Document ID: 329828
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How to troubleshoot backup or restore jobs that fail with "an error occurred while connecting to the Backup Exec for Windows Servers Remote Agent"
Exact Error Message
An error occurred while connecting to the Backup Exec for Windows Servers Remote Agent. Make sure the Remote Agent is installed on the target computer and running.

Details:

This warning can be generated in the job log when backing up a computer if no Remote Agent is installed. Backup Exec requires the Remote Agent to be installed and running on these machines in order to fully protect them. No license is required to install the Remote Agent on a Windows 2000 or XP Professional computer.
The Remote Agent can either be "push installed" from the Backup Exec server or alternatively be installed locally on each Windows computer. Please refer to the Related Documents section below on how to install the Remote Agent.

Error on Local/Remote server:

With Backup Exec for Windows Servers (BEWS) 9.x and above, the Remote Agent is also used on the Backup Exec media server for local backups. This is by design, enhances backup performance and therefore, this error could also occurs on the local server as well.

"The resource could not be backed up because an error occurred while connecting to the Backup Exec for Windows Servers Remote Agent. Make sure that the Remote Agent is running on the target computer"

Cause(s):

1. This error may occur due to a corrupt installation of the Remote Agent on the local system during Backup Exec installation.
2. The reason for the backup job to fail could be the 'Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Server' service running on the Backup Exec media server terminates or is stopped during the backup of the remote system.
3. All the Backup Exec Services on the media server are logging on and running with Local System Account (LSA). The Backup Exec Services on the media server, by default, all startup with the user account specified during the installation, with the exception of the Remote Agent Service. If the services are all running under the LSA, this change was made manually by an administrator after the initial installation.

To further diagnose and possibly resolve the issue, follow the steps below:

1. Make sure Backup Exec Service Account is a member of local administrator and Domain Admins group as well.
2. Ensure that all the services (except for the Remote Agent which starts as the Local System Account) are started using this account information.
3. Ensure that TCP Port 10000 is not in use by any other application. For details please refer to the TechNote ID:256312 in Related Documents section.
4. Confirm the local area connection is at the top of the Network Connections list on both servers (Network Connections > Advanced Settings > Adapters and Bindings)
5. If the Media Server has two NIC (Network Interface Card) cards, set the specific card for the local backups as per the steps given below:
a. In the Backup Exec console under Tools > Options > Network and firewall select the specific network card to assign to the Media Server for backups.
b. Run the backup and observe the result.

If the issue still occurs after performing the steps listed above, review the TechNotes in the Related Documents Section below for additional troubleshooting information.  



Supplemental Material:

System: Ref.#Description
UMI: V-79-57344-33899 The resource could not be backed up because an error occurred while connecting to the Backup Exec for Windows Servers Remote Agent

Products Applied:
 Backup Exec 10.0, 10d (10.1), 10d (10.1) 5629, 11d (11.0), 11d (11.0) 6235, 11d (11.0) 7170, 12.0, 12.5, 2010, 9.0, 9.1
Last Updated: November 09 2009 10:11 PM GMT
Expires on: 11-09-2010
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Subjects:
 Backup Exec
   Application: Troubleshooting
   Remote Agent For Windows Servers: Troubleshoot

Languages:
 English (US)

Operating Systems:
Windows 2000

Advanced Server, Server

Windows Server 2003

Enterprise Server

Windows Server 2008

Enterprise (x86-32bit), Standard (x86-32bit)