

STATUS CODE 20: Attempts to create a NetBackup disk pool fail with a NetBackup Status Code 20 (Invalid command parameter) and the message "DSM was unable to validate the storage server list Failed to create disk pool, invalid command parameter".

Error
Invalid command parameter

Solution
Overview: Attempts to create a NetBackup disk pool fail with a NetBackup Status Code 20 (Invalid command parameter) and the message "DSM was unable to validate the storage server list Failed to create disk pool, invalid command parameter". In NetBackup 6.5.1, there are two steps in the creation of a disk pool: 1. Create a storage server (sts) 2. Create a disk pool that references the storage server. The following error can occur during the second step of creating the disk pool:
# nbdevconfig -createdp -stype AdvancedDisk -storage_server mediaserver1 dvlist /tmp/list -dp testdiskpool DSM was unable to validate the storage server list Failed to create disk pool, invalid command parameter

Troubleshooting: Review the admin log and the bp.conf file on the master server. Log files: The /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/admin log on the master shows this snippet:
12:03:28.549 [9180] <16> dsm_create_diskgroup: DSM was unable to validate the storage server list 12:03:28.549 [9180] <16> dsm_create_diskgroup: ServiceException: method=validateStorageServers():3715 class=DiskServiceAssist service=DiskService host=mediaserver1 errorDomain=DSM errorCode=2050035 errorText=operating system mismatch 12:03:28.549 [9180] <16> createdg: Creation of disk pool testdiskpool failed (20) 12:03:28.549 [9180] <2> nbdevconfig: operation returned status = 20 12:03:28.549 [9180] <16> DevConfigCLI::analyzeOp: Failed to create disk pool, invalid command parameter 12:03:28.549 [9180] <2> nbdevconfig: Exiting, status = 20

Resolution: This error is the result of an incorrect CLIENT_NAME configuration in the bp.conf file on the master server. The CLIENT_NAME entry is intended to tell NetBackup the name of the server. If the CLIENT_NAME entry is not the name of the master server, the wrong name is used to interrogate and update NetBackup configurations. See page 69 of the Veritas NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume II for UNIX and Linux Release 6.5 (under Related Documents below) for more information about the CLIENT_NAME entry in the bp.conf file. Changing the last CLIENT_NAME directive to be 'mediaserver1' and then remove and recreate the storage server: 1. nbdevconfig -deletests -stype AdvancedDisk -storage_server MACHINENAME media_server MACHINENAME -st 5 2. nbdevconfig -creatests -stype AdvancedDisk -storage_server MACHINENAME media_server MACHINENAME -st 5

NetBackup status code: 20

Message: invalid command parameter Explanation: One or more command parameters were not valid. This error can occur when incompatible levels of NetBackup are installed on a master and its media server(s) or client(s). For example, a NetBackup master server has NetBackup 7.0 and the media server or the client has NetBackup 6.0. This error can also occur if the wrong parameters are used when you run a command line. Recommended Action: Do the following, as appropriate:

Check the NetBackup Problems report for clues. If the error occurs when you run a command on the command line, verify that the parameters are valid. This status code may occur if nbjm passes parameters but does not have a required parameter. Check the nbjm unified logs (originator ID 117) for the list of parameters that were passed. The following information pertains to NetBackup Snapshot Client. o If the following appears in the /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bptm log as enabled on a third-party copy backup, multiplexing was enabled on a third-party copy backup.:
o bptm: cannot perform Third-Party-Copy for multiplexed backups send_brm_msg: ERROR 20

bptm: EXITING with status 20

The Third-Party Copy Device off-host backup method is incompatible with multiplexing (the writing of two or more concurrent backup jobs to the same storage device). You must disable multiplexing for any third-party copy backups. If multiplexing is enabled, the backup fails.
o

The media server may not have the correct 3pc.conf file entry for the client disk that is needed for the backup. The following appears in the /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bpbkar log:
14:45:00.983 [15773] <4> bpmap_mm_get_devid: GET_DEVICE_INDEX 1 EMC:SYMMETRIX:601092014000 14:45:00.986 [15773] <4> bpbkar child_send_keepalives: keepalive child started, pid = 15822 14:47:02.029 [15773] <4> bpmap_mm_get_devid: keepalive child: 15822 killed 14:47:02.030 [15773] <4> bpmap_mm_get_devid: DEVICE_INDEX -1 14:47:02.031 [15773] <16> bpmap_send_extend: ERR - can&apos;t obtain device id string EMC:SYMMETRIX:601092014000 14:47:33.167 [15773] <16> bpbkar Exit: ERR - bpbkar FATAL exit status = 227: no entity was found 14:47:33.167 [15773] <4> bpbkar Exit: INF - EXIT STATUS 227: no entity was found 14:47:33.168 [15773] <2> bpbkar Exit: INF - Close of stdout complete

This shows that a particular device cannot be found in the 3pc.conf file on the media server (14:47:02.031 [15773] <16> bpmap_send_extend: ERR can&apos;t obtain device id string EMC:SYMMETRIX:601092014000). The problem is one of the following:

The 3pc.conf file on the media server is outdated. Recreate the 3pc.conf file. The media server is not on the same Fibre Channel network as the thirdparty copy device and client disk. As a result, the 3pc.conf file does not have a correct entry for the client disk. Run the bptpcinfo command with the -x client_name option; this option adds the client disk to the 3pc.conf file. For each disk that is added to the file by means of bptpcinfo -x client_name, you may need to add the device&apos;s worldwide name (wwn=).

See the NetBackup Snapshot Client Configuration online document. See Snapshot Client Assistance in the NetBackup Snapshot Client Administrator&apos;s Guide.

The HP VxFS snapshot mechanism requires a dedicated cache partition for each snapshot. A check is made in the mount table to make sure that the cache partition is not already in use. If the cache partition is already in use, status code 20 occurs. Check the /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bpbkar log for a message similar to the following:
bpfsmap: FTL - bpfsmap: snapshot cache already in use, /dev/arrayvg/vol4c bpbkar Exit: ERR - bpbkar FATAL exit status = 20: invalid command parameter bpbkar Exit: INF - EXIT STATUS 20: invalid command parameter

If the snapshot cache partition is already in use, do one of the following: Set up your policy schedules to run at different times or use different cache partitions for each backup. If the Allow multiple data streams option is enabled, each stream must have its own dedicated cache partition.

Compare the NetBackup version level on the server to the version level on the clients by doing the following: o On UNIX or Linux NetBackup servers and clients, check the /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/version file. o On Windows NetBackup servers, check the install_path\Netbackup\version.txt file or the About NetBackup item on the Help menu. o On Microsoft Windows clients, check the About NetBackup item on the Help menu. o On NetWare target clients, check the Version entry in the bp.ini file. o On Macintosh clients, check the version file in the bin folder in the NetBackup folder in the Preferences folder. o If a Java interface displays the error, tell them how to enable the debug print manager in the Java startup file. Retry and compare the parameters that were logged on the Java log with the parameters listed in the commands usage statement. If these actions do not reveal the problem, create a debug log directory for the process that returned this status code (if the process uses legacy logging). Then retry the operation and check the resulting log.