Windows 2000 Server crash using DAT40 NTBackup.exe "normal"

[CA1204485]

Our windows 2000 server has been crashing during the "normal" or full backups with NTBackup.exe. It has not crashed yet for an incremental backup.

SPECS:
- Windows 2000 Server SP4
- NTBackup.exe (SP4 release)
- SureStore DAT40
- Driver 5.0.2183.1 (19/06/2003) (Microsoft)
- Full backups are on 40 GB tapes

DETAILS:
1) This problem first occurred when we upgraded to SP4. Unfortunately the person who did the upgrade is no longer here and I have inherited this problem, so I don't know if anything was "fishy" about the upgrade.

2) The crash only happens during "normal" backups, ie full backups for NTBackup. It has happened during about 40% of the "normal" backups since the upgrade.

3) System monitoring shows no unusual disk, cpu, memory or process activity up to 1/10 of a second before the crash (resolution limit of monitoring software)

4) The backup always makes it through the "estimation" phase. It has then crashed at least once on every single drive (C:\ -> R:\) It has crashed most often on C:, and G:.

5) We tried reverting to the previous NTBackup.exe (pre SP4), which we thought was working after we had 2 successful backups last week, but we are having failures again now.

[CA1204485]

This system has now crashed several times during the use of HP L&TT, specifically during the following procedures:

- running "DDS Drive Assessment Test"
- running "Tape Drive Performance" (using different compression ratios)

I can see nothing out of the ordinary in the support ticket other than a compression ratio of just 1.1966 which seems a little low (though I have no experience to base this against)

If any HP person reads this, perhaps you could suggest some useful tests I can "try" to perform. I could just send in the support ticket, but I am not sure if having not been able to complete all that many test will affect the info within the ticket.

NOTE: It doesn't always crash during tests. I'd say about 25% of the time.

[Lewis Finch]

Andrew, go ahead and submit your support ticket, we may see something there to start with.